At first glance this image of geese strutting up from the shore of the not so blue Danube River seems to be just that, waterbirds with attitude.

And then you might think, by locals I mean the geese and the ducks, the gulls and the swans.

In the background there is a bridge that was built in the 50’s to replace an aging ferry. My grandfather worked that ferry making sure the cars and trucks made it safely across the Danube.
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My father then worked on construction of that bridge, building the supporting piers 20m below the surface in a watertight caisson. It is ironic how my father helped my grandfather into early retirement when his ferry was no longer needed.

I spent my very early years here before circumstance and choice took me far away. Now I have taken it on to reconnect and fill the intervening years.

Actually the locals are the geese and the ducks, the gulls and the swans. Both my father and grandfather are gone now and I am only visiting.

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Aschach Locals’, 1/60s f/13 ISO640 20mm