Boarding in Albuquerque on The Southwest Chief

This way to board. Reflecting on Albuquerque, stepping away from faces for this edition. This is from my Layered Life series. Some of the non portrait images can be found on this months Prints for People specials.

August Fifteenth and Sixteenth rolling towards Washington I meet Dane a poet on her way to read in Seattle with Jack McCarthy. The coincidence's and community develop Dane's good friend is a Quaker who I will meet at my daughters wedding, for the entire westward trip we have no internet except for a couple minutes just after I meet Dane. She shoots an email to her friend to see if she is going to Kirsten's wedding? Two days later I get the answer as her friends father speaks at the wedding of how small the world is and how I met his daughters friend on the train. Dane introduces me to Jack's poetry and my first I-Pod experience. I find it fitting that my first time is listening to poetry. Upon finding his website to link here I realize that I most likely photographed him at the 1997 National Poetry Slam Championship, "Voices from the Edge" held in Middletown Ct. Both of these poets are worth a listen for "Poetry like Bread" is for everyone [from the poem “Like You” by Roque Dalton,] published by Curbstone Press. So I've rambled here and I've rambled there introducing more of the characters from either side of the tracks, past and present.
enjoy pjc

Prints for the People

Albany OR. South of Portland

These eyes speak even through the shades.

Do these and the other eyes shown here tell a story? I began this trip with the intension of taking the temperature of the nation through the eyes of strangers and friends along either side of the tracks. More verbal images and photographs to follow, more opinions I hope. enjoy pjc

Wolfmans Jacks eyes

A Station Stop in Wisconsin

Mom and her son stretch their legs and greet me with a smile. enjoy pjc

Faces, portraits, souls.

Back in Wisconsin in the observation car.

As previously mentioned this series of images won't always be chronological. So here back on the August 14th is Jeb we sat and talked for a couple hours. A man with many experiences we shared thoughts on culture, politics and art, the state of humanity. Over the din of laughter and beer from behind us and the accusing soccer mom. He demonstrated a quality of conversation somewhat rare these days he listened with his eyes wide open. enjoy pjc

Faces of America from either side of the tracks.

Minot ND on a stretch your legs break from Amtraks Empire Builder

Just call me an old Marine this gentle man said when I asked to take his photo. A face on the tracks we spoke only briefly but much was/is said. enjoy pjc

Talking eyes

Warm Sun in Old Union Station Chicago

Catching some of the warm of the sun through the skylights in the old Union Station waiting area Chicago 8/14/08, the journey of faces from either side of the tracks starts with this women somewhere between here and there.
Some lack of chronology to my travel posts will be apparent to allow for creative visual and verbal images to tell the story. Images are not confined to tracks or a schedule only to my creative vision an ever changing look on a rewritten past. enjoy pjc

Photographic Art Looking back early 70s

On the rails of The Lake Shore Limited again 2008

Nightfall on Schenectady

The New Journey is of Faces from either side of the tracks. I'm starting with a poem and a non people photo although all my photos are of people. Look hard there is humanity here.

The journey is long
With many bends
Looking forward you're
Not able to see
What comes next
Looking back
Each day the
Past has changed
Perception is reality
I know that for a fact
Each time you look back
Everything is different
Yet nothing has changed.

© 2008 Peter J. Crowley
enjoy pjc

Photographic Art Train Stations and Models

An off train Lunch in Seattle

All the way across America and Amtrak arrives on time. Seattle was hoping despite the empty tables, it was 3pm who eats at that hour lol. On this deck overlooking Puget Sound we ate seafood and relaxed The western leg of my travel adventure over. Stay tuned for Olympia and the eastern ride back across the country. Different route and faces most smiling. enjoy pjc

Photographic Art back east

More faces from my first Amtrak Adventure

Today I met an economics Professor in the observation car. More traveling community more interesting conversation. Wonderful diversity. Just plain cool. enjoy pjc

Photographic Art

Back Onboard The Empire Builder

Stanley North Dakota Amtrak Station. I can see for miles and miles. a short stop another beautiful day. enjoy pjc

Photographic Art gas prices down but never again this low.

Back on board Amtrak's Empire Builder

Just after that sunrise I had breakfast with Big Bird and his parents. What really makes train travel so grand is that people talk, a sort of mini community is formed. It is social travel, a step back in time to where everything didn't depend on speed and profit. Maybe a step forward as I hear on Friday mornings radio news that train travel is up 14% over last year. Take a deep breath and enjoy the journey for it isn't about the destination it is about the journey. Enjoy the journey pjc

Rail or dirt old roads re traveled.

Sunrise somewhere in North Dakota from an Amtrak window

Maybe a bit out of Chronological order this morning but after a relaxing weekend of Jazz, First Mose Allison at The Hygienic Art Park followed by Sunday's cool gentle breezes on a hill top in Goshen at The Litchfield Jazz Festival Great music, great venue. I felt this sunrise from Amtrak 10 years ago just fit the mood. enjoy pjc

Hartford Jazz Fest 2000

Amtrak Minot North Dakota Empire Builder 1998

Today's Menu Ham or Hamming by the cook
The food was good and so was the staff.

The Lounge at Minot well a freight transfer room with a few comforts for the yard workers. We were in Minot for a while, maybe an hour or so it was ten years ago so it's hard to say but there were plenty of photo ops. Perhaps I'll post a few more images later. enjoy pjc

Photographic Art Olympia Wa.

Amtrak's Empire Builder To Washington

Bumping along through Milwaukee on raised rails. I learned as the trip progressed better technique for shooting through windows. The texture here and the shadows intrigued me. From The Empire Builder on the way to Seattle. enjoy pjc

Better Technique at 100mph
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Amtrak Union Station

Thanks for posing hope you got the photos I sent.

The windy city provided me with a warm welcoming smile. Friendly people and a very clean station, a very pleasant three hour stay. Too many choice of where to eat lol. enjoy pjc


Destination Olympia Wa.

Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited rolling to Chicago

Cleveland Indians Progressive Field under construction.

The Duchess Lynn

Morning of the 18th rolling through Indiana where gas was 89.9 a gallon! What a deference a decade makes. On to Hocking Valley Ohio or near by where the Duchess Lynn sat. We stopped here for a while so I got a good look at the Duchess. Back on board through the window of Amtrak I view the world write notes on America from both sides of the tracks. What is the other side of the tracks? The trip provided two looks at rail travel one where there were many Historic Rail Cars museums/monuments while in many places Historic Old Stations stood in disrepair replaced by glassed bus stop waiting places or construction style trailers. Interesting contrast. More thought and images on then and now to come. enjoy pjc

Board the next train out west with me Gas isn't cheap neither is film.
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Amtrak 1998, memories from the Rails Past and Future

Sept 17 1998 Lake Shore Limited

The 90's were capped with a grand experience! Leaving Springfield Ma. in the late afternoon on an adventure of cross country train travel. I arrived in Albany where we picked up a New engine and combined trains. Two am 1/4-1/2 sec exposure. So for the next few blogs I will treat you to the 10th anniversary images and notes from my last trip. I will be heading out again, in search of a dream.
An hour or so in Albany little sleep prior despite Amtrak's big comfy seats I was too excited. There was a couple from Belgium across the aisle a graphic designer she with an easy laugh, conversation about US rail and European rail, art cameras. In Albany a Chef who was working on a cook book. Next stop Chicago where the station was immaculate I smiled and shot. More images to come. A return to the rails coming soon.

Photographic Art Help with the creation of new images from the rails click the donate button at the bottom of the page. Thanks