Tuesday, 8/13

I just realized I could never retake one of my favorite pictures, even if I wanted to.

Of course, you can never actually retake a picture; after all, when you take a picture you're capturing a specific moment in time, a moment that will never again exist. But aside from the metaphysical aspect of it, I could never retake this shot--

I don't remember why, but thirteen or fourteen years ago I had to run down to the station before I went out on one of my rambling Saturday morning runs. I do remember it was early, that it was warm, and that the sun was streaming down East Bluff Street between the First Presbyterian Church and the Longyear Building. In fact, it was because of the perfectly positioned sun that I saw something sitting on the sidewalk, something that caused me to run into the station, grab a small camera I had in my office, and take it

I like the picture for a lot of reasons. I like it because of the way it's lit, I like it because I got lucky when I framed it, and I like most of all because I think it perfectly captures what it's like being in downtown Marquette early on a weekend morning following a late weekend evening of revelry.

Besides, it's a lot prettier that the piles of vomit that you occasionally see.

I could never take the picture again because of the fact that downtown Marquette is constantly changing and constantly evolving. The sidewalk on which the glass sat has been replaced. The bricks with the names are gone. And even the weeds surrounding the glass have gone on to weed heaven, replaced by (and I just checked) a few blades of grass now growing out of nowhere.

Change. It's the one constant in the universe.

I'm guessing the glass in the picture came from the Elks Club, because I took it right outside of the bar. But this is downtown Marquette (or, at least, the downtown Marquette of 2006); the glass could've come from anywhere. There are plenty of drinking establishments within a three block area of where I took the picture. It wouldn't surprise me if someone just happened to (ahem) accidentally walk off with a drink they hadn't finished when last call rolled around.

You just never know.

As many of you know, I'm not an early riser. I'm not the kind of person who's up and ready to go the same time as the sun. But there are a few times in my life I've been glad to be awake early, and recently most of those times have come when I've captured a picture of something lit by the early sun. The shot was a perfect example of that. The fact that it also captures the essence of downtown Marquette after a rowdy Friday night is just a bonus.

And now, it's also a piece of history. I can never have that exact moment again.

(jim@wmqt.com)