By Joann M. Ringelstetter
In June of this year, Ruth and I took an extended weekend photography trip to Iowa. On Sunday morning, we were in Mason City and we passed a dog grooming place that had a large pink dog sculpture in front of it. It was made out of barrels and pipes and was rather cute, so I pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center next to it and parked the car. Then I grabbed my camera and tripod and walked back to the dog sculpture.
As I started to photograph it, I saw a young man walk past on the other side of the street. He had a dog on a leash and a backpack on his back. He sat down on the grass in the shade of a building.
Soon another young man, also with a backpack, came walking down the sidewalk and started talking with the first young man. A minute later, a young woman with a very large backpack and a dog on a leash came walking past and I said to myself, “What’s with all the backpacks?”
I went back to capturing a couple images of the dog sculpture and then someone said, “Excuse me, can you tell me where the nearest gas station is?” I looked up and realized it was one of the guys from across the street. I told him I wasn’t from Iowa, but that we had passed a gas station a block or two down the street. And then we shook hands as we introduced ourselves.
He said his name was Roy and he was a hobo.
“You’re a hobo?!” I exclaimed. “Wow, I’ve never met a real live hobo.”
Roy told me that he had been living the life of a hobo for the past eight years. He was headed to Sioux City, Iowa, to see his father, whom he hadn’t seen in six years. He told me that he and his friends ride the rails, stopping along the way and working to earn some money.
I told him I was from Madison, Wisconsin, and he replied that he only knew one town in Wisconsin and that was Madison. He said he had been to State Street once.
Roy said he loved being a hobo because it was allowing him to see this great country in a way that others don’t and to see things others will never see. I asked him how he and his friends were treated by the railroad people. He said that they were pretty nice in small towns, letting them ride without too much trouble, but they were not as friendly in the bigger cities. After seeing his father, he was going to Kansas City where he would meet up with his friends.
I asked Roy to wait a minute while I took one more shot of the dog sculpture. Then we would walk back to the car so Ruth could look up the exact location of the gas station. He said that would be really nice.
As we walked back, I told Roy that I had read about hobos riding the rails in search of work during the Great Depression, but I didn’t know there were still hobos in this day and age. He smiled.
When we reached the car, I introduced Roy to Ruth: “This is Roy and he’s a real live hobo!”
Ruth smiled and then I turned to Roy and said, “Is that offensive?”
“No,” he said, “It’s actually very nice.”
Roy asked if our photos were on the Internet. So I gave him a business card and explained what “shunpiking” means.
“That’s great!” he said. “You guys are doing kind of the same thing I’m doing. Seeing the country like no one else! I think I’ll start using that word.”
And with that, he headed back to his friends.
I was really impressed by the gentleness and friendliness of this young man, so I told Ruth that I wanted a picture of them if they would allow it. I grabbed my camera and headed across the street to where they were sitting.
I first introduced myself to Roy’s friends and then asked them if I could take their picture. They said that would be fine. I wanted to remember this day when a complete stranger (one whose lifestyle was a surprise to me) opened my eyes and earned a place in my heart.
I wished them well and then Roy said, “Thanks, safe travels!”
“Same to you!”
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Quick Pic - Back to School
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
This morning, I was greeted on Facebook with photos of my great niece and nephews who were proudly posing in front of the camera on their first day of the school year. It reminded me of all the great old-fashioned one-room schoolhouses we have in our photo collection that have yet to be processed.
It also reminded me that autumn is just around the corner and, although we are currently suffering through some intense heat and humidity, I am getting excited for the cool fall weather. I am also eager to hit the backroads with my camera to capture some of the beautiful Wisconsin fall color. And because Ruth and I both love the variety of autumn sumac that colors our images, I decided to share a couple of photos of an old school surrounded by orange sumac.
To all the children returning to school, have a great school year. And to all the drivers out there, slow down where children are present.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
This morning, I was greeted on Facebook with photos of my great niece and nephews who were proudly posing in front of the camera on their first day of the school year. It reminded me of all the great old-fashioned one-room schoolhouses we have in our photo collection that have yet to be processed.
It also reminded me that autumn is just around the corner and, although we are currently suffering through some intense heat and humidity, I am getting excited for the cool fall weather. I am also eager to hit the backroads with my camera to capture some of the beautiful Wisconsin fall color. And because Ruth and I both love the variety of autumn sumac that colors our images, I decided to share a couple of photos of an old school surrounded by orange sumac.
