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| ©2011 gary garbett.com |
Because the road had no shoulder, I parked the truck, left the flashers on, and walked about a third of a mile to get in position to capture the shot. The air was crisp with temperatures hovering around 24 degrees as I walked across the narrow two lane bridge. Approaching me from the distance, a Jeep slowed down. The driver and passenger glanced in my direction before slowly accelerating and driving away.
Upon getting to the other side of the bridge, my face was taut from the cold air and my hands were dry, cold, and red. I began framing and shooting several images from different angles and positions. I then looked up from my camera to recognize the vehicle I had seen a few minutes earlier returning from the opposite direction. As it neared, the passenger window lowered just before the Jeep came to a stop. "Hi. We're just making sure that you're okay. We thought you might have been hurt", said the driver. I smiled. My breath was visible as it met the cold air and I gently waved my Olympus. "I'm fine, thanks... just taking a few photos."
There it was again. I witnessed another grace of humanity. This was the second one within a two hour blink of time. Reaching the other side of the bridge, the driver did a u-turn and headed back in his original westward direction. The horn beeped and he waved as he past me once again. I took a few more shots before making the walk back across the bridge in the direction of the flashing blinkers. As I smiled, the crisp January breeze was making my face just a little tighter. All the while I kept thinking... I believe.
