Stair steps

© Tim LaBarge 2006

I saw a post on digital railroad that a magazine was looking for photos of the Grand Canyon. So I threw together a gallery from a 2006 trip with hope they’d pick one up. This picture of Leo made me laugh.

I’m generally opposed to the “here’s me in front of a fountain” kind of picture. What’s the point, really. But in looking through the slides I just finished scanning from our family’s vacations in the 1970s, I have new appreciation for them. They’re the photos I find myself staring at. They’re the photos that show you the faces, the styles and the objects of the past.

© Tim LaBarge 2008

I love this picture of my older brother Steve. His denim hat (which was really my moms), his boots (which I then wore), the strap to his Brownie camera (which had been my dads and now sits on my shelf) and his much-loved t-shirt (which didn’t survive for me to wear.) And the view from Black Bear Road down into Telluride is truly awesome.

© Tim LaBarge 2008

When lining up for a photo, we were always told “Stair steps, please.” We’d scurry around until we were in the proper order. It’s just another thing to crack up about while studying the plaids, pleats and bell bottoms of yesteryear.

Years from now, I imagine Leo and Jack will have a chuckle about that photo above of Leo being hoisted high above the Colorado River. No, we weren’t dangling the baby five thousand feet over the South Rim. The most harm done here was the giant wedgie he got out of the deal. And while there was only one step in the staircase at the time, I’m glad we lined him up for a quick portrait.