Tribute to a Friend

This set of photos was taken in November 2011 at 11am

The location was in Tyson's Corner Virginia at a set of places.

The "Take It!" came from a much anticipated moment in the life of a great friend. My 2005 Honda Element hit 300,000 miles and did it without missing a beat. I know it sort of sounds strange to be calling a car a friend. But this great vehicle has served with me so very well, that I have come to think of it as a faithful friend. Ready to go at any time and does so without complaint. How much better than that can it get? I know some people who would love to have real people who could have these traits. So I took some "capture the moment photos" for 'Kermit' as I fondly refer to him. He has moved on and is now making the moves on 316,000 miles and still without protest. The shots I took were:  The speedometer, right at that mileage point, a front/side shot and a rear view showing my prized licence plate.  I have the car washed frequently as it is an outside vehicle (I have no garage). I had hoped to have the mile point hit when the car was shiny from a wash, but no such luck.  The photo of me at the wheel was taken by a surprised window service person to whom I had thrust my camera into his hands asking him to take the photo as it was the 300,000 mile point of the car and we were celebrating with my getting a big iced coffee drink.  He quickly responded by taking the camera and clicking off this shot which did the trick. He liked the shot and passed me back the camera. I thanked him and gave him several dollars as a tip. I do not think he was accustomed to the tip, so he was more than a little pleased with our interaction.

The After Take:  Everyone who sees the car cannot believe that it has that many miles on it. I keep it washed and in tires that are never allowed to get too worn as I want all the grip I can get for all the driving that I do. I am very grateful to have this type of job for how else do you think I am going to get us all these pictures? As of about 3 months ago, I turned off the radio in the car as did not want the repetitive stuff interfering with my desire to see all that I can and grab opportunity wherever I occasion upon it for a good and hopefully a great photograph. Yes, it leaves with me with lots of silence. but this is also good as it gives me lots of time for peaceful thought and additional awareness of my fellow travelers out there on the road. 

I must say 'Kerm' would be embarrassed if he knew  I was bragging about him to you, but he truly is an example of  "Take care of it and it will take care of you." This quote applies to people as well.  

Thanks for listening to this little personal aside. 

Wishing you all the best! 

Bruce