Still Life Found on the Rails, Missoula, Montana

When we were kids, we'd visit our grandparents in Red Deer, Alberta, and when the house became too small for our boisterousness, we'd get kicked outside, where we'd often end up taking a walk along the railroad lines - prob'ly something the adults never knew.  I remember hopping from tie to tie - heaven forbid you fall off because crocodiles were waiting! - and listening wide-eyed to talk about a penny on the tracks potentially causing a catastrophic wreck.