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October 1935. Passing the time in Scotts Run, West Virginia. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration.
I ain't never seen an old guy whittling even once in my entire life. It's a myth. Whittling doesn't exist.
That's a term my in-laws use for groups of old codgers like this. None of these guys seem to be whittling, though.
Maybe not whittling but the one on the end might be picking a winner.
Didn't notice until I looked at the full-sized photo, there are five "individuals" pictured here. Four gentlemen on the bench, and one comfortable looking pup curled up asleep underneath. From the looks of the ground underneath him, he spends quite a bit of time in that spot. Love it!
When I was a kid I used to think these guys sitting on benches must be retarded. Now that I'm old ... I love being retarded. Ain't life grand.
The dapper guy with the necktie, the lapel pin and the rakish fedora must be a retired pharmacist, doctor or politician. The rest of them look like farmers. Can we really ever know who they were and why they are there. Can we assume they were friends or just guys with no place else to go.
Four men passing the time on a bench and not one of them is whittling?
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