James

Yesterday's pic was on the sly; this one was in 'full disclosure' mode.

I spotted the gent from afar, sitting on an old plastic chair, hat in hand, head hung low, as if weighed down by the torrid heat. His whole body language said 'I'm defeated.'

Then, as I walked by, he flashed a crooked smile and I just had to strike up a conversation. James is 79 years old, a native Washingtonian (there are sooo few of them!). Born just a few blocks across the Maryland state line where he raised a family of five, he's been reporting to work in the meat packing district since 1957. That's 56 years -- longer than my entire lifetime...

After a few minutes, I asked if I could take his picture. He was genuinely puzzled: "why would you want to do that?" I think he felt slightly embarrassed, which I hope to have captured in that shot :)