# Show Us A Picture You've Taken Of Something Unusual, Uncommon or Strange



## JonDouglas (Feb 21, 2021)

Alien spacecraft or what?  I came across this on a backroads ride up in NH.  







Actually, it is what a group of guys made and once used to have a good time.  "Hold my beer and watch me drop this on that old truck."

More to follow.


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## -Oy- (Feb 21, 2021)

I don't remember planting this!


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## JonDouglas (Feb 21, 2021)

*Rooftop Moose On The Loose*:   I was stopped in traffic while riding the bike through Bennington, VT, on my way north.  Although generally not prone to look up when focusing on traffic, this is what caught my eye.






Traffic aside, one of the fun things about Bennington is that you never know when you might run into one of these creatures.  Another ride was greeted by this see-through moose on Main St.






The town likes moose (the plural of which have been referred to as moosies)


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## Pinky (Feb 21, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> *Rooftop Moose On The Loose*:   I was stopped in traffic while riding the bike through Bennington, VT, on my way north.  Although generally not prone to look up when focusing on traffic, this is what caught my eye.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Some years ago, there were moose sculptures everywhere. Many were sent to other countries. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose_in_the_City


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## bowmore (Feb 21, 2021)

Steam powered clock in Gastown Vancouver BC


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 21, 2021)

bowmore said:


> Steam powered clock in Gastown Vancouver BC


I'm surprised with the animals in society today that glass remains in the clock.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 21, 2021)

bowmore said:


> Steam powered clock in Gastown Vancouver BC


Really good stuff!  Sent me onto the internet to look it up and found a wonderful video of the clock.  Having never seen one before, this one lit up all the mechanical pathways in my brain.  If you love steam engines, steamboats, steam cars, steam toys; you gotta love a steam clock.






Thanks!


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## Pinky (Feb 21, 2021)

bowmore said:


> Steam powered clock in Gastown Vancouver BC


Nice to see that clock is still in existence.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 22, 2021)

*The Mysterious Stone Chambers*:  There are somewhere around 800, known, underground stone chambers in 4 New England states. They are a mystery about which nobody can agree.  We've ridden our steeds to see and explore some of these after first coming across one deep in the woods.






Speculation by archeologists and other learned individuals on their purpose ranges from root cellar to native sweat rooms, burial chambers, hidey holes (like the kind we used to build as kids), etc., There's one irrefutable fact, however.  These structures are reported to be dead ringers for those built by the Culdee Monks of Scotland, England, and Ireland.  There are also records of suggesting the chambers predate the arrival of colonists to America, thus negating the idea of root cellar.

Years after taking the above picture on a ride through the woods, I learned that one of the largest and most famous of these chambers isn't far from where I now live.  Below is a photo of the entrance.  Like most, this one has vent holes for air to circulate (in or out).






There is a 15 foot long entry way into an underground room that is 11 ft. in diameter and over 10 ft. tall.  The mystery endures.


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## Pappy (Feb 22, 2021)

Taken 2 years ago in my back yard. There is a chain link fence between us.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 22, 2021)

Pappy said:


> Taken 2 years ago in my back yard. There is a chain link fence between us.
> 
> View attachment 151340


Do the alligators help with your state's snake problem?


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## Pappy (Feb 22, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Do the alligators help with your state's snake problem?


You know Jon, I’ve been here 21 years and have seen maybe 5 snakes. Only one was a bad one..a coral snake. The others were black racers which keep the mice and bug problem down.


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## Meanderer (Feb 22, 2021)

Pappy said:


> Taken 2 years ago in my back yard. There is a chain link fence between us.
> 
> View attachment 151340


What a Crock!


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## Pappy (Feb 22, 2021)

Meanderer said:


> What a Crock!





Meanderer said:


> What a Crock!


Nope....Alligator. See you later gator...


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## JonDouglas (Feb 22, 2021)

It was unusual, unexpected, out of the ordinary and scared the crap out of me.  I had gotten off the bike and was walking down to a river on a quiet and serene path, passing right next to what looked like an abandoned farm stand.  Just as I walked by, there was a horrible noise and this thing stood and was looking me right in the face.  He or she had bad breath, too.






Now goats are nothing new or unusual except when acting as the startling and noisy proprietor of the farm stand you're walking by.  For those of you unfamiliar with the sounds goats can utter, here's a tutorial.


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## hollydolly (Feb 22, 2021)

This is just a few miles from me.. I'm sure we'll be very safe if we're invaded..


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## Glowworm (Feb 22, 2021)

How about these rules for entering the Bin jiang Scenic Area in Guilin China

Please note especially Paragraphs 4 and 7


It is expressly forbidden to spit or piss at the public or engage in superstition!!


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## JonDouglas (Feb 23, 2021)

*The Mack In Back*: You'd be hard-pressed to find a 1931 Mack hook and ladder fire truck, especially one that still ran. Such was my good fortune and one of the benefits of adventure riding. Suspecting that few here have ever seen one in the wild (i.e., not in a museum), I post these pictures of said find. What may be more unusual is that the toy fire truck I wanted so bad for Christmas and didn't get (we were poor early on) was an exact scale model of this very truck, only red. Coincidence or a very slow Santa?






I happened across this truck by chance when photographing the old foundry building it was in.  The owner saw me, came over and we struck up a conversation and friendship.  He let me ride into the building and pose the redhead with the truck.  Another place I hang out in has this idea that if you don't have pics with your bike, it didn't happen.






As you can see, the guy likes old Mack trucks.  For the right price and the right home, the hook and ladder is for sale.  Being very picky, he hasn't seen anyone yet who could give the truck a good home.  It takes two, very strong people to drive this thing (i.e., one in front and the other on the rear steering wheel) and it is a bitch to park.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 24, 2021)

I suspect there are few places in the world where you see 4 giant frogs as adornments on bridge pillars and where those pillars are giant spools of thread.  Such, though, is what's found on a bridge in Willimantic, CT.






Aside from being needed as a river crossing, the bridge is somewhat a memorial to the great Frog Wars of 1754 when a large number of these amphibia died a mysterious and cacophonous death.  According to records and legend, settlers in the area were awakened by the scary noise and thought it was the French and Indians coming to the town and killing residents.  It was later thought the frogs were fighting each other for the favors of female frogs.  In any event, the bridge is at coordinates 41.710516, -72.209206.


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## SeaBreeze (Feb 24, 2021)

Marker from a Christmas tree taken from Colorado for the White House, stumbled across this while camping years ago.


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## Gary O' (Feb 25, 2021)

While living at our mountain cabin, most evenings I'd step out just to view the night sky

Sometimes taking the Nikon

Clouds do funny things at night when there's a big moon


One evening, after downloading the pics, I noticed something a bit unsettling

The night sky appeared to be watching me,

watch it


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## JonDouglas (Feb 25, 2021)

*There's A Mean Looking German Tank Running Around The Back Yard:* Taken several years ago . . . .






. . . . it was part of a WWII reenactment of the Battle For Aachen Airfield, complete with a most-feared German 88 manned by Wehrmacht Soldaten.






When the American tanks came out of the woods, firing started and the noise was painful to the point of being dangerous.  Participants and attendees were told to wear earplugs.  Not having any ear protection other than my fingers, I saddled up and left.  I guess there could be some enjoyment in this hobby if you liked hot-rodding a tank around in a field, making noise and staging a historical play.


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## Pappy (Feb 26, 2021)

Now that you mention it Jon. I did enjoy riding around in several of our division tanks: I’ve come to take on your German tanks:


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## katlupe (Feb 26, 2021)

Stone piles through out the state forest in NY. I had two in the forest behind my house. This one is snow covered.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 26, 2021)

katlupe said:


> View attachment 152161
> 
> Stone piles through out the state forest in NY. I had two in the forest behind my house. This one is snow covered.


Is there any consensus as to why they're piled up like that?


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## Pappy (Feb 26, 2021)

katlupe said:


> View attachment 152161
> 
> Stone piles through out the state forest in NY. I had two in the forest behind my house. This one is snow covered.


I know, being from upstate NY, that before Barb wire, fences were made of stone. I wonder if that’s where these came from?


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## katlupe (Feb 26, 2021)

Pappy said:


> I know, being from upstate NY, that before Barb wire, fences were made of stone. I wonder if that’s where these came from?





JonDouglas said:


> Is there any consensus as to why they're piled up like that?


