On this anniversary of the sinking of the Andrea Doria, let me say that not all my father’s beloved ocean liners sank or caught on fire and capsized at an NYC pier (NORMANDIE). RMS Queen Mary remains afloat. This photo was taken in 1956.
We were waiting to board the RMS Queen Mary in late May, 1956, from her pier in New York City. My father took this photo of her three red funnels against the impossibly blue sky. I was 11 years old and it was only years later that I realized what a good photographer he was. I’ve made this photo into large prints as it captures the memory I have of waiting to board.
She was so big and the sunlight lit her white paint and red funnels in sharp contrast to the cool darkness inside the pier waiting to board. Her dark hull was one long wall. My brother and I felt an excitement that years later we would talk about. We both remembered the sea smell and curious gusts of wind circulating inside the pier. I wish so much I could tell my father what a good photographer he was.
I am only a mind traveler now but I made this photo into a travel bag, too, because honestly, it just makes me smile to think of the excitement of that journey and I hope it captures for others that spirit as they go about their travels.
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