Friday, May 16, 2025

The Day I Found R2-D2 on the Sidewalk




Sometimes, the streets surprise you. I was wandering through a quiet neighborhood, camera slung over my shoulder and the sun slanting just right through the leaves, when I spotted something out of place. Gleaming under a coat of dust and industrial grit, there it stood in the dirt—short, cylindrical, and unmistakably droid-shaped.

At first glance, it looked like your average construction site shop vac. But this one had personality. It had curves, character, and a bold red accent that screamed, “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi!” I stood there for a good minute, just staring, until it hit me: I’d found R2-D2.

Sure, he wasn’t beeping or spinning his head. His chrome plating was a little scuffed and the power cable dangled like a tired limb. But there was something noble about him. Like he'd just survived a sandstorm on Tatooine and rolled into Toronto for a break.

The red vacuum port looked suspiciously like an astronomer socket. The black wheels? Clearly repurposed repulsorlifts. And that dome-shaped top? It could only be R2's head, just slightly squashed by years of hard labor and drywall dust.

Naturally, I had to take his portrait.

So here it is: the forgotten droid of the job site, waiting patiently under the sun, dreaming of a galaxy far, far away—or maybe just a break from sucking up concrete dust.

Street photography gives you glimpses into alternate universes. Today, I found Star Wars in a backyard reno.

Stay weird, Toronto.

 


 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Bob in the Chamber: A Visit to the Heart of Queen's Park

Bob had always been curious about what went on behind the closed doors of Queen’s Park — and on this day, he finally got a peek behind the h...