They call them "cairns" and there is a lot of information about them online. Some say it was piled up that way to mark boundaries. There are a lot of stone fences in my area so could be for or from that too.
More information here:
Native American Stone Cairns


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## katlupe (Feb 26, 2021)

My "Bolo" oven made by Griswold in 1920. I used it often, baking and roasting food on the wood heating stove in my living room. This works like a camp oven. I could roast a turkey or bake pies or cakes in it. I got it at a junk shop for $12. because they did not know what it was. I knew because my mother had described one to me that my grandmother used on her stove.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 26, 2021)

Pappy said:


> Now that you mention it Jon. I did enjoy riding around in several of our division tanks: I’ve come to take on your German tanks:
> 
> View attachment 152157


Your picture reminded me of the time when I came across something rather strange - a British FV433 Abbot SPG sitting in a small town's city hall parking lot.  







That British SPG (self propelled gun) was far afield of the previously-memtioned reenactment in terms of time and place and would  seem to have no connection.  Below is another pic.






A side from WWII reenactments, I've come across feral tanks twice now while riding out and about.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 27, 2021)

*Ladies, Help Us Out!  This Budd's For You. Were We Attacked By A Cougar?*

Finding an old abandoned Budd railcar in the brush behind an abandoned paper mill is not way out of the ordinary but what happened there was.  The SIL and I were adventure riding up in VT.and came across what turned out to be two of these diesel, self-propelled passenger cars hiding in the brush.  






With no "Posted" or "Keep Out" signs, the old railcars were just begging to be explored.  The first railcar was pretty well boarded/closed up and we'd no intention of trying to break in.  






The second car, however, was open to be explored,  To that end, SIL chose to climb on top to reconnoiter the area, leaving me to face whatever danger might be inside the car.  There was nothing dangerous in the car.  The potential danger entered a few minutes later.






There wasn't much of interest inside the car until SIL yelled "Incoming" from up top and this not-unattractive woman climbed into into the car. I took a quick pic of her just as SIL had climbed down to see what was going on.  The woman had what appeared to be her teenage son with her.  The kid had that somewhat bored, impatient and embarrassed look that only a young teenager can have.






The young woman breathlessly explained that she liked to explore things like old rail cars.  I was thinking that seeing SIL on top of the car was the real draw because she dropped me and went for him the minute he entered the car.  I could see through the window that the assumed mother was very upset and went outside to try to assuage her fears.  SIL followed me out with the young woman and boy in tow.  After a brief "It was nice meeing you", they drove off and we rode on.

You have to wonder why a good-looking woman would be driving around in a new, expensive car with her mother (assumed) and son (assumed), pull off the road into the brush behind an old mill, see two motorcycles with some guy on top of a railcar, take her unhappy son (assumed) into an unknown situation and leave her mother (assumed) fuming in the car.  Was this a cougar on the prowl?  Do any of you ladies here have a theory on such behavior?


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## katlupe (Feb 27, 2021)

Maybe she likes bikers?


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## Murrmurr (Feb 27, 2021)

One of my son's unusual bike builds.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 28, 2021)

*Not A Dead Building*:    You don't run across something like this too often.- a corpse of a building located in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town.






That would be the bones of a once-elegant building - the Walloomsac in Bennington, VT.  Taken in 2014, the picture doesn't do justice to this historic old 1771 inn.  If it looks like a place that once housed Revolutionary War soldiers,  that's because it did. At last glance on the sat view, the Walloomsac is still there at coordinates 42.883341, -73.213596. The last I heard, it was still inhabited.


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## hawkdon (Feb 28, 2021)

Looks like it could fall down any moment...wonder about
inside condition.....


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## JonDouglas (Mar 2, 2021)

Not wanting to be the major contributor or waste time and space posting items of lower interest to others, I think I will wait to see if activity on this thread picks up before posting anything more to this thread.  Also, taking pictures of more unusual things probably isn't the norm for most people, let alone seniors.


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## Dana (Mar 2, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> *Ladies, Help Us Out!  This Budd's For You. Were We Attacked By A Cougar?*
> 
> Finding an old abandoned Budd railcar in the brush behind an abandoned paper mill is not way out of the ordinary but what happened there was.  The SIL and I were adventure riding up in VT.and came across what turned out to be two of these diesel, self-propelled passenger cars hiding in the brush.
> 
> ...



_Hmm..this is definitely a case for Monsieur Poirot or the Pink Panther_


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## Dana (Mar 2, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Not wanting to be the major contributor or waste time and space posting items of lower interest to others, I think I will wait to see if activity on this thread picks up before posting anything more to this thread.  Also, taking pictures of more unusual things probably isn't the norm for most people, let alone seniors.



Don't stop posting...there are probably many who do not comment regularly who like the thread! I have many other talents  but I am not a photographer. My pictures  mainly contain images of family members and I really don't want them on a forum.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 2, 2021)

Dana said:


> _Hmm..this is definitely a case for Monsieur Poirot or the Pink Panther_


I was hoping some woman here could explain that woman's behavior but will settle for a Clouseau response (e.g., "Not now Kato." or "Do you have a reum?").


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## Dana (Mar 2, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> I was hoping some woman here could explain that woman's behavior but will settle for a Clouseau response (e.g., "Not now Kato." or "Do you have a reum?").


Well...all I can offer is, she saw an attractive man, wanted to have a chat, but was thwarted by the appearance of another male! She could not complete her mission!


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 5, 2021)

This was taken in front of the  Ron Ross Cohen Art @ Stockton's Noyes Art Museum, 2200 Fairmount Ave., which is actually part of a larger museum located in Atlantic City, NJ. This jumped out at me when my sister and I visited the museum. I believe it is made of cardboard boxes.
As you can see in the background, the face is a theme that's also on T-shirts. I think it's supposed to be Ron Ross.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 5, 2021)

We came across this oddity hidden out in the middle of nowhere. 






 It was, of course, used to scare people by folks with some big money to spend.


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## RadishRose (Mar 5, 2021)

A ship appears to hover over the sea off the coast of Cornwall, England, in a photo captured by David Morris that shows the optical illusion known as "superior mirage," caused by warm air sitting on top of colder air over bending light as it reaches a viewer's eyes.                                                  David Morris/APEX                       

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ship-f...ng-illusion-cornwall-england-superior-mirage/


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## Murrmurr (Mar 5, 2021)

The 2019 Tweed Ride, an annual bike run hosted by a Sacramento bicycle club I belong to. Riders who _want_ to dress in turn-of-the-century gear, and some ride custom bicycles that appear to be from that era, including 2 or 3 penny-farthings, or bikes that have TofTC parts on them. We make several stops on the way to the highlight of the run, the Tweed Picnic, and I forget where this iron wings sculpture is. A library, I think. That's my son posing in front of it.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 5, 2021)

...he made that bowler hat, btw. It's metal.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 7, 2021)

Passed this abode while out riding, did a double-take, turned around and took the picture:






Don't you love what they've done with the siding and curtains?  Laundry on the line out back suggested someone was living here.  Interesting place!


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## Sliverfox (Mar 7, 2021)

@JonDouglas ,,, I'm enjoying  your  photos.
If you ever head   to NW  Pa,, give me at heads up.

Hubby & I will try to find  some oddities  for you.
Being in  the oil discovery area ,, still find   oil barrels,,rod lines.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 7, 2021)

Sliverfox said:


> @JonDouglas ,,, I'm enjoying  your  photos.
> If you ever head   to NW  Pa,, give me at heads up.
> 
> Hubby & I will try to find  some oddities  for you.
> Being in  the oil discovery area ,, still find   oil barrels,,rod lines.


Thank you, @Sliverfox.  Funny you should mention PA.  My favorite road across PA when heading back to the midwest is Rt 6.  We usually head across to Kane and then dip down to get into/onto the back roads of OH, IN and IL.  If this covid scare ever let's up,  you might hear from us.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 7, 2021)

*And Now For Something Different*:  Having been encouraged to keep going with this thread, here's a photo I took of something you won't see very often.  It is a  SCUD B missile pointed skyward on a MAZ lanucher.






The sky is composed for contrast.


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## hollydolly (Mar 7, 2021)

RadishRose said:


> A ship appears to hover over the sea off the coast of Cornwall, England, in a photo captured by David Morris that shows the optical illusion known as "superior mirage," caused by warm air sitting on top of colder air over bending light as it reaches a viewer's eyes.                                                  David Morris/APEX
> 
> https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ship-f...ng-illusion-cornwall-england-superior-mirage/


Ha , I saw that in the news yesterday....


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## Sliverfox (Mar 7, 2021)

JonDouglas,,  2019,, we were coming back from Maine,, got seperated from our  son,, ended up getting on  rt 6 to come home.

Son    had diesel ruck & enclosed trailer,, we had  34 ft motorhome ,towing  24 ft trailer.
He managed to get in left lane & make turn we were in right,, couldn't  turn  too much traffic.

