November 28, 2021 • 75

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #176: One Image, One Story

Photography is the story I fail to put into words.

— Destin Sparks

As many of you know, I love stories–in books and in photographs. This week, Ann-Christine has given us an intriguing challenge. Can we find photos that tell a story? I’ve chosen 3 images that look a bit mysterious and have stories to accompany them. Are you ready?

On a visit to Hyde Park in London, we discovered a huge multicolored sculpture in the middle of Serpentine Lake. The mystery was solved when we learned that it was an installation created by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The London Mastaba sculpture was fabricated with 7,506 horizontally stacked barrels on a floating platform.

Here’s another mystery. Why are three boxcars covered with graffiti in the middle of a forest in Whistler, B.C? In 1956, a train derailed in a narrow canyon where the track was being repaired. The train was traveling at 35 mph, which was 20 mph above the posted limit and jumped the tracks. A logging company dislodged the train cars from the mangled wreck and rolled the cars into the forest at the edge of the tracks. Over the past 60 years, trees have grown around the wreckage. Mystery solved!

Now we have the last mystery. What is this clothes dryer doing in the middle of Sunset Beach in Vancouver? Here’s the sad story.

This autumn Vancouver and surrounding areas have been hit with torrential rains. In November alone, several atmospheric rivers have dumped over 248 mm (9.75 inches) of rain in this area. This weekend we’re expecting another 120mm. The rain, combined with high winds, has washed out sections of major highways, capsized boats, set off mudslides, left thousands of people without electricity, flooded homes, killed livestock, and cut off Vancouver from the rest of Canada. This dryer was small part of the damage. I still don’t know where it came from and how it got there! I just hope that we have a respite from the rain, so highways can be reopened and people can return to their homes.

I hoped you enjoyed my 3 mysteries this week. A special thanks to Ann-Christine who has inspired us with her One Image, One Story challenge. She reminds us that photography can document events and capture dramatic moments. These stories are vital records for our families, our communities, and for world events. And sometimes, they are simply entertaining memories of a time and place. If you join us, please link your post to Ann-Christine’s, and include the Lens-Artists tag so can find your post in the Reader.

More thanks go to our wonderful guest host Lindy LeCoq who encouraged us to share our bliss last week. Your responses were, quite honestly, blissful, creative, and inspiring. 😀 Next week, Amy will be starting the holiday season with her “Celebrating” challenge. We hope you join us! In the meantime have a safe and inspiring week.

Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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75 replies »

  1. Well done Patti! I loved your mysteries and didn’t come close to guessing the story behind any of them! Not a fan of the giant water sculpture I must admit altho modern art has really never been my “thing” but did enjoy the mystery. Also got a chuckle from the thought of the loggers pushing the train cars down into the forest. The last image truly does tell a very sad story. Here’s hoping the weather improves and repairs happen sooner rather than later. It’s been a very sad season or two for Vancouver.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Hi, Tina. Wonderful! You enjoyed my mysteries! It’s true that the last one tells a sad story. It’s still raining here, but we’re hoping it stops for a little while this afternoon. It looks like we’ll get a break in the rain on Wednesday and Thursday. Fingers crossed. I hope the weather is better where you are and that you had a very happy Thanksgiving. 😀. It must feel great to be sitting around the dining room table with family and friends at last!

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  3. I do love mysteries Patti, and yours are amusing. I like the colors in the barrel sculpture, the train car will probably be there for years to come given that nobody has moved it yet and the dryer is a sad story. I wish you could send some of your unwanted rain to California. It would be most welcome. Great post!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Hi, Anne. I wish we could send some water to you! There is so much more rainfall than usual, so even the locals are surprised and dismayed about the torrential rains and the damage. It’s really going to take months to fix the roads and more rain is coming this week. Thanks for your kind words about the other images! The sculpture was a real surprise and so were the train cars in the middle of the forest! Have a great week and thanks for your thoughts!

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  4. Well thanks for letting us know about these mysteries. The flood damage washer is a sad story indeed. I did not realize you live on the west coast. I remember the rains from when I grew up there but nothing, absolutely nothing , to compare with what is happening now. This is climate change in real life. Stay safe and I hope this season of deluges will end soon for you.

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    • Hi, Siobhan. There were 3 boxcars, each one more colorful than the next. It was such a strange sight to see them in the middle of the forest! Thanks for your kind words about the fires and floods. B.C. is getting hit very hard this year. Have a good week!

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Hi, Jo. It’s been a wonderful visit in this beautiful part of Canada. It’s so sad that B.C. is getting hit so badly this year with floods and fires. We’re hoping it improves soon, as well. There’s another big storm coming tomorrow…so hopefully, that will be it for a while. Take care. I hope all’s well with you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. The mysteries really captured my attention and I read up to the last letter.
    Great interpretation Patti.
    I hope the weather over there gets better soon and you stay safe.
    Too bad for the families who where affected and properties were damaged.

