Frederick Manfred Simon ~ Railway Industry Photographer & Multidiscipline Creative

“Dust to Dust”

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:19

On a still warmed sunsetting August day, suspended in the melted margarine sky sediment stirred up by combines harvesting wheat turns to ever so slightly drifting dust cloaking a westbound Eastern Washington Gateway Scoot Train taking the rise just west of Hite where diesels grumbling the head-end bids good evening to the “Three Sisters,” then two long, one short, one long for Stroup Road. The Sisters? Three out-of-place trees. In the middle of nowhere but wheatland: as far as the eye can reach. And those in tow 4750 CH’s? They’ll find their way to Reardan – the next station – and “spots” on down the line where they’ll fill with the very harvest collected by sweat-faced men and their colossal combines. (15Aug17 ©)