Never did  see him again  untill we got  home the next morning.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 8, 2021)

Quite Unusual:   Planes are not strange or unusual but what about a bunch of planes parked along a busy street many miles away from any airport?







This one was a puzzler.  Who did they belong to?  Why were they there?   How did they get there?  Never did find out.  After sitting there for years, one day they were gone


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## hollydolly (Mar 8, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Quite Unusual:   Planes are not strange or unusual but what about a bunch of planes parked along a busy street many miles away from any airport?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh we have that too... but in better conditions. Lots of people around here own gliders, and microlights, and keep them on their long driveways or garages


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## JonDouglas (Mar 9, 2021)

*Back When Transportation Was Going Through A Stage*:  You don't see many of these outside a museum. 






It was a good looking rig!


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## Murrmurr (Mar 9, 2021)

I have a friend whose hobby is photographing toys.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 12, 2021)

VW Beetle bike


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## dobielvr (Mar 12, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> I was hoping some woman here could explain that woman's behavior but will settle for a Clouseau response (e.g., "Not now Kato." or "Do you have a reum?").


May be she had always wanted to stop and take a look see, but didn't know if she should.
So...when she saw you guys , she thought now would be the perfect time.

If you were looking so would she...and she might of thought she'd be safe.


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## dobielvr (Mar 12, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Oh we have that too... but in better conditions. Lots of people around here own gliders, and microlights, and keep them on their long driveways or garages


Same here.  We have an area called Sierra Sky Ranch, and people have their airplanes parked in their garages of their homes.
And there own little private air strip to take off and land.  All right adjacent to a very busy road...


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## JonDouglas (Mar 13, 2021)

*The Mystery Tower And The Swedish Nightingale*:  This was something unusual that we came across on one of our winter rides - a solitary castle tower or turret sitting on a hill above an abandoned air force base on Cape Cod.  What was it and why was it there?






We learned that the tower was connected to the famous opera singer and "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind (1820-1887).  In 1850, Lind went to America at the invitation of the showman P. T. Barnum and gave 93 large-scale concerts.  One of these was at the Firchburg Railroad Station in Boston, which is where the story began.



> The popular story is that the concert Jenny Lind performed at the depot in Boston was oversold with countless fans being left outside of the auditorium. These fans were understandably angry and were on the verge of causing a riot. In order to quell the masses Lind is purported to have stepped out into one of the two stone towers of the building and sang to the crowd from one of the turrets. This appeased the people and the show would go off without a hitch.


The tower you see above is the very turret from which Lind allegedly sang to the crowd.  Below is a picture of the storied railroad station in Boston before it was torn down.






Many years later, in 1927, the railroad depot was about to be torn down when Boston lawyer Henry Aldrich, an admirer of Lind’s, stepped in. He purchased the tower where the ‘Swedish Nightingale’ had purportedly sung during her 1850 concert. The tower was dismantled brick by brick and moved to property he had purchased in North Truro.  Today, the tower stands next to the abandoned air force base, whose antennae also appears next the tower.  The tower is located at coordinates 42.034672376007954, -70.05528264946412.

Jenny Lind lives on today as part of the Lore of Cape Cod, not to mention a number of other places in the U.S. It would be hard to overstate her popularity back on those days.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 14, 2021)

My youngest son is a toy collector, not as an investment but just to enjoy. This is the family room.


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## Pinky (Mar 14, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> My youngest son is a toy collector, not as an investment but just to enjoy. This is the family room.
> 
> View attachment 154637


This beats my brother's collection!!


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## Murrmurr (Mar 14, 2021)

Pinky said:


> This beats my brother's collection!!


And that's just the family room. There's more in the den, and the garage is lined with one gigantic display case after another. I tried to take more pictures but I'm a crappy photographer...no, wait...my phone has a crappy camera.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 14, 2021)

*A Big Rock Is Not Unusual But This One Has An Unusual History:*






The above outcropping of granite ledge is inscribed with the story of the colonial hostage negotiation and release of Mary White Rowlandson from captivity.  Angered by the spread of colonial settlements,  native chief Metacomet (known to European settlers as King Philip) led the Nipmuc, Narragansett, and Wampanoag in defense of their land. In February 1676, several hundred indigenous peoples attacked Lancaster, MA, and captured Mary White Rowlandson, her three children, and 20 others, and took them into the wilderness for several months. They returned to Lancaster in late April 1676 where, as the inscription says, John Hoar of Concord negotiated Mary’s release at this huge, flat-topped piece of granite ledge.  Thus, it is known as Redemption Rock and is on what was once the mid-state trail at coordinates 42.50659456480648, -71.86983948429713.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 17, 2021)

*A Plaything For Giants*:  I ran across this rather large trebuchet up in NH.  They could toss refrigerators and cars at the castle with this beast.






Although these playthings are not all that unusual (there's several just down the road from us), one this large is quite rare, if not without peer.


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## Sliverfox (Mar 17, 2021)




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## Sliverfox (Mar 17, 2021)

Got  a lot to  learn about posting pictures.

The above  boulder is one of many in the Bear Town Rock's area,, near Cooks Forrest, PA


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## Murrmurr (Mar 17, 2021)

Sliverfox said:


> Got  a lot to  learn about posting pictures.
> 
> The above  boulder is one of many in the Bear Town Rock's area,, near Cooks Forrest, PA


Hard to judge the size but looks like it'd make for a pretty cozy little overnight camp.


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## Sliverfox (Mar 18, 2021)




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## Sliverfox (Mar 18, 2021)

Portville, New York , Spraqes Maple Farm.
Also have free range turkey.
Big  restaurant  in background.


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## JonDouglas (Mar 19, 2021)

*Out Of This World*: Below is a steerable radar antenna that is part of MIT's (Lincoln Laboratory) Haystack Observatory.






What makes this unusual is that it is a 1950s sputnik-era radar that has been totally updated to track space objects in conjunction with two other facilities, ARPA Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar (ALTAIR, in the Marshall Islands) and Globus II (in Norway).  Together they track thousands of objects to monitor the increasingly cluttered geosynchronous orbit to reduce the probability of collisions. The three also monitor satellite and spacecraft launches.  Below is another picture, taken from the parking area by the scatter array facility. 






The Haystack facility is very active in tracking orbital debris and other space factors.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 19, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> *Out Of This World*: Below is a steerable radar antenna that is part of MIT's (Lincoln Laboratory) Haystack Observatory.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm amazed there hasn't been a collision yet (that I know of) what with all the satellites plus debris, not to mention hurtling space rocks. And I've wondered if there's a built in technology that makes satellites collision-proof, and maybe that's what they're using in self-driven automobiles.


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## debodun (Mar 19, 2021)

Cloud formation with a razor-like edge.


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## Sliverfox (Mar 20, 2021)




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## Sliverfox (Mar 20, 2021)

Prize winning wooden truss bridge  out side of Angelica ,NY..

Who knew that prizes were awarded for bridge  building?


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## JonDouglas (Mar 23, 2021)

*Have A Seat*:  

I had ridden by this place numerous times but this time I stopped, which turned out to be both interesting and unusual.






The building was what was left of an old, smaller chair factory in a city that was once the chair making capital of the U.S.  The back half had burned down.  Inside was an older (than me, which made him very old) gentleman who was owner, operator and chair maker of the place.  He had a lot of trouble just getting around but seemed determined to keep the place going.  There was really nothing extraordinary about the chairs made there but he said he sold some every now and then.  Being into woodworking, I asked if he had a pattern lathe.   That question got me somewhat of a rebuke and was told I couldn't see it.  Not wanting to upset the man, I thanked him for his time, wished him well and left.   It has been over 5 years and I haven't been back.  If he's still working, it would be a miracle.


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## charry (Mar 23, 2021)

This is my next town ......


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## JonDouglas (Mar 23, 2021)

charry said:


> This is my next town ......
> 
> View attachment 156146


You certainly don't see something like that every day.   Does that ring thing ascend/descent and/or rotate?


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## charry (Mar 23, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> You certainly don't see something like that every day.   Does that ring thing ascend/descent and/or rotate?


It goes up and down and rotates Jon ......


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## Murrmurr (Mar 23, 2021)

charry said:


> It goes up and down and rotates Jon ......


I'd love to ride up on that thing. Wonder how many flat-earthers have changed their minds up there?


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## Murrmurr (Mar 23, 2021)

An old sequoia in Sequoia National Park in northern California. My lady friend and I went up there this past weekend. This tree's name is General Sherman and it's thought to be the largest single-stem tree on Earth (by volume) and around 2,300 to 2,700 years old. It's 279ft tall.


