Finding the unexpected in life with the power of observation

(Photo from Lulu Fairbanks Collection, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska and Polar Regions Department.)

I’ve been more sporadic than usual in my blog posts recently because I’ve been busy working with family members to start the process of sifting through my twin brother’s trove of papers, books and oddball items.

It’s a time-consuming project and not just because he was a dedicated collector of anything and everything that captured his interest. To Terrence, almost everything was interesting, or could be, when viewed from the right angle. He had everything from French editions of Jack London to sizable holdings about the lives of twins.

He had high regard for the archival photo published above, a copy of which I came across in a box of his photos I started to organize Saturday. Every item leads to a story, which may make this a never-ending project if I’m not careful.

The old photo features the caption, “A Typical Alaskan Barr-Room,” taken in Ruby.

As with so much of what Terrence collected, the photo reminds me of him, not because he favored barrooms, but because he used this image in his classes and in lectures to share what he regarded as one of the most important qualities for those who are curious about the world.

Over the decades he used it to make a point, not about drinking or playing cards, but about the importance of paying close attention and being ready for the unexpected.

You can see a lot by watching, as Yogi was alleged to have said.

Look carefully at this photo, Terrence would say to his students, “What do you see?”

When I look at this photo I see six men playing cards, but there are no drinks on the table, perhaps a sign that they were serious about the game.

There are 16 men in the bar, 13 of them wearing hats and several smoking cigars. Judging by their clothes, it is probably a summer day, but it’s hard to say whether it is 2:35 p.m. or a.m. There is a polished bar, a brass rail and spittoons in the right spots.

Three of the men are holding their drinks up for the camera, obviously pleased with themselves. For some reason, only one of them is on a horse.