In case you haven't checked back on last Sunday's Shoebox Memory, we have have some fascinating revelations about the snow plow photo. Here's the way it first appeared:
Until C Rowe pointed it out, it never occurred to me that snowplows generally don't plow down the left side of the road! Can you imagine the surprise of on-coming traffic? No, it is obvious that the photo was flipped left-to-right. Here is the true perspective, which puts the plow driver back in the right lane :o)
Now remember, this is from a postcard which I found in my late friend Rudy Bylkas's collection. I never suspected that they doctored up photos like this 60-70 years ago. But even after flipping it back, something about the picture still seemed odd.
Yesterday I went to this exact spot in Calumet and carefully looked at the house, which still stands. The smokestack in the picture seemed shifted to the left, and didn't appear to have the wide brick ribs of the one I was seeing in person.
This morning as I caught up on Pasty-E-Mail postings (like I have every morning for these past 7 years), a note from Ed-Mich uncovered another astounding fact about the post card. Ed uploaded an historic shot from the other side of the smokestack... or should I say smokestacks:
Suddenly I realized our photographer friend in the first half of last century had not only tricked us with a horizontal flip of the photo, but he/she had actually removed one of the smokestacks! Looking closely at the original postcard, I can see some faint smudges left behind by the touch-up. I guess the creator of the card thought it was a little too busy to have two chimney's in the picture... and probably turned the shot around to further obscure the evidence.
Many thanks to our sponsors and all of the folks in our growing family of Pasty Cam viewers who take part in these daily explorations of the U.P. It has been a fun ride for these past 7 years, and we're excited about beginning year #8 on on March 1.
By smf in troll land on Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 06:39 am:
The smokestack that is present does not look right either. If you make the picture bigger it looks as if the smokestack is sitting on the snowplow. It just does not look right....
By Thad on Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 09:37 am:
Morning....the snow is finally falling, once again, here in Indiana. Hubby and I got up this morning and we could see storm clouds coming in off of Lake Michigan. Needless to say, I am a happy camper. Let it snow...let it snow....let it snow :) Yaaaaaaaaahooooooooooo!
By DH, Temecula, CA on Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 10:51 am:
The manipulation of negatives for printing is as old as photography itself. The great Ansel Adams wrote a series of books on photographic techniques - one volume on taking pictures, TWO on developing and printing. The real genius of Adams, and other great photographers, is their ability to not only capture a scene, but to do it in such a way that it can be rendered into the final image that they envisioned.
That is truly an interesting commentary about the shoebox photo and the plow and smokestacks! On an unrelated; yet investigative subject... my husband and I have heard about a "Viking Alter" (dolman) somewhere in Marquette County. It was mentioned in Mark Yager's book "Mystic Michigan".
Has anyone out there in Pasty Land heard of this dolman? Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to find more information?
That ribbed smokestack has always been a favorite of mine - I'm glad that it's still standing. Such a neat thing to see - I always point it out to people in the car with me on the way by.
By Leslie on Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 03:36 pm:
Congrats to you and your family. What a beautiful blessing...and on Valentine's Day to boot. I've been wondering about you and when you would deliver your babies. Kimberly and Jacob are some of the most fortunate kiddies to be moving home to the UP, eh.
Honk that UHaul horn a few times for me as you pass over the Mighty Mac, to your new home and new life in the UP. I'm hoping that I will be making the move up there in a few short years, with hubby following me as soon as he retires.
Well, if indeed the dolman in question is the one on private property; that would explain why there is so little information about it. Thank you for the picture "Mr. Dolman"! LOL!
No, I don't think we are relatives of Doc Saari in TC. Saari is a pretty common Finn name...
By maijaMI on Friday, February 18, 2005 - 08:20 am:
congratulations, Cindy and Daddy! Welcome Kimberly and Jacob!
By Fred, Three Lakes on Friday, February 18, 2005 - 11:47 am:
"Superior Heartland" by Fred Rydholm has a little bit of info about the "Mystery Stone", possibly Vikings or Indians but who knows for sure.
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