To all the children returning to school, have a great school year. And to all the drivers out there, slow down where children are present.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Sunflowers at Pope Farm Conservancy
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
In the summer of 2013, a fellow photographer mentioned that he was hoping to find the time to photograph the sunflowers at Pope Farm Conservancy, a 105-acre park to the west of Madison, Wisconsin.
I hadn’t had the opportunity to photograph sunflowers since 2008 when Ruth and I stumbled on a field of sunflowers in Columbia County, Wisconsin. This sounded like a great opportunity, especially since Pope Farm Conservancy isn’t that far from where I live.
So I checked the sunflower update on the Pope Farm website and it said that the sunflowers were in their prime. Then I checked the weather report and the weather looked good for the following morning. Of course, it was a weekday and I had to work, but I figured there would be plenty of time if I arrived at the park at first light.
The next morning, I got up very early, put on a pair of blue jeans, put my work clothes in the car, and headed over to Pope Farm Conservancy. It was still dark when I arrived, but by the time I hiked up the trail past the old rock wall, it was starting to get light enough to photograph the sunflowers.
The light was beautiful, which is usually the case during the 20 minutes or so before sunrise. I worked quickly, not only because of the short window of glorious light, but also because I wanted to get to work on time. Other than a couple of people out for an early morning run, I was alone with the sunflowers.
After taking many photos of the vast field of brilliant yellow sunflowers, I decided to get up close and personal.
Then I noticed that the bees were early risers too, and they were already hard at work, visiting many of the sunflowers.
By this time, the sun was well above the horizon and it was time for me to leave for work. So I packed up my camera equipment and walked back up the hill to get to the other side of the rock wall. As I walked back to the car, I shot a few more photos from the other side of the wall.
This year, I had planned to return to Pope Farm to once again photograph the sunflowers. However, the prime time for photographing them came and went quickly and I didn’t make it over there. And this year, word of these beautiful sunflowers was in the news and all over social media, and I heard it was jam-packed with cars and people every day.
Since I hadn’t found the time in the past two years to process the photos I took in the summer of 2013, I decided it was time to share these with you. And I will leave it on my To Do List to revisit Pope Farm Conservancy in the coming years to enjoy the beautiful gift of the sunflowers.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
In the summer of 2013, a fellow photographer mentioned that he was hoping to find the time to photograph the sunflowers at Pope Farm Conservancy, a 105-acre park to the west of Madison, Wisconsin.
I hadn’t had the opportunity to photograph sunflowers since 2008 when Ruth and I stumbled on a field of sunflowers in Columbia County, Wisconsin. This sounded like a great opportunity, especially since Pope Farm Conservancy isn’t that far from where I live.
So I checked the sunflower update on the Pope Farm website and it said that the sunflowers were in their prime. Then I checked the weather report and the weather looked good for the following morning. Of course, it was a weekday and I had to work, but I figured there would be plenty of time if I arrived at the park at first light.
The next morning, I got up very early, put on a pair of blue jeans, put my work clothes in the car, and headed over to Pope Farm Conservancy. It was still dark when I arrived, but by the time I hiked up the trail past the old rock wall, it was starting to get light enough to photograph the sunflowers.
The light was beautiful, which is usually the case during the 20 minutes or so before sunrise. I worked quickly, not only because of the short window of glorious light, but also because I wanted to get to work on time. Other than a couple of people out for an early morning run, I was alone with the sunflowers.
After taking many photos of the vast field of brilliant yellow sunflowers, I decided to get up close and personal.
Then I noticed that the bees were early risers too, and they were already hard at work, visiting many of the sunflowers.
By this time, the sun was well above the horizon and it was time for me to leave for work. So I packed up my camera equipment and walked back up the hill to get to the other side of the rock wall. As I walked back to the car, I shot a few more photos from the other side of the wall.
This year, I had planned to return to Pope Farm to once again photograph the sunflowers. However, the prime time for photographing them came and went quickly and I didn’t make it over there. And this year, word of these beautiful sunflowers was in the news and all over social media, and I heard it was jam-packed with cars and people every day.
Since I hadn’t found the time in the past two years to process the photos I took in the summer of 2013, I decided it was time to share these with you. And I will leave it on my To Do List to revisit Pope Farm Conservancy in the coming years to enjoy the beautiful gift of the sunflowers.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
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