Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Gringo soccer star

Blast from the past.

Once upon a time in a land far away...

BAGMAN:  "So you've given up on the political punditry???!!!

Yep...I got tired of taking myself so seriously and pretending to be a political science professor.  So, I was looking at old pictures and found this one that was taken sometime in the 1970's in Santa Marta, Colombia. 


Looking back, I cringe to think of one of the many opportunties missed because of my then active alcoholism.  I had quit my job, bought camera equiptment and flown to Colombia with the intent of hiking through Colombia, Equador, and Peru to end up at Machu Pichu, writing, taking photographs and becoming a National Geographic photographer.  Of course, National Geographic never had a clue as to my intentions although I did go to the National Geographic museum in Washington once.

But my first discovery, unfortunately, was that in Colombia rum was dirt cheap.  So despite a few photographs, mostly I frittered away two months and all my savings drinking rum and fooling around.  Ah well. 

I remember this picture.  I was so proud of myself that I had become a great soccer player, able to steal the ball for a breakaway despite the best efforts of 5 other players!  40 years later, looking objectively for the first time at this picture, I can understand why. 



I might have been intent on my run for the goal but everyone else was just smiling, posing, and running to get into the picture. 

Another fantasy refuted by photographic evidence.

BAGMAN:  "So now are you going back to a serious discussion of politics?"

Nope.  Boys just want to have fun.

8 comments:

  1. That's so funny!! Love the pictures-tell-a-story stuff you do.

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  2. I actually have a high school classmate (from the olden days, you understand) who is a National Geographic-published photographer. They published two of her books. She also made an Emmy Award–winning National Geographic television special in 1997 called America’s Endangered Species: Don’t Say Goodbye. Her name is Susan Middleton. Dreams DO come true.

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  3. may I suggest that you wouldn't be the great husband and father AND grandfather you are today if you had made mistakes that you had to rectify with great strength of will and character?

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  4. I agree with Ginger V
    you learnt the lessons so that your 'babies' and 'grand babies' wont have to.
    and there is a lot to be said for being able to look back at your life with honesty and have a chuckle at the same time!
    sigh i miss the beach btw, wish i was running around in that picture too LOL.
    xxm

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