~Mary Oliver
American Primitive
I went tiptoeing through the archives the other day, and I was happy to find a file from 2005, that I thought I had lost years ago. It was of our trip to Nevada, in autumn of that year, and specifically our visit to Virginia City, although I think I enjoyed Carson City more. Virginia City is a strange place. It can feel really laid back and welcoming one year, and downright hostile the next. I don't visit there much any more, I got a distinctly hostile vibe in 2016, with Trump signs here, and Trump signs there, and sideways glances at us. I guess we were putting out a liberal vibe or something. Don't take me serious, that was a joke, but it didn't feel like the cool "old west" novelty town that it once did, instead it was more like a town that just wanted to be left alone.
It's a shame, really, because I found some really cool stuff to photograph all over town. Historical stuff, and the cool touristy stuff like a really awesome kettle/caramel corn popper, and the lady you see in the photo above. In one of the "Olde Time" museums, was an antique Quartoscope, that showed a blush worthy movie, which played out on mechanized flip cards. A very cool thing from the late 1800's... I believe... and hopefully, one day, I can own one. I love antiques, but I'm not really into the "Old West" style, although living in the Central Valley makes it almost impossible to ignore, but quirky coolness will always be interesting to me. I think I posted about that lovely lady before, but when I came across her, it was like finding an old friends photo, in a box of photographs you didn't know you had. Hey, I am a cinephile, movies matter to me, even slightly racy ones done on a Quartoscope. Hey, that's a bit of history too!
Here is an example of one, and how it works.
Carly
Stockton, California
October 30th 2020
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