Riding the Ferris Wheel with Grandpa
2010
While it is true that Ferris Wheels are still in many amusement parks, they are not as exciting as they used to be. That is because the amusement park rides of today are designed to rattle your brains and scare you almost to death. Somehow, the simple movement of the Ferris Wheel seems quite tame. When Holden is grown, he will know that on a beautiful May afternoon, he and his grandfather rode the Ferris Wheel together. He will see that his grandfather’s arm was wrapped tightly around him and his grandfather’s big hand was firmly on his stomach. Sometimes the wheel stopped at the top. Holden didn’t mind. He felt safe. At first glance, this is just a photograph of two people on a Ferris Wheel. A closer look shows the generations, enjoying a symbol of the past. While grandchildren are small, they will be entertained by almost anything. The most important part of this photograph is that we come from somewhere. We eventually look like someone. We talk like someone. We look back on someone who loved us and feel right with the world. When this child’s life is going a million miles an hour, this keepsake photograph will remind him of a lazy, slow day in May where no one was in a hurry and he was the center of the universe.