The truck carries memory now

I retired in 2023 after forty-six years of medical practice.  

This is a strange journey, not unlike being seventeen years old and starting college again.  I loved medicine and my patients but there comes a time when change comes to you and life offers a different perspective.   There were personal and family things I wanted to do demanding time and more attention.  I also welcomed the opportunity to volunteer in other areas of this community.

 Devoting more time to photography and my thoughts was also a real desire.  The decades living in this valley and photographing changes in the land and my family had become a large part of me.

 I see this as a place of incredible beauty with ongoing critical changes.

 I grew up in farm country.  The smell of the earth was constant and natural in eastern North Dakota.  When we moved to Skagit Valley, I naturally wanted to live on the farmland.

 When you look at the image inside the truck, a squash is seen on the seat.  You can smell the mixture of musty interior and old metal. 

The soft colors of the interior, the steering wheel and rusted dashboard contrast with the light of the sunset hitting the trees and sky.  Imagine old and young drivers, and the weeks, seasons, months and years doing different jobs, various loads.  Imagine the upkeep required, oil changes, lubrication, flats repaired, and tuneups.  Imagine the thoughts inside the cab, in rain, snow and summer heat.  Imagine the views out that window, not only of the land, but perhaps family members working with you.