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## charry (Mar 24, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I'd love to ride up on that thing. Wonder how many flat-earthers have changed their minds up there?


No thanks !!


----------



## Sliverfox (Mar 24, 2021)




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## Sliverfox (Mar 24, 2021)

^^^^ sign says it all.


----------



## -Oy- (Mar 25, 2021)

A photo from a work job today. Royal Court Theatre, Wigan. 
A Victorian theatre, which once hosted a performance by a young Charlie Chaplin.
Wigan's Royal Court Theatre closed in 1974 and was subsequently used as a bingo hall, nightclub and bar.
The Grade II listed building has been purchased by The Old Courts, who intend to convert into a creative hub.


----------



## Jules (Mar 25, 2021)

@Oy. Please post more photos as the work progresses.


----------



## Jules (Mar 25, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Do any of you ladies here have a theory on such behavior?


I don’t know why that lady was there but her shoes weren’t designed for exploring.


----------



## Murrmurr (Mar 28, 2021)

Not taken by me - my toy photographer friend sent me another one; The Punisher.


----------



## jerry old (Mar 28, 2021)

Picture of Invisible Man


----------



## JonDouglas (Mar 29, 2021)

*Grout*:  Something I encountered in the attic of an old carriage house, where I took the picture below.






What you see in that attic room is a 1904 Grout steam automobile.  I suspect very few people know or have ever heard of a Grout, which was manufactured by 3 Grout brothers in Orange, MA, from 1900 to 1912.  They built both gas and steam autos.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Mar 29, 2021)

I was amazed when I saw this at the Hoboken, N.J. waterfront park (on the Hudson). I had never seen a boat spraying water before. This is a screen shot I took from the paused video because SF wouldn't let me upload the video.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Apr 9, 2021)

I've seen pink cars and plenty of limos but never saw anything like this before.


----------



## JonDouglas (Apr 9, 2021)

*There's A Submarine In The Yard!  *Certainly not your everyday sight, it looks like a sub has surfaced in the yard.






That would be the USS Albacore, which can be seen at coordinates 43.082251, -70.766951. The Albacore was a research submarine testing new hull hydrodynamics. It also had unusual and troublesome diesel engines - two stacked radial diesels, made by GM, rather than the usual, inline diesel engines typical of the period (before atomic power).


----------



## dobielvr (Apr 9, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I've seen pink cars and plenty of limos but never saw anything like this before. View attachment 159026


Did it have Mary Kay written on the side of it?     

Mary Kay cosmetics....she buys her top sellers pink caddies.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Apr 10, 2021)

dobielvr said:


> Did it have Mary Kay written on the side of it?
> 
> Mary Kay cosmetics....she buys her top sellers pink caddies.


Actually I looked to see. If it did, I didn't see it.   Most of the pink cars I've seen over the decades were Mary Kay caddies.


----------



## JonDouglas (Apr 11, 2021)

*Not Your Usual Trolley*:   Below is a picture of the 4th of only four ever made - a 1924 Montreal Tramway open-air trolley.






Of the four units, two are in the Canadian Train Museum in Delson Quebec, one is at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME and the 4th is in possession of the CT Trolley Museum in East Windsor, CT.


----------



## Keesha (Apr 11, 2021)

Walking under the CN tower on a foggy evening


----------



## dobielvr (Apr 11, 2021)

I had to look it up...I've never heard of it before.
You're able to go indoors and eat there.  Lots of glass.

Impressive.


----------



## Pinky (Apr 11, 2021)

dobielvr said:


> I had to look it up...I've never heard of it before.
> You're able to go indoors and eat there.  Lots of glass.
> 
> Impressive.


It also has a glass floor area at the top.


----------



## JonDouglas (Apr 30, 2021)

This may be one of the more unusual homes you will drive by.






As often happens, seeing this place turned on my "Who, what, why, when, how?" switch and prompted some investigation.  What I found was that a painting business was listed at this address run by a man with ties to a disbanded hippy commune that had reunion festivals here.  Interesting, indeed.


----------



## Dana (Apr 30, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> This may be one of the more unusual homes you will drive by.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow... looks like something out of a Grimm's fairytale. I love it!


----------



## Mr. Ed (Apr 30, 2021)

twice removed


----------



## Keesha (May 4, 2021)

Taken today.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (May 4, 2021)

When I opened this mini apple pie, I *did not* expect to see a face looking back at me!


----------



## Pappy (May 4, 2021)

My friend Herman comes to visit me under my chair quite often. I don’t bother him and he ignores me:


----------



## Aunt Marg (May 4, 2021)

Pappy said:


> My friend Herman comes to visit me under my chair quite often. I don’t bother him and he ignores me:
> View attachment 163340


Is it a venomous variety, Paps?


----------



## Murrmurr (May 4, 2021)

More toy photography.


----------



## Pappy (May 4, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> Is it a venomous variety, Paps?


No, a good guy. We call them black racers because they are so fast. They eat rodents and bad bugs. Small mouth and not dangerous.


----------



## Pappy (May 4, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> More toy photography.
> 
> View attachment 163342


Oh no, he’s very real murrmurr.


----------



## JonDouglas (May 4, 2021)

Pappy said:


> No, a good guy. We call them black racers because they are so fast. They eat rodents and bad bugs. Small mouth and not dangerous.
> View attachment 163344


Back in the farm country of my youth, we used to love seeing these.  They were great to have around house and farm.


----------



## Aunt Marg (May 4, 2021)

Pappy said:


> No, a good guy. We call them black racers because they are so fast. They eat rodents and bad bugs. Small mouth and not dangerous.
> View attachment 163344


I do find something pretty about some snakes, but I've never been able to feel comfortable around them.

My heart would miss a few beats if I were sitting on your patio and one slithered by.


----------



## Murrmurr (May 4, 2021)

Pappy said:


> No, a good guy. We call them black racers because they are so fast. They eat rodents and bad bugs. Small mouth and not dangerous.
> View attachment 163344


It's pretty.


----------



## Keesha (May 4, 2021)

Except for the initial surprise of seeing a snake, I’m perfectly ok with them.


----------



## fmdog44 (May 4, 2021)

Weird enough for you?


----------



## OneEyedDiva (May 5, 2021)

When my sister and I visited the African American Heritage museum on Atlantic City, there were other types of displays and shops inside the building. This was outside of one of the shops. As you can see, the same character is on the T-shirts. I believe this is a likeness of Ron Ross, the proprietor of the shop. The sculpture is made of cardboard.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (May 5, 2021)

At the shop across from the I posted about above, was a store that sold dolls, books, magazines and an assortment of other items. These guitars were hanging outside. The lady who owns the shop told us that her daughter makes them. The Monopoly guitar is apropos because the Monopoly game is based on streets in Atlantic City.


----------



## Keesha (May 6, 2021)

The other day I showed the ‘shoe tree’ thing from Ontario. Here they have ‘licence plate’ trees.


----------



## CinnamonSugar (May 6, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> When I opened this mini apple pie, I *did not* expect to see a face looking back at me!
> 
> 
> View attachment 163337


And winking at you, @OneEyedDiva hahaha


----------



## JonDouglas (May 7, 2021)

The SIL and I ran across this while exploring a museum's junkyard, which was more interesting than what was in the museum.







Once quite common in the streets of larger cities from the late 1800s to the mid 20th century, these trolley line service cars could be classified as nearly extinct.  This one was out in the back weeds of the CT Trolley Museum in East Windsor, CT.


----------



## Keesha (May 8, 2021)




----------



## CinnamonSugar (May 8, 2021)

Keesha said:


> View attachment 163900


@Keesha is that a very elaborate booby trap or what?  Wow


----------



## dobielvr (May 8, 2021)

Keesha said:


> View attachment 163900


What is that dangling there in the tree?


----------



## Murrmurr (May 8, 2021)

Keesha said:


> View attachment 163900


Kind of a Blair Witch vibe going on there.


----------



## CinnamonSugar (May 8, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Kind of a Blair Witch vibe going on there.


Or Wylie Coyote and Roadrunner. *beep-beep*!!


----------



## Murrmurr (May 8, 2021)

CinnamonSugar said:


> Or Wylie Coyote and Roadrunner. *beep-beep*!!


An ACME product!


----------



## Keesha (May 8, 2021)

CinnamonSugar said:


> @Keesha is that a very elaborate booby trap or what?  Wow





dobielvr said:


> What is that dangling there in the tree?





Murrmurr said:


> Kind of a Blair Witch vibe going on there.


I don’t know what it is but it’s near or in Indian territory so I think it has some type of meaning and it certainly fit the thread description.


