Tell the Story Behind this Photograph…2009 M.S. Winner
Each Spring, the Northern Nevada Writing Project sponsors a digital photo contest for students and teachers. Winning photos are chosen, based on their quality and whether they would inspire a writer to tell the photograph’s story. Above you will see 2009′s Middle School winning photograph (from student Trae Jones), which you can click on to make even bigger:
If you would like to write the story of this photograph for others to enjoy, type your story, revise and edit it, then paste it into the “Leave a Reply” box below.
For information about the NNWP’s Digital Photo Contest, click here.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Empty
There was no life there except vegatation.It appears a bright blue day but there was nothing to notice, no people or animals. The trail was losingits straightness from lack of use. The fence was unsteady as if uncared for. First the beesthen the frogs then other animals disappeared and the people started leaving because of this. But hwat of the remaining ones. The road in the picture was the main road to the small town and to the general store which was closed. But there as a strange phenomenom there when the town was alive. People’s hearing was so acute they hated their neighbors for just having family conversaions. Ans birds would drive them insane. There wasa rumor everyone left because thesound traveled so close and unreasonable.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:30 am
There was a man named joe who was a horrid sinner and drunk and did drugs. he was a horrid man and need a change in his life. hea took the raod that alot of people took , it was the bad one. he had made alot of mistake in his life the he needed to change. but his problems werent going to change over night. he needed the Lord. about a week after he had been arrested for drunk driving. a good friend of his came to him and tried to tell him about God but he just wouldnt listen. month after month his friend kept trying to tell him about God but he wouldnt listen. one day something spoke to him to go and just listne to his friend and he did . about a month later he finally went to church with his friend and became a Christian. when he heard the story of Christ and how he saved us he cried and sobbed. Joe decided to take the road less traveled . the picture above the road less travaled , the road that not many choose to take.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:31 am
This just looks like a boring country road but it is not it accualy leads to a school, a middle school to be corect. that sv\chool is the best middle school any one can go to they have a 7-9th grade hallway and then there is the lunch room they get to go out to eat they get to eat at places like cypress inn, and theyare alot luckier than other kids so it is a gift to go to that school. And then they the have the best footbal team in the state but no one would play them because they are so far in the country. the picture above is the road that leads to the mibble school.
December 10th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Lonely and forgotten, the road stretched on for miles into the bright blue horizon. In that moment, i absolutely hated that day. I hated this wretched place in the middle of nowhere and my parents for making me move there. For hours we bumped along the gravel “highway” a couple cows and some old houses were the only signs of civilization.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
thank you everyone who has been inspired by my photo, i took this picture at a ranch in california. this road leads to nowhere, just like some peoples lives, but no, this road apears to lead to nowhere but it actually leads to something wonderful, it leads to a place not very many people ever see. this road takes you to the real inside of a person, not what you see on the outside. whats on the inside, way beneath the highest moutian
February 18th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Hi, my fellow readers my name is Tran. I am taking a hike with my friends and family. We have chosen this day because of the perfect weather and the windy wind. We are in northern Nevada. We’ll try to hike at least five miles or more. I packed a water bottle, compass, snacks, a cap, and a cell phone in my knapsack. Wish us luck on our hike.
February 20th, 2010 at 8:01 am
The Road
By George Diehl
Is this the road less traveled,
For those who hear a different beat?
Is this the road to nowhere,
For those who’ve lost their way?
Is this the road I must travel now,
To a place that used to be?
Is this the road inside by head,
To a place of inner piece?