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    Reply

    • Thank you so much, JBD! I appreciate your kind thoughts and wishes! I’m delighted you enjoyed my post. We are lucky in terms of damage, but many people aren’t. I am hoping the rains abate soon. Have a good week!

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    • Thank you, Amy! I appreciate that. 😀. It usually rains a lot here, but the situation is much worse this year. So much rain and so much damage. We are hoping the rain stops soon. More heavy rain is coming tomorrow! Yikes!

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  13. I love the graffiti covered box car and the story behind it 🙂 Such a shame though about all the rain you’re experiencing and the dreadful floods. I hope it dries up a bit soon and people can get back to their houses, although no doubt they’ll be dealing with the damage for some time to come 😦

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    Reply

    • Hi, Sarah. Thanks so much for your kind thoughts on my post and your wishes for the end of the rains/damage. More heavy rain is forecast tomorrow so we are worried about the impact on the major highways which are already heavily damaged. It’s going to take months to fix them. We’ve been fortunate in the city so far. We have some shortages due to the disruption in transportation and damage to the farms with poultry/cattle. We’ll see what happens over the next few days. Fingers crossed!

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  15. I do love a good mystery or two – and you have provided three! Thank you, Patti, escellent take on. I only guessed the last one, because I had read about the flooding. Hope things will settle for more calm and harmony soon!

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  19. Pingback: OOPS! Beautiful Great Blue Heron Misses the Landing (Not Art Nbr 30) | Babsje Heron

  20. Hi Patti

    Your boxcar mystery is intriguing and I wonder how far off the beaten path the derailed cars ended up – you don’t usually see graffiti in a forest like that. And I wonder how long it took Christo and Jeanne-Claude to stack those 7500 barrels!! Fascinating photos for this challenge. I hope you’re weathering those BC atmospheric rivers in stride.

    Here’s my Great Blue Heron story for this week’s challenge:

    OOPS! Beautiful Great Blue Heron Misses the Landing (Not Art Nbr 30)

    Best, Babsje

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I have no idea how far they are from the train tracks, but they are in a dense forest!! Very unusual. And yes, I wonder how long it took to create that installation with the barrels! Take care and have a good week.

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  22. Oh, Patti, I’m so sorry for all the worries and trouble of your people and land and wish you well.

    Christo has always been a big inspiration. I had a photo of his huge red curtain with which he adorned an entire valley in the USA on my wall when growing up. I have not seen your barrels anywhere yet though. Thanks for that.

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  24. I am glad you explained the the photo from Hyde Park. I wouldn’t have guessed it was barrels. very cool to stumble across it. And the train? I would have loved to come across that. The clothes dryer had quite a journey and I wonder if the people attached to it were ok. Hopefully they have made their way home.

    I did enjoy the way you brought mystery to the theme this week. It got me thinking about a few other photos I had that were …curious. Donna

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  28. Pingback: Beautiful Great Blue Heron Magic Trick? | Babsje Heron

  29. Hi Patti

    Your flood-ravaged washing machine looks absolutely bereft. That photo of a simple househood appliance speaks volumes about the tragic flooding there – it puts things on a very human scale, more so than the satellite images of flooded roads and farms in my opinion. I understand that the third atmospheric river has now departed and the cleanup can begin in earnest. Fingers crossed for all who have been affected.

    Here’s my “One Image, One Story” offering:

    Beautiful Great Blue Heron Magic Trick?

    Best,
    Babsje

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi, Babsje. Yes, it is a sad dryer in the middle of the beach. We had another atmospheric river a few days ago. We’re all hoping for a respite from the rain…especially for the inland sections of Abbotsford, etc. What a monumental task…to repair and clean up. Enjoy the day!

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      • Thanks Patti. You and the entire population of B.C. definitely deserve a break from the rains, although I’ve read of another atmospheric river later this week. I hope that’s a mistaken forecast! Stay warm & dry!

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  30. Pingback: Lens-ArtistPC-176-One-Image-One-Story – WoollyMuses

  31. Great three images for the photo study prompt
    And the barrel art must have been amazing to see in person
    –
    The dryer reminded me that the last time we were In a lowes there were like four Samsung dryers and two Other – but it was the Samsung brand that stood out – it seems like so many companies are making throw away appliances but especially the Samsung brand! We have gone through two of theirs and one was rather high end – we will never buy that brand again
    –
    Anyhow – that is what came to mind when I saw the dryer
    And it is sad that it was from flood damage and so much loss from too much rain!
    Hope
    It all
    Works out with some dry weather soon

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