Trouble Man

I took this image in October when leading a sunrise landscape workshop for the  Heritage Conservancy.  I love the depth of the image, the power of the clouds and the lone utility pole.  My father and grandfather were both linemen for utility companies.  Although an educated man, my father wanted to do what his father had done before him and did not want to be inside at a desk.  He loved his job, most of the time – even though he often worked in inclement weather and challenging circumstances.

Living on the East Coast of the US, hurricanes can be a significant threat.  A few years ago a hurricane affected our area with flooding and power outages. A local musician and very talented artist, Lisabeth Weber, wrote a song, Trouble Man, in tribute to all of the linemen seen working diligently to restore power to our community.  I heard the song only a few years after my father had lost his battle to esophageal cancer.  It touched my heart and to this day when I see a crew of linemen, I not only think of my father, but of this song too.  My father would have been greatly honored by it.