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:31 am
Dropped somewhere
I’m Lisa and I’ve dropped somewhere. I was
arguing with this chick May and she said she was so rich
that she could have me dropped somewhere. So the day after that she called her Dad to pick me
up in the helicopter. He did and he well, dropped
me somewhere. So now I’ve lost 6 pounds, 113
calories and my favorite pair of shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 6th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
He walked for days to find food and shelter. Day and night on this deserted road.Cars and trucks must have driven on the road one upon a time for there was tire marks in the dirt. The wooden fences had to have led to somewhere but where. This road was completely isolated from everything else. There wasn’t even birds in the sky nor bunnies hopping around on the mossy grass. All you felt and heard was created by your imagination.It was like an island . You didn’t think you could ever escape it once you were on it, but little did anyone know it was just above the city. It was as if there was a glass cup over it. It was just like the very boy that walked the road. Lonely and confused. This boy had lived his whole life with no one . His mother diserted him when he was young and his father through him out of the house, and now he was walking another lonely road again. He didn’t give up and he was hoping to find an escape to a greater life. He just had to keep walking to keep his sanity. He gave up about a mile away from the city. He just had to keep going. If he had’ve walked a couple of more steps he’d be on his way to a city. He was on top of the world. He could look down on everyone just liked they did to him. He could finally be greater than everyone else, but he curled up and died when he starved himself and was overheated from the country sun. There was something diffrent about this road that made you realize the truth about life.He was now walking the road to heaven, and finally he found where he belonged.
March 7th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
The road to life can be uncertain
or it can be a treasure
whatever you dream or wish
make it a pleasure
The road to life can be uncertain
it can have ups and downs
When your up
you should feel like you can
fly so high
that you can reach the sky
When your down
you should try to turn you situation around
and within your heart peace can be found
The road to life can be uncertain
But when you have dreams
life can be worth more than it seems
The road to life can be uncertain
I want to travel this beautiful road I see
my oh my let it be me!
The road to life can be uncertain
I see the green, green grass
and the desolate road
I believe it’s reminiscence of our past
Oh, let it be me
let it be me
that travels this winding road
that leads us to who knows where
out there…
But we are all strong
strong enough to carry any load
as we travel down life’s road
Let us all join as one
unity is the key
to unlock all uncertainty
about the road of life and where it leads
You will go your way,
And I will go my way
If we can all see eye to eye
and help one another
what a beautiful road we would travel
Who do you want to be?
What achievements will you make?
Hurry before it’s too late
so get ready to travel the road of life
So lets forget about the uncertainty
move on with the good
reach out to each other
like brother to brother
The road to life can be uncertain
but if we stick together
and travel in the right direction
we will find protection….
March 7th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
I’ve heard about a road that extends for miles and miles. There are no stores or malls located within hundreds of miles of the road. It is lined by a black picket fence. The grass alongside the road is a beautiful green color. The picture I’ve seen of this road gives me goose bumps. It is both beautiful and eerie.
The trail is made of dirt that extends far beyond what we can see. I would need to be up in the sky on a plane inorder to get the true picture of this amazing road. When I look at the picture of this road it brings feelings of joy, peace and love to my soul.
This road seems to be pure and untouched. It has not been affected by war or negativity that comes with life. It is so interesting to see such a long thin road lay there by itself. No cars, no people, no buildings to ruin its’ beauty. It appears to be asleep. It also seems happy.
I wish that I could be there now. I could escape the pressures of life. It would be a great hide-out. Away from everyone is where I’d like to be right now. If I were able to get to this road today, I would do a thousand cartwheels up and down the road. And I would run a race against myself.
Then I would sleep for hours with nothing to awake me. I would play in the sun all day long. Then I would take a moment to relax and enjoy the peace and quietness of this marvelous road. At night I would sit and watch the stars as they dance above me.
When it is time to leave my secret location, I would write my name in the dirt. Everyone would know that Ashley has been here. I would feel as if I had touch an Angel. I would pull up a piece of the grass for good luck as I go back to reality.
Has anyone been to this road? I hope so. Because I know that there is a place that we can find peace. It’s a place that we should all experience. I hope that this land is left untouched and doesn’t become crowded like a city with smog and people rushing everywhere.
