The Photographers Railroad Page

The Photographers'

Railroad Page

Edition #204 August 15, 2013

A Turn of the Card

Not liking to work very hard on one hand, and detesting deer hunting on the other, it is with acute reservation that I accepted my best friend Joe's invitation to go up to Ashland, WI for a week and help prep up for deer season by overhauling the shack, blazing new trails, and maybe meet someone named Jack, in a glass.

But Joe is your best friend, 2nd brother for thirty years, and you toe the line with a smile.

We arrived, we worked, and met Jack Daniels, and a whole host of his friends. During the midst of the um, social hour... we needed water. Nearest water was 20 miles north of camp, at the shores of Gitchee Gumee....otherwise known as Lake Superior.

Now, I love the Great Lakes. So I volunteered my vehicle and hauled 15 five gallon jugs up into Ashland, WI to the coldest, clearest continuously running well water this man has ever laid eyes on, or tasted. It also is an excuse, for this 53 year old ex NYC kid, with sneakers on, to put his feet in the lake, cause you can...2 ft. away. Happy campers.

Whilst the jugs were filing, I abandoned my duty, took camera and walked a few hundred yards up shore. I was intrigued by the massive ore dock built by the Soo Line in 1916, with comparision the tiny boathouses that dotted the shore. So I grabbed a shot.

A sign nearby said shoreline renewal project starting in 2010, Not being from the area, I figured the beach and boathouses will be dozed. The dock has been a Ashland landmark since it was put up. It has quite the history.

So, squishy shoes here trods back to the car, and finishes up. Sand and a ton of water, some contained, some not- travel with me. I stop and get gas. I merrily ask the clerk when the beach and boathouses will be dozed and improved. A quizzical look, I get. " Shoreline Renewal" I quip.

"Oh no sir, those dilapidated shacks are in use, and highly sought after here in the bay. It is the Ore Dock that is coming down." By 2013 the dock was about gone -- the boat houses remain.

Robert Schoneman

Contact The Photographers' Railroad Page

Click Here to join The Photographers' Railroad Page update list and be notified of new editions.

This site is sponsored by Lightsource Photo Imaging