----------



## JonDouglas (May 8, 2021)

Keesha said:


> I don’t know what it is but it’s near or in Indian territory so I think it has some type of meaning and it certainly fit the thread description.


That thing you posted is one of the better mysteries.  It's a good thing I don't live up in your neck of the woods or I'd be spending way too much time trying to learn what it was.


----------



## Keesha (May 8, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> That thing you posted is one of the better mysteries.  It's a good thing I don't live up in your neck of the woods or I'd be spending way too much time trying to learn what it was.


Yes indeed and I am the inquisitive type.


----------



## jerry old (May 8, 2021)

Keesha said:


> I don’t know what it is but it’s near or in Indian territory so I think it has some type of meaning and it certainly fit the thread description.


Certainly does


----------



## JonDouglas (May 9, 2021)

*Brothel Built Seminary*: It is not the building below that is unusual. It is the people and story behind it that is somewhat uncommon. We were happily motoring through NH when the words "That sure is a creepy looking place" came through the helmet headset.  Of course, those are code words for "Lets pull in there and get some pics of the place" and we did just that.  The building was the 1883 Sanborn Seminary.







The architecture certainly had that creepy-gothic look to it; however, it turns out that its builder, Edward S Sanborn,  had a creepy-gothic mien about him also.  It seems the seminary was built to fortify his legacy as an upstanding, church-going, model citizen of Kingston, NH.   That image was only half the story.

Born in 1818 to a prominent Kingston family, Edward left for Boston sometime around 1848 to make his fortune.  It was in Boston that he discovered a liking for ladies of the evening.  With an inheritance from his father, he teamed up with a group of women to open a house of ill-repute in Boston's west end.  He apparently liked the brothel business so much that he opened more.

Around 1868, Sanborn met ninteen year old Miss Julia Hilton from Maine and made her his housemaid.  In reality, Miss Julia was his mistress and eventual manager of his brothels.






Sometime around 1880, Sanborn began to worry about how he would be remembered.  He considered leaving money to Dartmouth College but instead decided to build a grand seminary school in Kingston. 

Julia Hilton died in April 1885 around the time the Seminary was built but not opened. Her death left Sanborn devastated. He took sick, apparently never recovered and died the following August 4, his body having been found in a warehouse.

After his death, Sanborn's secret life was revealed and the press referred to him as a moral leper and a degraded miser.  This is when the shit hit the fan and a legal battle royal ensued with the Hilton family, Sanborn family, Dartmouth College and the State or NH regarding Hilton's and Sanborn's wills.  Despite family attempts to show that one or both were not of sound mind, both wills held, the seminary got funded and opened in 1888.  It closed in 1966


----------



## Keesha (May 9, 2021)

Cows crossing


----------



## Keesha (May 9, 2021)

Adorable or what? You’d stop.... right?


----------



## JonDouglas (May 9, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Adorable or what? You’d stop.... right?
> View attachment 164112


Well, possibly, given that I did stop once to get a picture of some bovine ilk who was giving me stink eye that suggested I get my motorcycle off her turf.  So, I did.


----------



## Keesha (May 9, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Well, possibly, given that I did stop once to get a picture of some bovine ilk who was giving me the stink eye that suggested I get my motorcycle off her turf.  So, I did.


The reason why I stopped to take a picture of these cows was because the ‘cow crossing’ sign was due to them. They graze in front of somebody’s house which is close to the road so a ‘watch for cows’ sign was put up. I find that unique.


----------



## JonDouglas (May 9, 2021)

Keesha said:


> The reason why I stopped to take a picture of these cows was because the ‘cow crossing’ sign was due to them. They graze in front of somebody’s house which is close to the road so a ‘watch for cows’ sign was put up. I find that unique.


Well, that makes sense.  Although there are cows to be seen in field here, you'll not likely find a cow sign.  You will, however, find moose signs but probably never see a moose, as they tend to show up in people's back yards rather than by where the signs are.


----------



## hollydolly (May 12, 2021)

This is London Kings X station.... we were sitting at a window seat at the upper  indoor cafe... looking down at the stationary trains waiting to leave...  on each side of the tracks..

As you can see my coffee cup is reflected ( as is my husbands arm on the opposite side of the table)... into the train...


----------



## Keesha (May 22, 2021)

TINY Starfish attached itself to hat


----------



## Keesha (May 25, 2021)

Some people raise chickens for eggs
Some people have guinea foul for eggs
These found at side of road . They are very verbal. It’s not a great photo. It’s merely something strange and unusual


----------



## OneEyedDiva (May 25, 2021)

A cute little (what I call) half a car.  LOL  It was orange so I *had* to photograph it. This was taken in Bermuda.


----------



## Keesha (May 25, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> A cute little (what I call) half a car.  LOL  It was orange so I had to photograph it. This was taken in Bermuda.
> View attachment 166549


VERY cute. I like cute. It looks like fun too.


----------



## Keesha (May 25, 2021)

A tiny Salamander my husband found while we were out gardening today. It’s so cute.


----------



## RadishRose (May 25, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Some people raise chickens for eggs
> Some people have guinea foul for eggs
> These found at side of road . They are very verbal. It’s not a great photo. It’s merely something strange and unusual
> View attachment 166542


A wild turkey?


----------



## Keesha (May 25, 2021)

RadishRose said:


> A wild turkey?


It’s a guinea foul. We didn’t know what it was and had to look it up. We’ve seen plenty of wild turkeys so knew that wasn’t it but a guinea foul I would not have guessed. They have the strangest sound ever.


----------



## Keesha (May 26, 2021)

A jelly fish


----------



## Murrmurr (May 28, 2021)

Lion-O! (from ThunderCats)
This is another photo done by my toy-photographer friend.


----------



## JonDouglas (Jun 4, 2021)

*These Are Getting Scarce*:   That would be those Indian/Native American gift shops along major highways.  Also known as tourist traps, these kinds of places proliferated along busy highways following WWII.   Below is one of the few left in this area and, surprise, it was open for business when I rode by some days ago. 






I don't know the history of this place but did learn the Indian statue was placed there in 1974.  I suspect the shop existed well before that and has changed its name many times, most recently to be "culturally sensitive". The shop is located at coordinates 42.620752, -72.750851.


----------



## Murrmurr (Jun 4, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> *These Are Getting Scarce*:   That would be those Indian/Native American gift shops along major highways.  Also known as tourist traps, these kinds of places proliferated along busy highways following WWII.   Below is one of the few left in this area and, surprise, it was open for business when I rode by some days ago.
> 
> 
> I don't know the history of this place but did learn the Indian statue was placed there in 1974.  I suspect the shop existed well before that and has changed its name many times, most recently to be "culturally sensitive". The shop is located at coordinates 42.620752, -72.750851.


Those look like tin signs all around the upper front. You don't see those much, either. Not on many stores, anyway. People collect them. I like the way they've scattered them at various angles.


----------



## hollydolly (Jun 4, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> A cute little (what I call) half a car.  LOL  It was orange so I *had* to photograph it. This was taken in Bermuda.
> View attachment 166549


WE have those here.. ( smart cars)...  people use them to drive around town cuz you can park them front end in to a little parking space....

You couldn't pay me to get into one on a busy road, there's nothing to stop you getting crushed if you drive  into a feather..


----------



## hollydolly (Jun 4, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> *These Are Getting Scarce*:   That would be those Indian/Native American gift shops along major highways.  Also known as tourist traps, these kinds of places proliferated along busy highways following WWII.   Below is one of the few left in this area and, surprise, it was open for business when I rode by some days ago.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


just a question jon..I've noticed in many of your pics the sky is Turquoise.. any idea why , I've never seen turquoise skies before...


----------



## Pappy (Jun 4, 2021)




----------



## JonDouglas (Jun 4, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> just a question jon..I've noticed in many of your pics the sky is Turquoise.. any idea why , I've never seen turquoise skies before...


Skies are seldom pure blue due to haze, ground surface reflections in the air's water vapor or other factors.  When you see a pure blue sky in a picture, there's a good chance the camera had a polarizing filter or the the color was pushed in some post process.  In my area, there are so many trees that you're more likely to get some green reflected back into the atmosphere (a bit like a mirage).   Sky color  results from sunlight, whose waves are scattered by the makeup of our atmosphere.  Air molecules and particles scatter the light waves.  Being a shorter wavelength, blue scatters more giving the sky its blue tint.  Of course blue isn't the only wavelength being scattered.  You must remember that the sun's blue waves are very close to turquoise and it doesn't take much to affect a shift in that direction, depending on the scattering.    