I want to cherish it for as long as I can. It seems as though everything nowadays is crowded. Any vacant land that is available is being prepared for buildings or houses to be built on it.
So, when I get my chance to travel to this empty road, I will cherish every moment in time…..
March 8th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
The Isolated Road
No one is here but me. There are no more living people on this land but me. All that is on my mind is a quote from the bible “destruction cometh and they shall seek peace and there shall be none”.
I am all alone. My brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors have all died. All that God has left for me is a long deserted road with a black wooden fence and green grass. A pathway awaits me. This dirt road despises me. I am almost confused as to what direction to choose. Do I go north on the road or do I go south? There are spirits who are watching me and directing me north. Perhaps I should follow what they say.
North looks like its never ending. I am afraid to go in either direction. But, I will proceed north. For a moment, I thought I heard a voice. But, it was only the strong winds brushing up against the black picket fence. I begin to start running north. After running a mile the road seems endless. I stop for a break, and look behind me. The road behind me seems endless too.
I try not to look back because it reminds me of my past. When I look back I see my childhood. I can see my mother and father smiling at me. They are telling me to run faster and faster. But, I can’t run any faster. I’m out of breath. I can see a glimpse what seem to be the end of this long dirt road.
Suddenly, I feel stronger. My strength has come back. I can run fast again. After five minutes of running, I fall down and hit my head on a rock. I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying on the edge of a cliff. The road had ended. There was no where to go but down the cliff. The path of this road continued down a mountainside. I saw water at the bottom of the cliff. The water was crystal clear and a beautiful sea green color. It seemed to continue with the beauty of the road that I had just traveled. It had the same color and a clear path.
It looked like heaven to me. “Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy”. (An Eskimo proverb quote)
North looks like its never ending. I am afraid to go in either direction. But, I will proceed north. For a moment, I thought I heard a voice. But, it was only the strong winds brushing up against the black picket fence. I begin to start running north. After running a mile the road seems endless. I stop for a break, and look behind me. The road behind me seems endless too.
I try not to look back because it reminds me of my past. When I look back I see my childhood. I can see my mother and father smiling at me. They are telling me to run faster and faster. But, I can’t run any faster. I’m out of breath. I can see a glimpse what seem to be the end of this long dirt road.
Suddenly, I feel stronger. My strength has come back. I can run fast again. After five minutes of running, I fall down and hit my head on a rock. I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying on the edge of a cliff. The road had ended. There was no where to go but down the cliff. The path of this road continued down a mountainside. I saw water at the bottom of the cliff. The water was crystal clear and a beautiful sea green color. It seemed to continue with the beauty of the road that I had just traveled. It had the same color and a clear path.
It looked like heaven to me. “Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy”. (An Eskimo proverb quote)
by Marquis Stepteau
March 8th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
The Road to life Can Be Uncertain
By
Kierra Stepteau 3/7/10
The road to life can be uncertain
Or it can be a treasure
Whatever you dream or wish
Make it a pleasure
The road to life can be uncertain
It can have ups and downs
When you’re up
You should feel like you can
Fly so high
That you can reach the sky
When your down
You should try to turn you situation around
And within your heart peace can be found
The road to life can be uncertain
But when you have dreams
Life can be worth more than it seems
The road to life can be uncertain
I want to travel this beautiful road I see
My oh my let it be me!
The road to life can be uncertain
I see the green, green grass
And the desolate road
I believe it’s reminiscence of our past
Oh, let it be me
Let it be me
That travels this winding road
That leads us to who knows where
Out there…
But we are all strong
Strong enough to carry any load
As we travel down life’s road
Let us all join as one
Unity is the key
To unlock all uncertainty
About the road of life and where it leads
You will go your way,
And I will go my way
If we can all see eye to eye
And help one another
What a beautiful road we would travel
Who do you want to be?
What achievements will you make?
