5 Random Friday Finds

Find No. 1

The first outdoor Antique Market of the year was this past Sunday. I love wandering the aisles, looking for treasures. I found this Miss America Depression era glass compote dish at one of the booths. No price on it, always my luck. I asked the guy at the checkout table, who was busily eating his Elephant Ear at eleven o'clock in the morning, how much? He pondered a moment and said how about $6. Sold. I knew Mallory would love it for her dessert/food photography. Doing some research on-line Sunday night, I see they are normally sold for $25. I think I did good.

Find No. 2

I also found this petite size book of hymns for five dollars. I want to use bits and pieces in my double exposure photography. Fellow Instagrammers keep watch.

Find No. 3

I also found this Beatles era costume. Glen and I have a 50's-60's rock and roll themed fundraiser to go to next week, this would be just perfect for him. Glen didn't think the cut of the suit would work for him, hence probably a little too tight. 

Find No. 4

Driving home from the Antique Market, I stopped at this little park next to a train trestle. I have driven by this train trestle hundreds of times, but never stopped, this is the year to do things differently.

Find No. 5

I found my favorite yearly magazine on the newsstand this week. This weekend while we are at college graduation, I will be pouring over the pages and planning my next adventure.

This will be my last Random Friday Finds until June. I am taking the rest of May off to enjoy time with my family.

Joining Kim for Friday Finds

The Train Yard

I have to admit that every week when I set out for my Backroads Adventure there is a sense of excitement but there is also a small pit of dread in my stomach. I LOVE doing these adventures, but I am always worried that I won't find anything exciting, interesting or photo worthy. Especially when the week before ends with an exploration through an old Masonic Lodge. That is a tough act to follow.

This week was good, but there wasn't any BIG WOW until....the end...yet again. I think this is God's way of teaching me patience, holding back the prize until the last stop. Goodness knows I am not a very patient person.

I knew this place existed, but I had never been here before.

The Coopersville & Marne Railway is a train of antique passenger cars, which date from the early part of the last century. The passenger cars are pulled by a 1950's era diesel locomotive. The train runs from Coopersville to Marne and back to Coopersville. There are theme train rides for Halloween and Christmas that are a delight to kids of all ages.

The Coopersville and Marne Railway Company began operating on July 4, 1990 using a leased locomotive, a leased passenger car, and a borrowed caboose. The traffic that summer was enough to warrant obtaining the use of a second coach. In 1991 they leased a third coach, and in 1992 they leased one additional coach. They now have four coaches, with room for 300 passengers.

In another part of the train yard there are some projects in progress, like this steam locomotive.

And these passenger cars.

I am not sure if this is an old depot building or not, but it's unique shape intrigued me.

To me it seems to have a Southwest feel to it, like a mini  Alamo.

I had a bit of an epiphany standing in that train yard. I thought, I am a real photographer, this is something a real photographer would shoot. I think I thought that because, generally I shoot in quiet places that are without people. But here I stood in the middle of a train yard, in the middle of a town, where people could see me, and it felt great!