Somewhere near Granbury, TX
This last weekend I went for a drive with my parents hunting bluebonnets around Granbury, TX. Usually, I do this sort of thing by myself. Let’s face it, sitting in a car while some crazed photographer slams on the brakes, jumps out of the car to take some photos, races back to the car to drive ten feet and slam on the brakes again, is not exactly a good time if you aren’t the one clicking the buttons on the camera. But since my parents offered to go with me and show me some good photo ops, I took them up on it.
After several stops, I realized I had yet to see exactly what I was looking for. I gazed around the countryside. It seemed too bland. I needed something to break up the scenery.
“I’d like to get a picture of an old barn. Got any old barns?” I asked from the back seat.
Nope. My parents couldn’t think of any. We kept driving. Then we crested a hill and Dad said “Well there’s an old barn, but it ain’t wood.”
“Stop! It’s perfect!”
Dad slammed on the breaks and skidded to the side of the road. Actually, he slowed to a careful stop and pulled over with his hazards on, but it would have been more interesting if he’d slid, don’t you think?
I tiptoed through tall grass, (which was probably hiding any number of bugs and small rodents…the things I won’t do for my art), and stopped just short of the fence to get the shot. Then I looked down. I had tiptoed into the center of a patch of cactus. I Carefully inched backward until my toes were safe, then framed the shot and began happily clicking away.
A loud roar behind me broke my concentration and I turned to see a biker dude (really, you’d have called him that had you seen him) pulled up next to the car. I looked. Nope, not a cop. No badge. No lights. Now why did I immediately think we were going to be attacked or hauled to jail?
The man had a cloth on his head, shades, tattoos and a t-shirt. I couldn’t see if he was armed, but my mind leapt to all sorts of possibilities. A knife at his back, a gun in his belt, and maybe a grenade or two. He was probably part of a gang, and the rest of them would be along any moment to cut us all into pieces.
I may have seen too many movies.
A few words drifted over to me. “I understand that, sir, I…”
I looked around for a place to run to, in case of attack. Whistling wind filled my ears and I swear the theme song to some old western tv show.
“Have a nice day, sir. Ya’ll be careful.” The biker dude waved and took off in a cloud of dust and engine roar.
What did he want? He’d seen the hazard lights and thought we might have broken down. He was offering to help. The phrase “Don’t judge a book by the cover” came to mind.
Thank you, biker dude, for stopping to check on us. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for driving me around. And thanks, bluebonnets, for being so darn pretty!
So, was the shot worth the drama? I think so.
Wow, that’s cool! Usually they only stop to help other bikers – not folks in “cages.” 😀 And a lovely photo!
Thanks 🙂 Yes, I was shocked he stopped. Shame my first thoughts were suspicious ones, but at least I didn’t embarrass myself by screaming or running 😉
The shot is great! And I think I probably would’ve felt uneasy too in that situation–hard to tell if it’s from watching too many movies or gut instinct!
Well, it’s sad these days that a woman alone on a back road has to feel guarded at all times but such is life. Of course, I wasn’t alone this time. And the guy was very nice. But…yep, first thoughts were “what horrible thing is he going to do.” Stranger Danger, for sure lol
Great shot! Loved the drama! Of course there had to be drama or there would’ve been no story! Exellent! 🙂
For some reason I manage to find drama no matter where I go. *grin*
What? No pix of the biker dude? LOL! I love it when the answer is “things are never what they seem.” Nice photo, too.
Oh I should have had him pose! Or taken a shot as he rode away. Darn, that would totally have made the post! I usually avoid taking photos of people for the blog just because some tend to get hostile when they see a camera pointed at them. Must be a lot of people in witness protection ;-).
That’s why I have so many photos of flowers. They pose nicely, they never get tired of multiple angle shots and they never complain when they are spread all over the internet 😀
I always love your pictures. I have camera envy. LOL. I told my husband I want a new camera.
Your post made me smile. I have a few friends that now ride with bikers. My Godmother and her husband ride with a Christan biker group. You should see them all decked out in their leather and crosses.
You have a beautiful way of writing. 🙂
I can highly recommend the Canon G10 (or whatever number they are up to now)…it’s a step below SLR but it takes great photos and still fits in a decent size purse! It’s a huge step up from a standard point and shoot, but not so complicated that a novice can’t use it. Mine is beat up to all heck and still working great.
And thanks for the compliment 🙂 Can’t tell you how nice that is to hear!
One time my brother was hitchhiking in Europe, in Spain where it was illegal. After getting out from a car, he and his friend were walking alongside the road when sirens screamed from behind them. The cops jumped out and yelled, “Were you hitchhiking?” My brother and his friend were stunned silent. “Were you hitchhiking?!” they nearly shouted. My brother figured that they’d been caught. Clearly the police knew. So they confessed, “Yes we were.” Then the cop went to his car and pulled out a winter coat. “Well you left this in the car! Are you crazy? It’s freezing out here!”
Oh wow! I think my heart would have leapt right out of my chest! How nice that the cops were so helpful and friendly.
Beautiful photo. You have talent, Melinda!
And that’s a funny story about the biker. It’s always interesting when our first expectations turn out wrong in a good way.
Thanks 🙂
I wonder what the biker’s expectations were when he stopped to help. Makes me wonder if he was just as worried to stop as I was to see him stop. Then again, probably not. I mean, it’s a short fluffy girl and her parents….how intimidating can we be really? lol
Great story Melinda, and a great shot. Girl, you should have got a shot of the biker with the barn in the background. He seemed like a friendly sort.
I should have asked him! Maybe he could have used a shot of himself with the bike and a barn with bluebonnets! 😀