Hurry before it’s too late
So get ready to travel the road of life…
So let’s forget about the uncertainty
Move on with the good
Reach out to each other
Like brother to brother
The road to life can be uncertain
But if we stick together
And travel in the right direction
We will find protection….
March 8th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Chapter 1
I have run away coming to think that is the solution.
Where this road will take me I don’t know.
Should I keep going?
Should I turn back?
This road is the path that could destroy or my life.
This is the path that could bring success to my life.
My mother has shunned my away,
my stepfather has abused me.
My mother ignoring me…
Watching, understanding, not doing anything.
What a fool I was to think that I was loved.
Ha!
What a joke, my mom giving birth to me in the freakin’ middle of high school.
She wasn’t even a senior.
I turned down the wrong path later at the age of sixteen going on seventeen.
I turned to drugs to keep me alive.
I turned to no one to help me
Even though I needed it.
This old country road in the middle of nowhere
Is this the path I must take?
But where to?
Chapter 2
I walked the old and lonely road.
But I came to another one.
This new one has yellow striped lines and white lines.
I think it is a highway road.
I stop, sit on the curb, and smoke a Marlboro.
I feel happy.
I feel on top of the world.
I feel dizzy.
I then throw up on the side of the open road.
My feelings for everyone have changed.
My mind is telling me to hate my mother and stepfather with all my might.
But I don’t know if I can.
Part of me hates them.
Part of me loves them.
I feel sorry for their livesI cry.
I scream at God.
I scream at God for letting me make this choice in my life to run away.
I pray to Satan to guide me.
He tells me to keep walking.
Maybe Satan is my new God.
I am an obedient Christian.
But I think I will convert to an atheist.
But how can I?
I now worship the devil.
Chapter 3
As soon as I finish walking down the highway, my cell phone rings.
I check the caller I.D.
It is my mother.
Should I let the phone keep ringing its monotonous ring?
I answer it.
She said, “Why in God’s name did you run away?”
She sounds angry.
I hate her even more now.
I respond and say, “Shut up. You didn’t even care for me when I was “home.”
“Well Christina, it’s hard being a single mom. Please come home?”
My mother rambles on with excuses.
I tell her no.
My life isn’t going to be wasted anymore.
I hung up in the middle of her monologue about how much she misses me.
If I went home, all she would do is tell me to go to bed and then continue ignoring me.
I keep walking with my head held high.
I suddenly have memories of my real dad when I was three.
He took me to Disney World one time.
It was for my birthday.
He used up and entire years worth salary on me that day.
That was when he was alive.
Then he died when we got back.
He died of a heart arrack.
Now I’m at a gas station. I have exactly $1,000 in cash.
I buy four Diet Cokes and Cool Ranch Doritos.
As I leave, I sneak a Twinkie into my backpack.
I then felt guilty.
What if they caught me?
March 10th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
sorry in chapter 3, i meant heart attack.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
New York
Ever since I stole the Twinkie from the gas station, I have been stealing more and more.
I then became a pickpocket.
I pick-pocketed the poor; like me.
I am poor in spirit.
I am a monster.
A few weeks later, I faked a job.
So now my life is all about “selling” magazines.
I made off with $2500 in total.
That’s more than I have ever had in my entire life.
I came upon the state New York.
As I wander around, I am awed by the audacity of all the bright lights.
I pass through Central Park and admire all the trees, so vibrant with color, unlike me.
My cheeks turn a rosy red, and the wind whips across my face so fast like a lightning bolt.
I then wrote a poem about New York.
It goes:
The city is bustling with life; unlike me.
Everybody is happy; unlike me.
I see families walking past, so joyful to be with each other; unlike mine.
I can envision my mother having the time of her life without me,
loving people; unlike me.
Women take full, towering, bold, and confident strides; unlike me.
I see a CNN news broadcast about the war in the Middle East, and how brutal it is.
My feelings of affliction are diminished with the hope of surviving unlike those desperate soldiers.