For a better, more informed discussion on this, see Rayleigh Scattering, named after British physicist Lord Rayleigh. Another factor is a person's color perception, which can vary greatly. There are a good number of factors at play in the color that shows up in a photo.


----------



## hollydolly (Jun 4, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Skies are seldom pure blue due to haze, ground surface reflections in the air's water vapor or other factors.  When you see a pure blue sky in a picture, there's a good chance the camera had a polarizing filter or the the color was pushed in some post process.  In my area, there are so many trees that you're more likely to get some green reflected back into the atmosphere (a bit like a mirage).   Sky color  results from sunlight, whose waves are scattered by the makeup of our atmosphere.  Air molecules and particles scatter the light waves.  Being a shorter wavelength, blue scatters more giving the sky its blue tint.  Of course blue isn't the only wavelength being scattered.  You must remember that the sun's blue waves are very close to turquoise and it doesn't take much to affect a shift in that direction, depending on the scattering.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


thanks for that info jon.. as you know I take a LOT of landscape  photographs but I don't ever edit them ( except maybe brightness etc)... and my skies despite taking the photos over grass or seas or even in the skies themselves , have never had that turquoise hue..so I  was  fascinated to learn about yours


----------



## Keesha (Jun 5, 2021)




----------



## JonDouglas (Jun 16, 2021)

Seen while rummaging around in an old carriage house - a 1910 Metz automobile.  







Metz autos were produced between 1908 and 1922 in Waltham, MA.


----------



## katlupe (Jun 16, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Some people raise chickens for eggs
> Some people have guinea foul for eggs
> These found at side of road . They are very verbal. It’s not a great photo. It’s merely something strange and unusual
> View attachment 166542


I had friends who raised them and they are really good for keeping the bugs (including ticks and fleas) down in your yard. But they will chase off your visitors too. like a watch dog. I always thought they were cool birds.


----------



## Keesha (Jun 17, 2021)

katlupe said:


> I had friends who raised them and they are really good for keeping the bugs (including ticks and fleas) down in your yard. But they will chase off your visitors too. like a watch dog. I always thought they were cool birds.


That’s interesting about them eating ticks and fleas. Possums are good for that also. The fact that they make GREAT watch dogs was the biggest surprise. That’s how this guy was found   OR should I say how WE were found.


----------



## -Oy- (Jun 17, 2021)

A Cowdog I met in Southport.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Jun 18, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> WE have those here.. ( smart cars)...  people use them to drive around town cuz you can park them front end in to a little parking space....
> 
> You couldn't pay me to get into one on a busy road, there's nothing to stop you getting crushed if you drive  into a feather..


Couldn't pay me either HD. The thing is so small, I bypassed this front view of it in my photos.  LOL


----------



## hollydolly (Jun 18, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> Couldn't pay me either HD. The thing is so small, I bypassed this front view of it in my photos.  LOL View attachment 169741


they're seriously terrifying things to ride in. well for me at least.. but people use them here to just ride around town... I 'd be scared  to ride in one on the motorway..


----------



## CinnamonSugar (Jun 18, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> Couldn't pay me either HD. The thing is so small, I bypassed this front view of it in my photos.  LOL View attachment 169741


That's not a car you get into, that's a form of propulsion you put on like a coat!


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Jun 18, 2021)

I saw this when we came out of Costco and had to take a picture. It is sharp! I had seen someone sitting in a parked blue one but didn't see it from the front.  My grandson just sent me a picture of one in metallic green which is also sharp but nothing stands out like this orange and black.


----------



## -Oy- (Jun 18, 2021)

I have NO idea what that is ^^^^^. But I want one!!!!


----------



## -Oy- (Jun 18, 2021)

Found it!

https://slingshot.polaris.com/en-us/


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Jun 18, 2021)

-Oy- said:


> Found it!
> 
> https://slingshot.polaris.com/en-us/


YESSS! Thank you Oy! My grandson had told me the name of it but I forgot. If I still drove, I'd want one too. The green one seemed to have top that was partially down but i can't figure out where it goes when it's down.  One of their slogans...ain't *that* the truth!
_IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE_​_From the minute you lay eyes on it, to the second you step into the cockpit, you make the decision to stand out. Get ready for double takes as you show up in style. _
_SLINGSHOT EFFECT_


----------



## JonDouglas (Jun 19, 2021)

CinnamonSugar said:


> That's not a car you get into, that's a form of propulsion you put on like a coat!


Speaking of wearable propulsion -   






Apologies to those who've seen this before.


----------



## Keesha (Jun 20, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> Couldn't pay me either HD. The thing is so small, I bypassed this front view of it in my photos.  LOL View attachment 169741


It looks like a lawn tractor with another piece added above. ‍


----------



## Paco Dennis (Jun 20, 2021)




----------



## Granny B. (Jun 20, 2021)

I thought this old rotting oak stump on my property looked pretty interesting.



So I took a little piece and cleaned it up.  Reminds me of an ancient city.


----------



## dobielvr (Jun 20, 2021)

Granny B. said:


> I thought this old rotting oak stump on my property looked pretty interesting.
> 
> View attachment 170105
> 
> ...


It certainly has a story to tell....


----------



## JonDouglas (Jun 20, 2021)

Not knowing whether to post this pic with history, trains or whatever threads, the subject is unusual and perhaps strange for this day and age. Such structures were common, though, when I was a wee lad.






This is one of the last coaling towers in the area that I know of.  I took a photo of it on an adventure ride some years back and am thinking it would make a good subject for a drone pic.  A little farther back is another relic of the steam era - the remains of an old roundhouse.  Coming across this was high adventure for this old time rider.


----------



## Marie5656 (Jun 20, 2021)

Many years ago we had Horses on Parade in Rochester, NY.  This lovely couple were found in front of a local jewelry store.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Jun 20, 2021)

I took this in one of the Virginia Beach aquarium hallways a few years back. It really caught my eye.


----------



## JonDouglas (Jun 26, 2021)

Well, it's a trolly, by golly and it is not every day that you find one laying around in the sticks.  Having gone up this road, this and several other old cars were found that had been completely trashed.






Down for a look in the window:





Would you believe this is supposed to be a trolley museum?  Perhaps these are junk laying around to be scavenged for parts.


----------



## Aunt Marg (Jun 26, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Well, it's a trolly, by golly and it is not every day that you find one laying around in the sticks.  Having gone up this road, this and several other old cars were found that had been completely trashed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If only this old trolley could talk, what a story it could tell.

I am particularly taken by the colour of the seat backs, because as a young child the city buses my mom and I would ride to town had seat backs the exact same colour, only not in fiberglass or whatever the material is that's showing in the picture, so this really takes me back. Same for the chrome seat supports and framing. Exactly the same.

As I'm sitting here right now looking at the inside of this trolley, I can hear the air brakes on the city bus with every stop and start, the engine winding up and winding down, the heavy side sway when rounding corners, and how I'd reach up and give a little tug on the thin rope that ran the span of the bus, which when pulled, caused an audible ding, signifying to the bud driver that a passenger was getting off at the next stop.

I'll never find the understanding for the damage shown. Even from the time I was young I never understood why people think they have the right to go about damaging property and things, just because something or another has been left out in a field or place and deemed as junk or forgotten about.

Even though the picture is of a trolley, this has been such a wonderful walk down memory lane.

Thank you for posting, Jon.


----------



## dobielvr (Jun 26, 2021)

I'm surprised no one has come a long to refurbish/rebuild it, and turn it in to some kind of movable home.

People seem to be doing that these days.


----------



## Keesha (Jun 26, 2021)

The new bird @ our feeder


----------



## Leonie (Jun 26, 2021)

My son and daughter-in-law's wedding cake.  They are horror fans; it was a themed wedding.


----------



## Paco Dennis (Jun 29, 2021)

Just next to Katy Trail mid-Missouri near the Missouri river. The trail was made on top of a railroad track. An old depot? A hermit's cave?


----------



## JonDouglas (Jun 29, 2021)

Paco Dennis said:


> View attachment 171522
> 
> Just next to Katy Trail mid-Missouri near the Missouri river. The trail was made on top of a railroad track. An old depot? A hermit's cave?


I believe that was built as a place where railroad workers stored explosives.


----------



## DaveA (Jun 29, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> I suspect there are few places in the world where you see 4 giant frogs as adornments on bridge pillars and where those pillars are giant spools of thread.  Such, though, is what's found on a bridge in Willimantic, CT.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Been over this bridge, Jon.  Our son and his family live nearby in Colchester and we've spent quite a bit of time in southeastern Conn.


