Hey You Up There!

We hear some grinding engine noise. So we look outside our window. It's Sunday. We see a Giant Grader and a pickup stop not 50 feet up the hill.  Sunday has become our day of peace from Bullydozer activity.  This is disconcerting.

But what is at first disconcerting?....gets intriguing. 

That's a female of the species behind the pickup. I am courteously  disguising her identity. There are just too many reasons why she can be there.  And let me say up front.  She can just be another road builder doing some special project on her day off.

Well, she's not exactly dressed for it. I believe that's a blended pastel, spaghetti strap, camisole covering her upper torso.  I'm pretty sure thats not union approved issue. 

We do see her pick up and drop off the driver of the Grader?  Maybe that's her job. Maybe she's just delivering lunch at 10 a.m.?

But seeing her gets me to thinkin' about some reasons people hate journalists and photographers.  When I was on the airport beat?  And we were out on a concourse covering a story? It was general airline policy at the time that you were not allowed to shoot on the airline's leased space.  Why? 

"Well, it's for privacy issues." 

"Some of our best corporate clients would just as soon no one knew their where abouts.....for competitive reasons."

Off the Record?

"Well, they may not want their significant others to know where they are either. For us? It's just good for business."

It's a common courtesy of the media for TV cameras and newspaper photographers not to shoot or show the tail numbers on airplanes involved in crime, accidents, and flights involving National Security.

But sometimes? From the CEO.

"You can't show our tail number because we are here in private negotiations with a company we may take over."

Maybe. But sometimes its a case of, " I told Mary I was flying to Salt Lake. Suzy thinks I've flown to Chicago. It might get a little sticky if I show up in Denver."

I'm not saying that's the case here. I can't tell you how many not so secret romantic liaisons I've known about and not reported.  I'm not the least interested in the motivation of these two being here. 

But the camera talks to me. 

"Hmmm, that's odd. Why don't you aim me over there and push the button."

"Okay.  Anything in particular you think I should focus on?"

"Just shoot!"

And I might as well.  It's our only day of peace from Bullydozers.  We don't have a lot else to do but sit on our dusty deck and watch dirt. Might just as well take some pictures, eh?

"SMILE!"