Midwest Cliché - Part Three

(Click image for larger view)

Midwest Cliché #3/Roadside Attraction
© Larry Torno, 2009

There's a Midwest saying that goes something like this, "You can climb to the second story and see farther than you ever saw before - and still see nothing."

I don't agree. I see something in just about everything in this landscape; the breeze blowing through the tall grasses, the gentle curve of the empty road, a singular road sign, the evening clouds, and the fact that I'm the only one anywhere near this location.

It's the Midwest at its best.

Midwest Cliché - Part Two

(Click image for larger view)

Midwest Cliché #2/Billbored
© Larry Torno, 2009

Yes, I know I spelled Billboard wrong, but I did that on purpose.

This abandoned advertising board is about as beautiful a piece of nostalgia as I could find. The piecemeal construction of telephone poles and sheets of plywood, gives it as much character as a 90-year old man's wrinkled face. One can only imagine the countless messages that it carried, the eras of cars that passed by it or the kids who played in the parking lot and threw rocks at it.

Today, it's a staple of the Midwest landscape.

Midwest Cliché - Part One

(Click image for larger view)

Midwest Cliché #1/The Barn Identity
© Larry Torno, 2009

When you think of the Midwest, and you're not from around here, you think of the family farm, that old familiar barn and Grandpa's rusty old truck that you learned to drive at age 13. Right?

Not me. I grew up in the city and consider it a day trip to drive the 20 minutes it takes to get to the "country". But for some reason, the Midwest has a reputation for nostalgic times and movie-scene family life, so that's what this photo series is all about.

Use your imagination as you view these memories found on the rural roads, just a stone's throw from our metropolis. As the saying goes, "We're not in Kansas anymore."

Grand Canyon - Part Four

(Click image for larger view)

Pink Clouds
© Larry Torno, 2005

The light in the Canyon is constantly changing. The sun rolls across the landscape and frequent, rumbling storms come and go; leaving mist and rainbows.

On this particular evening, the setting sun caught the tips of two peaks, casting a pink glow on them and the clouds above. Within minutes, it was gone and another part of the Canyon was shifting colors.

Grand Canyon - Part Three

(Click image for larger view)

Tree at Desert View Drive
© Larry Torno, 2005

When you're in a place like the Grand Canyon, the best way to experience it is with your eyes wide open to see everything. You don't have to look down into the cavern to find something beautiful . . . it can be as simple as a roadside composition of tree limbs and an eroding stack of rocks.