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## Meanderer (Jun 29, 2021)

*Giant Frogs in Willimantic* 

"The story behind the giant frogs on the bridge: In the mid-1700s, local Windham-ites were awakened by a horrible flood of noises, a sort of bellowing and shrieking that seemed to come directly from above. The townspeople were terrified. This was during the French and Indian War, and many of the able-bodied men were up north engaged in battles. Many of those who remained in town thought the hideous noises were the war-whoops of local Indian tribes preparing to overrun the village, raping and killing everyone in sight. Others took a more spiritual tack, convincing themselves the horrible noises were from heaven and judgement day was at hand. Townspeople ran out of their homes (in various stages of undress) alternately shooting up into the air at an unseen enemy or falling to their knees in fervent prayer".

(Continue)


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## JonDouglas (Jun 30, 2021)

*A Strange Old Mill*: There is something unusual about this old mill building.






What's strange is the mill tower.  Most old mills have a tower with a clock in them.  This one has no clock and looks more like a huge, tall, barn cupola rather than a mill tower.  Posted as private property, I did not intrude.  Rather, I went across the street and launched the drone for a better look.






There was nothing new to see from roof level other than what looked like concrete boxes laying all over the property.  A little research showed a Doody Burual Vault Co. was or had been at this location.  If the business has  not gone under like so many others, I will go up and ask about the tower and seek permission to launch the drone on their property. The urge to say, "Howdy" will be strong but I will resist, however difficult it may be.


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## Keesha (Jul 2, 2021)

A huge tree carving we found yesterday while walking through the forest.


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## Sliverfox (Jul 6, 2021)

Unusal mail box  holder  in Colorado.
Notice  the made in Michigan on tractor


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## JonDouglas (Jul 7, 2021)

*When A Mansion Becomes A Music School*:  Sometime In the mid 1800s, the Reverend Nathaniel E. Thayer’s wealthy sons constructed a palatial Victorian mansion on family property in Lancaster, Massachusetts.  It supposedly had largest formal hall and staircase in all of New England.  Around 1902, architect Ogden Codman (designer of the famed "Breakers" in Newport)  redesigned the house in the Georgian Revival style.  I posed the redhead in front of the place last year.






In 1942, the now-defunct Atlantic Union College bought the building and it served in various capacities until 1972 when it essentially became the college's music department.  In 2018, after Atlantic Union College closed, the Youth Ensemble of New England, a non-profit organization, began leasing the Thayer Mansion and running it as a school of music.  Today, I stopped by the mansion and took some aerial photos.  Below is one






I don't know how many mansions have gone from manse to college building to music department to private, non-profit music school but it can't be many.


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2021)

This donkey just wandered onto my daughters' land on the mountain at 6am one chilly  morning.. she'd just got up, and had gone out to feed the dogs in the kennels, and she spotted her friendly visitor standing by her pool.. , she was used to wild horses traipsing through her land, and goats, but the donkey was a new one...


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## charry (Jul 10, 2021)




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## JonDouglas (Jul 16, 2021)

Here's something that hasn't been seen much since the early 1900s - an Autoped.






This is a 1915-era, fold-up, gasoline powered scooter that I photographed in the basement of a (deceased) wealthy couple's carriage house.  Autopeds were built from 1915 to 1922 by the Autoped Company of Long Island City, NY.   Some period advertising of this scoot would suggest it was sold to and used by women of means and spirit.  Indeed, one such woman was Isabel Anderson, who owned the above scooter and was a total, adventurous gearhead (that's a compliment, ladies).  Below is a painting of said adventuress and a photo of some woman riding an Autoped.









If  you didn't know this before, you do now - scooters, including powered ones, are not a new thing.  Oh, and women who ride them (or motorcycles) are cool like their scoots.


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## hollydolly (Jul 17, 2021)

I took this picture a few hours ago of a Dragonfly which landed on a seat opposite us and was almost camouflaged into the greenery... I couldn't get too close lest he fly away,so I had to stretch over the table.. but I think I did a pretty good job without even using any zoom...


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## JonDouglas (Jul 18, 2021)

*Clyde*:   How often do you see a 12 ft. hobby horse like this?






This horse is named "Clyde" and is located at coordinates 42.681904, -72.0533.  The genesis of this horse goes back to the sick daughter of collar box maker Morton Converse.  To make his daughter feel better, Converse made her a tea set from a collar box.  Workers at his factory liked it so much they made them for their children and thus, a toy factory was born that became one of the world's largest at the time, employing nearly 1,000 workers.  In 1914, Converse made a large replica of his most popular product (rocking horses) for the town's 150th anniversary.  That was Clyde I, which eventually fell apart over the  years, as did Clyde II.  Clyde III, shown above, was built on the original base but made of fiberglass constructed to the shape of the original Clyde.  As for the toy company, Converse's playboy son wanted his money, not the company, and sold it in 1934 after Morton died.  Today there are no more toy companies in that town.


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## hollydolly (Jul 19, 2021)

This isn't unusual per se... but it has an unusual name...

This pretty lilac wildflower growing in our meadows.. is known as Sheeps Bit....


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## JonDouglas (Jul 20, 2021)

You don't need to be told what the strange thing is.






This is the 1700s bedroom of the Willard family. It was commonplace back then.


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## hollydolly (Jul 20, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> You don't need to be told what the strange thing is.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I don't believe they had foldup chairs in the 18th century....that's _very_ unusual...


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## JonDouglas (Jul 20, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> I don't believe they had foldup chairs in the 18th century....that's _very_ unusual...


I was led to believe they were a not-uncommon fixture in the smaller room homes of the period.


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## Sliverfox (Jul 20, 2021)

Snapped this  as we drove by it.


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## Kadee (Jul 20, 2021)

Hubby took this photo in Woomera  , South Australia in 2005.

A link / Info about woomera which was once a NO ENTRY town unless you lived there
within the fenced area . I’m not sure when it was was opened up to the public to freely visit woomera  let alone take photos  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera,_South_Australia


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## feywon (Jul 25, 2021)

i take a lot of different kinds of photos, Nature, our furry family members, the sky all hours of day and night. When i first got a digital cameral i noticed that 'light artifacts seemed more common with it. So i even experimented with making them part of photos. But this one had me stumped.  i was leaning against the side of my then home on north end of  Laramie, WY to keep steady while taking shots of the moon (had way too many that were squiggly lines or multiple orbs overlapping. But this one, i can't figure how the arc could be so smooth, i certainly could never replicate the effect despite trying to do so:


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## hollydolly (Jul 26, 2021)

My daughter used to host a weekend radio chat show in Spain, and most weekends she would take one of her dogs with her to the studio...  this is our beloved Miniature labradoodle, he's 12...


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## JonDouglas (Jul 27, 2021)

*Want A College?* There's one for sale that's been closed and mostly abandoned for several years now. I went on campus and took several aerial pictures, two of which are below.






As  you can see, the grounds and buildings appear to be well maintained.  I believe I once read that it could be yours for the paltry sum of $10 Million. 





It's not that often that you see an entire college for sale.


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## hollydolly (Jul 28, 2021)

Good lord if that was here with all that space it would have been built on and have 50,000 people living on it in 10 storey flats!!..and they'd have called it a new town...


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## JonDouglas (Jul 31, 2021)

Building a set of towers to honor your father's childhood friend is not something common.  Below is the remaining tower built by Stephen Salisbury III in 1900 to honor George Bancroft. 







George Bancroft was a politician, historian, educator and statesman.  As Secretary of the Navy, Bancroft established the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. MD.  The tower is located at coordinates 42.276492, -71.815924.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jul 31, 2021)

These pictures were taken at the Hoboken (N.J.) waterfront park and were taken about 3 - 4 seconds apart. The first one was to my right in the direction of the park entrance. I was standing in the exact same spot when I took the next picture but facing slightly left. Puts a whole new spin on the term "partly cloudy".


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## JonDouglas (Aug 6, 2021)

I didn't know where to put this, thinking it wasn't really all that strange but perhaps a little unusual and certainly somewhat different  Anyway, 4 years ago this month, I went to the Hallmark Institute of Photography. . . . .







. . . . and it was closed, defunct and abandoned.  None of that Hallmark love, romance or photo-know-how was there.  To be honest, I already knew the place was closed but wanted to show up on the front door and get a pic before the building was sold and the name changed.  You would have to think that a for-profit school wouldn't get too far using the Hallmark name.  Future images of the Hallmark Institute of Photography will likely be quite rare.


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## Murrmurr (Aug 20, 2021)

My son built an adult pedal car from an old Studebaker.
Here, he's taking it to a car show.


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## katlupe (Aug 22, 2021)

This is probably not unusual or strange but I couldn't decide where to stick it. So here it is!

