Looking up in downtown Jackson, Mich.
Trains: David
They call David “The Conductor.”
He joined the Central Michigan Model Railroad Club at 16. A wunderkind who became the club’s treasurer.
He’s also a bit of a jokester.
“I still live in my childhood home,” David says. “I just kicked my parents out.”
David is the first one in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, and usually the last one to turn out the lights. The club meets in a second story loft in downtown Jackson, Mich. The hours come from the club’s old location at the local mall. It used to be they’d meet on Mondays and Fridays, but David says they started using Wednesday as a “work day.”
Though “work” is always code for “social.”
“It’s more social than anything. This is my social club,” David says.
Exploring the W. K. Kellogg Manor House on a recent job retreat.
(yes, that Kellogg)
A lovely estate that is now run as a biological station by Michigan State University.
Had a chance to try out Fuji’s Astia film simulation mode on the Fuji XE-1. Lots of contrast and color. Not bad.
From my previous post on exploring abandoned places with my Fuji EX-1, here’s the abandoned home near Spring Arbor, Mich.
There was also a business of some sort attached to the property (it’s listed as commercial real estate, I think I saw on the sign). A boat out back, a big field, and a large empty storefront.
I always wonder why these types of places are taken over by homeless folks. The threat of arrest? Guarding your turf from other vagabonds?
A lot of the house, especially past the kitchen, were too dark to explore. But there were enough fun little details, like the hat sitting on the counter, to make this a worthwhile location.
I may have to ask my realtor friends what the story is on this property.
Get out into the woods.
It’s the best prescription for what ails you. Sunshine, fresh air, the creak of the tall trees in the wind, the birds – it was all there before us, before you, before your issues.
It’ll always be.
This time of year is extra special, especially after such a bleak, brutal winter. The world is waking up, winning back the sun from the snow.
Persephone got lost on the way to the overworld. But now she’s back and kicking.
The MacCready Reserve is my own local getaway spot. There are hills and lakes and long rows of pines with snakes and frogs and deer and birds. It’s quiet, except when the wind is blowing. Then you can hear it throughout the park.
Trains: Craig
Craig grew up across the street from the Pontiac rail yards. He’s been watching them for a lot of years.
When he was 18, he got into model trains, but never really had a place to run them. In 2002, he moved to Jackson, and found the Central Michigan Model Railroad Club.
“Then I had a place to play with them,” Craig says.
Before then, Craig studied geography in college. He also collected stamps and license plates. “It’s an OCD thing,” he says, with all the colors, symbols, and numbers. Organizing. Categorizing.
Craig works in the travel industry in Novi.
TGIF Friday Jams: The Cult – “Fire Woman”
Doesn’t get much more rock and roll than Ian Astbury in The Cult’s heyday. Not hair metal, not the AC/DC-style stuff of Electric. Just polished rock.
“Fire Woman” was a staple of our local rock station, and I could never get enough.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Trains: Blair
Both sides of Blair’s family has worked on the railroad. He has five family members riding the rails.
“I love seeing my brother drive by on the train,” he says.
Blair’s been collecting train memorabilia since he was young. He has an O-gauge train set at home, and the GTs are his favorites.
He’s grateful for the Central Michigan Model Railroad Club.
“I can’t personally work on the railroad because I’m deaf, so this is the next best thing.”
Even more so than with my Instagram feed, I’m venturing into abandoned places and trying out some photography with my new-ish Fuji XE-1.
My phone is easy to shoot with because it’s always with me, and I can pull over somewhere and grab a few shots, and then jump back into the car and drive away.
But lately, I’m scoping out some locations, and carrying my Fuji in the car everywhere I go – just in case. And the 27mm Fujinon lens is flexible enough to get the kinds of shots I want.
Above is from an abandoned home near Spring Arbor, Mich. I’ll have a lot more coming soon from this location.
