The Thing on the Bus

Sometimes, I think my photography blog is as much about the paranormal as it is about photography.  Whatever the case, when my photogaphy and I come across something strange or inexplicable, I publish it on the blog.  Having a camera, and taking photographs, ensures that you don't miss out on what's going on around you....even if it takes years to notice.

Tonight, I was going through  photographs stored on my hard drive that I took years ago.  When I don't have current photographs to work on, I  often find older images that I've missed to work on as possible fine art images.  The entrance to the Gresham Hotel is one image that has been ignored for eleven years, until I came across it again tonight. 

On my walk, I passed by the Gresham Hotel just to see if it was still there.  I had stayed there 22 years earlier, as a college student, while studying communications in Europe.  It was just as I  remembered it.

Another image is that of a tourist bus in London, taken only minutes after the image of the hotel. While the photo below lacks the aesthetic to be a fine art image, it certainly tells a story, as you will see from the zoomed-in view of the shot. The unaltered photograph of a London double decker bus was taken on June 11, 2002 at 4:07 p.m. (according to EXIF data stored with the image.)  I had been visiting the British Museum, and was on the way back to an underground station when I photographed a bus stopped in front of the well-known James Smith & Sons Umbrella Shop  (http://james-smith.co.uk/). 


A London double decker tour bus in front of  the James Smith & Sons Umbrella Shop on New Oxford St., London

The photo of the bus was shot just a few minutes after that of the hotel.  The image sat on my hard drive, and was transferred to other computers over the years as the old computers became obsolete.  I haven't viewed the photo since it was new, until tonight. However, as I zoomed in on portions of the photograph in Photoshop, I became clear that one of the passengers on the bus was not the usual sightseer.

Behind the driver, a hooded or cloaked sinister-looking gray figure, facing the back of the bus, arms crossed, seems to be turned and looking over its left shoulder at the camera.  More than likely, it is the driver's jacket or over-shirt, folded in such a way that details take on human or sub-human form.  If so, however, I'm amazed at how easy it is to make sense out of an inanimate form and make it seem something out of a horror movie.

The Thing on the Bus looks over its left should directly into the camera, as if caught by surprise.  Eyes, nose and mouth are easily visible under the cloak.

I don't know what the Thing on the Bus is.  I do know, however, that I  don't want to come across it again.  If you have any thoughts on the matter, please post below.

You can view my fine art photography blog at:  www.tombellart.com.

The Strange Connection Between Twins

This is another post that has little to do with photography or Photoshop.  However, my twin brother, Bob, and I, who are the main characters in this story, are both photographers. We care deeply about achieving "art" in our photographs. We are also living proof of the strange connection between twins.  As before, this story is just too good not to tell.

In a little less than a month, this is the second strange coincidence that has occurred to me, both defying odds, and proving to me that there is more to life that we can understand.  My brother was not involved in the first incident.  However,  this coincidence is just as true and almost as amazing as the last one I reported.  Please see my entry of a few weeks ago: Mystery of the Miracle Frisbee.  You will understand that there is more to life than meets the average eye. 

An ambulance took my 88 year-old Mom to the hospital a little over a week ago.  It turned out to be a heart attack. She's still in the hospital recovering.  We're hopeful that her recovery will be complete.  The prayers of all who read this are appreciated.

My older brother was at the hospital immediately.  I was able to be there within a few hours.  My twin brother Bob was on a job in Alabama.  We didn't see him until late the following day.

Let me say at the outset that Bob and I are very different identical twins.  We're not the ones who dress alike and call each other every day.  I don't trip when his shoe lace is untied.  We do have a few similarities: we both like old movie serials and old time radio. We also take our photography seriously.  I had last seen him at Thanksgiving, and before that it had been at least two years. 

When Bob arrived at the hospital, I greeted him and he almost immediately went to check on our Mom.  My phone rang and I moved to the hallway to take the call.  It was my wife, checking in to see how my Mom was doing.  I paced around the hallway as I talked.  After a few moments, while still on the phone, I felt a bump on my wrist.  I turned and my brother was holding out his arm to show his wrist watch.  "Same one," he whispered.

I finished the call in a couple of more minutes, then took notice that he was indeed wearing the same watch as me.  Now, this might not be so hard to believe if it was a common timepiece you might pick up at Wal-mart or the local department store. But this is a 21 jewel, automatic movement, black face, see-through skeleton case back, black rubber strap, diver's watch, Invicta model 9110.

My brother Bob on the right of the inset.

As we talked, we discovered that we both had purchased our watches online within about a month of each other, for pretty much the same reasons.  We both wanted a rugged watch that would hold up to being dunked under water.  Neither of us wanted a battery powered watch because we've both had batteries die at inopportune times, only to have the water seal fail after the battery was replaced.  Also, neither of us likes a metal band.  The watch we bought had to be aesthetically pleasing and reasonably priced.  To be honest, that still leaves a lot of watches from which to choose.  Each of us could have chosen from hundreds or even thousands of watches from dozens of different brands.  However, we both choose exactly the same watch.  We were able to document it because we both brought our cameras to the hospital.

I know it's not impossible, but it's also extremely improbable.  I know you've heard of twin connections or coincidences before.  This is another one.  Feel free to post your thoughts.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com.