Swift Current - A Summer Night

FTLComm - Swift Current - Saturday, June 15, 2002

These pictures were taken between 1:00AM and 2:00AM this morning. More caffiene than necessary and perhaps one to many donuts and I was in need of some exercise. The temperature was almost balmy and I set off for a stroll from the South side of Swift Current to its main street, "Central Avenue." The picture, (right) was taken in the neighbourhood West of the South side Co-op store and the Epson 600's CCD likes to turn low light into red light.

Above a yard with moon lights and crushed rock caught my eye and with the camera on its automatic timer setting I clicked the shutter and set it in the rocks. Swift Current is divided by into several parts by the railroad, the river and number one highway. This picture (right) shows the approach to the overpass over the CP rail yard from the South. While the picture below shows the rail yard and a locomative and train standing infront of the dispatch office, looking West toward Central Avenue. At the top of the page we are looking East to the locomotive parking area.

As I stood watching the locomative on the main line responded to the signal lights and began its Eastward journey. The lone hog head seated on the left side of the cab working at a pile of papers on a desk. Below we are looking South from the middle of the overpass at the street from which I just ascended. Just a few taxis and some railway workers and me alone in the darkness. Well, it is hardly darkness. Modern communities use so much lighting that the sky was not visible even though I later learned that there were no clouds above and the stars would have been seen without the lighting.

About the first block or so North of the abandoned railway station that sits at the foot of Swift Current's main street is this grand building. Once the home of the city's Royal Bank it now houses a second hand shop. Swift Current's down town has suffered considerably in this past decad with more than half the store fronts closed or no longer being operated. Four pawn shops, two thrift outlets and a lot of vacant buildings. A long time resident told me that actually things have improved. At this hour of the morning two bars and night club were the only open business and things seemed pretty quiet.

The Inferno night club had a live band and there were some patrons around at the door and coming and going with lively music echoing into the street as the front door swung open and shut. The highlight of my night was about to take place I had walked a block or two further North then started to retace my route but on the opposite side of the street. Far down the block I could make out a couple. They were "dancing in the dark". A young woman swung easily back and forth on the sidewalk twirling beneath her partners outstretched arm. He seemed reserved but she was exubriant and I was a reluctant observer of their simple joy. I snapped the

picture you see above but the shutter lag captured only the man guiding her as she slipped behind the streetside trees and obstacles. When she spotted me she resumed the adult responsible stroll of a woman in her mid twenties and I smiled at them wishing that I had not intruded into their world. He smiled back and on they went, not drunk or silly just two young people on their way home on a summer night. As I passed the old Royal Bank Building I captured the window seen here, bringing the images to visiblity removed their colour. Then back to the overpass where a train had pulled in, West bound and its flashing tail light ridden between two other trains. Several exposures attempted to catch the fleeting moment of the burst of red light but alas the slow shutter and speed of light defeated this photographer. As a footnote, this morning as we went upon our Saturday morning garage sale pilgrimage, as we passed a park near noon there were the happy couple from the night before walking hand in hand along a path by the river. May she dance when ever she wants, uninhibited by some unknown need to be sensible.