And lastly, New York has a nice life; unlike me.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
The End of the Beginning
There’s nothing more to tell in my story of survival.
Only that I came to learn that my mother and stepfather
were killed in a car crash.
I was too then killed, for having no sense of direction
to go to their funeral.
I then converted back to Christianity, though I never really changed.
I bought a laptop, though it is hard to charge it, since I am now officially homeless. I found many quotes online that I loved.
In this diary, I have titled my life story and I wrote down a couple of passages
That might inspire me later on in life.
After these sayings, my story ends.
Here are a few sayings:
“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”
-Marcus Aurelius
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain will follow him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.”
-Buddha
March 13th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will continue to thrive
For many years
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Has a family of roads connected at the end
Unlike Me
This road before me
Doesn’t feel affliction
Or love
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Isn’t living to feel affliction
Like Me
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Happens to withstand anything
Until God says otherwise
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Can gaze up at the sky
And dream
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will never know what it’s like to be me
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Has fences on either side
So that it is protected from evil
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Can stand being alone
In times of trouble and
Gloom
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will be able to hear the distant
But oh so joyful sounds of the piano,
While listening to that sweet and calming melody
Of the notes following each other in a line to create
A masterpiece
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Won’t ever have to feel the pain of fighting for nothing
Or yelling at someone who wishes you aren’t even in their life
At all
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Can read the signs of danger
When it is impending
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Is surrounded by grass
Which is ever so pure and innocent
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Is always meant to stay still
And guide people
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Is crooked for a reason:
It is to teach everyone
That life isn’t always easy
You need to deal with life
When it comes at you at lightning
Speed
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will never experience the depths
Of hell
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will see and touch the beauty of life
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Won’t ever give up
In times of desperation
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will always stand tall
No matter how you look at it
Unlike Me,
This road before me
Has a story of its history
To tell
Now,
Just like me,
This road before me
Can see its destiny
Now,
Just like me,
This road before me
Can understand its place
In the world
March 17th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
The Road
By
Angel Vasquez
All I remember that day is looking up to the red sun and walking endless hours to a road that lead to a hill you could not see past. After surviving nuclear bombings, mutated animals, and hungry cannibals I was up for the challenge. After I got up the hill I saw a perfectly normal city no pollution, no bloodthirsty animals, or no nuclear fallout nearby. When I got to the plaza I saw heavily armored men carrying, what seemed to be a lunatic saying the men where crazy and killing people for food, to a windowless house, which looked more like an asylum. After that, everyone in the city returned to his or her normal duties like it never happened. Puzzled, I went to the nearest saloon for a drink and for some advise. I asked for a glass of water and handed the waiter a couple of guitar picks. I asked the waiter if there was a vacant house I could buy or take up and he said that there was an abandoned cottage just out of town. The man told me to watch out for land mines just out of town. It looked like they were serious about keeping their citizens in and visitors out.
Once I got to the cottage I was sweating like a pig. They were serious about having mines everywhere you stood there was a mine. The cottage was intact but it could have used a lot of work. When I went to the bedroom I found my first hint. There were at least five skeletons and a man half dead, which looked awfully familiar. I walked over to him and asked him what happened. He didn’t answer my question but said not to trust anybody in the city. After those words he died but I questioned what he meant. I had to quickly get him out of the cottage or else he would stink it up. Outside I got a better look at whom he was. He was the man that the guards were taking to the windowless house. After that I knew what the man meant. I started to think paranoid thoughts like what if they where watching me right now.
The next day I was feeling better but I had my shotgun holstered if anything happened. I went to the deli to see if they had any good food I could trade. The man was very jaunty and let me try out the mystery meat loaf. Then I asked the question I rue to this day. What is in the meat loaf? The man told me to go inside to see. After I went in the man hit me with a bat and everything went black. Next thing I knew I was tied up with a bunch of saws and raw meat. Then I learned never to trust anybody even if you have known them all your life in this type of enviorment……..