capture life photography

23/30 ~days of gratitude.
Grateful for for my grandfather who use to take us down to the railroad tracks to watch the trains. When you're young, some things seem really boring and you really don't appreciate the true value of it all. My Pap would drive my sister and I behind the train tracks, sitting us on top of the hood of his old blue Ford truck. We would watch the trains go by for what would seem like hours.

I've been thinking about him a lot lately. Maybe its because of the holidays. But, for whatever reason, I just happen to be at that end of town today. I just could not drive by without driving behind to the old tracks. It just seemed so right to drive behind and watch the trains. So many memories came flooding back and my emotions kind of got the best of me. Maybe its because I know how much he enjoyed it. Maybe it because it had been so long. Maybe its because it was just time to remember. Then this older gentleman tapped me on the shoulder while I was snapping away and was sweet enough to want to talk and make conversation with me about the passenger train he just saw drive through minutes earlier. I suddently started bursting into tears. {Boy, I'm betting he sure wished he never stopped}. He was such a nice gentleman. Reminded me that maybe this is what my grandfather use to do down at the tracks. Stop and tap people on the shoulder and want to relive and tell all about his memories about working on the railroad.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." ~Mae West

So grateful I made the time and stopped to visit today even though it was wet, cold, windy, dark and dreary. So grateful that I have those memories he gave me. Even if I did not know how much it would mean until years later. How I appreciate them so much more now. Oh, how I miss him! What I wouldn't do to get one of those lazy afternoons back sitting on the hood of that old Ford watching the trains go by...