This is the site of the Civilian Conservation Corp in the McDonough State Park near here. It was opened for 8 years and more than 1500 hundred men passed through the camps replanting the trees that had been taken out in previous years for agriculture. They also reconstructed ponds, bridges and other things. This one was active until 1941. This is all that is left.


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## Sliverfox (Aug 23, 2021)

The Logging Museum in Potter county Pa,, has a reconstructed  cabin  like the CCC used.

We went  to the museum in the Winter , few years ago.
Cold day,, very few folks  out & about,, could take our time looking.

For anyone  wanting more information  they have a web site.


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## Sliverfox (Aug 23, 2021)




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## Tish (Aug 23, 2021)

*A frozen spider.*


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## OneEyedDiva (Aug 23, 2021)

This was taken in the lobby of the Marriott in Washington DC. These wooden designs were stunning to see in person.


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## hollydolly (Aug 25, 2021)

I took this picture some years ago  in a street in East London..


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## hollydolly (Aug 25, 2021)

A picture I took  looking into the window of a fancy shoe shop where the shoes are not only alternative but hand-made


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## hollydolly (Aug 29, 2021)

This is a picture I took,  looking out to the tiny hamlet  street  and  the opposite houses, from the dining table in the Bay window of the 200 year old village pub...still got most of it's original features...The Ewer/Pitcher on the windowsill is an antique...


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## Lethe200 (Sep 3, 2021)

For a while we were buying crystal and mineral specimens. Stopped a while ago, but still have most of them. 

Fluorite is beautiful in the daylight.....


but on a lightbox it can be absolutely amazing!


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## hollydolly (Sep 6, 2021)

Taken in Spain and framed by me


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## Murrmurr (Sep 6, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Taken in Spain and framed by me


Somebody hand me a BB gun!


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## hollydolly (Sep 13, 2021)

The window of a tourist shop in the back streets of Sevillle Spain...


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## Murrmurr (Sep 13, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> The window of a tourist shop in the back streets of Sevillle Spain...


Who's the figure with the spear wearing nothing but hair? I'm guessing he's a saint or something, so it's sad to say he's kind of comical looking.


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## CinnamonSugar (Sep 13, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> The window of a tourist shop in the back streets of Sevillle Spain...


FAN-tastic !


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## hollydolly (Sep 13, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Who's the figure with the spear wearing nothing but hair? I'm guessing he's a saint or something, so it's sad to say he's kind of comical looking.


Haven't got a clue... the Spanish love to put stuff like that on gravestones and shrines...


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## Murrmurr (Sep 27, 2021)

My son's blue Studebaker got to be in the main line-up at a car show yesterday. It's an adult pedal-car. He cut an old Studebaker in half to build the body. It's foot-powered but he's also got an electric engine in it, for the inclines.



I dig these ones, too:


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## hollydolly (Oct 1, 2021)

An old  film lot.. in Spain where they used to make Spaghetti westerns


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## hollydolly (Oct 1, 2021)




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## Pappy (Sep 24, 2022)




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## NorthernLight (Sep 24, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> Who's the figure with the spear wearing nothing but hair? I'm guessing he's a saint or something, so it's sad to say he's kind of comical looking.


Probably baby Jesus.
https://www.vox.com/2015/7/8/8908825/ugly-medieval-babies


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## hollydolly (Sep 24, 2022)

The traditional sweet shop in  the nearby town..


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## hollydolly (Sep 24, 2022)

A Banyan tree's Giant roots.. in the middle of Alicante City Spain..


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## JaniceM (Sep 24, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> The traditional sweet shop in  the nearby town..


Oooooh, look at all that candy!!!


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## hollydolly (Sep 24, 2022)

JaniceM said:


> Oooooh, look at all that candy!!!


LOL..that's only half of what's in that shop.. I have more photos of the rest of the small shop,I'll be beggared if I can find them tho'..


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## MarkinPhx (Sep 24, 2022)

This is a memorial in Anthem, Arizona in honor of Veterans Day. Each pillar represents a branch of the military and on November 11 at 11:11 am the sun shines through the pillars and the light from the sun shines on the great seal on the ground.


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## MarkinPhx (Sep 24, 2022)

This is a picture I took about ten years ago of my dad's hometown in Clifton Texas. I suppose there is nothing interesting or unusual about it to many but I can't even begin to imagine what it was like growing up in such a small town. Always reminded me of the movie The Last Picture Show whenever we visited there.


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## hollydolly (Sep 24, 2022)

Our Iconic red phone boxes are no longer housing phones.. Instead they've been sold off to any individual who wants them or changed into something more useful.. ie housing a defibrillator .. or in some of our little hamlets housing a tiny library...


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## Murrmurr (Sep 24, 2022)

NorthernLight said:


> Probably baby Jesus.
> https://www.vox.com/2015/7/8/8908825/ugly-medieval-babies
> View attachment 241089


I don't think Jesus would be depicted carrying a weapon, though. Granted, there is an iconic connection bx Jesus and a spear, but I thought maybe that doll is supposed to be St. George, except I don't think I've ever seen him depicted nude.


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## NorthernLight (Sep 24, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> I don't think Jesus would be depicted carrying a weapon, though. Granted, there is an iconic connection bx Jesus and a spear, but I thought maybe that doll is supposed to be St. George, except I don't think I've ever seen him depicted nude.


Look again; it’s a cross. You can google "baby Jesus Spain nude" for similar images.

(I have no horse in this race . I just like useless facts.)


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## Murrmurr (Sep 24, 2022)

NorthernLight said:


> Look again; it’s a cross. You can google "baby Jesus Spain nude" for similar images.
> 
> (I have no horse in this race . I just like useless facts.)


Oh, okay. Well no wonder I was puzzled.


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## hollydolly (Sep 24, 2022)

This is  a picture of the Original 45 single of  Happy Xmas war is Over by John & Yoko / The Plastic Ono Band.. which I bought in December 1971  and still have today...51 years later..


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## hollydolly (Sep 25, 2022)

Not sure if anyone would class this as Odd.. but to me it's a little different.  I took this picture many years ago, at night of the pillar box ( Postbox).. in the dark at the entrance to the alley where the Post Office one stood . To this day it remains the clearest picture I've ever taken in the dark..


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## Murrmurr (Nov 13, 2022)

Repeating my disclaimer: This photo was not taken by me; I have no such luck with cameras.

Taken by my sons' nearly life-long friend who spent as much time at our house as his, still calls me Dad, and whose hobby is toy photography....


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## hollydolly (Nov 23, 2022)

It gets dark here at 4pm now, so it gives me a chance to try out my new upgraded Iphone on night shots.. my last iphone X didn't do well with those..

Night shot at the Marina here in town..


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## hollydolly (Nov 23, 2022)

The bridge at the small   town park ..I've posted lots of pics of this in the daytime ...


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## Blessed (Nov 23, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> The bridge at the small   town park ..I've posted lots of pics of this in the daytime ...


Love, Love Love. and by the way I love your new avatar pic as well!


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## hollydolly (Nov 23, 2022)

Blessed said:


> Love, Love Love. and by the way I love your new avatar pic as well!


thank you muchly.. it's an old avatar picture btw.. been here before, but you may not have seen it before...thanks for liking my picture, I'm chuffed with it myself , so much better than my last iphone


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## Marie5656 (Nov 23, 2022)

*We had a summer of Horses on Parade in Rochester.  This couple was in sponsored by a jewelry store

*


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## OneEyedDiva (Nov 23, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> Not sure if anyone would class this as Odd.. but to me it's a little different.  I took this picture many years ago, at night of the pillar box ( Postbox).. in the dark at the entrance to the alley where the Post Office one stood . To this day it remains the clearest picture I've ever taken in the dark..


I like it because it's orange, it certainly is a very clear shot and reminds me of something that would be used in a movie scene. Great shot HD. The train by the lake with trees is nice too.


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## Gary O' (Nov 23, 2022)

Gary O' said:


> While living at our mountain cabin, most evenings I'd step out just to view the night sky
> 
> Sometimes taking the Nikon
> 
> ...


That was a few years back
I still get a bit creeped out seeing this

I dubbed it* Night Vision

*


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## OneEyedDiva (Nov 23, 2022)

Gary O' said:


> That was a few years back
> I still get a bit creeped out seeing this
> 
> I dubbed it* Night Vision
> ...


Ominous but awesome Gary!


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## Murrmurr (Nov 23, 2022)

More toy photography by Will, my "son from some other parents." (my kids' life-long friend)

And, yeah, believe it or not, this is a toy motorcycle with a toy replica of actor Jon Bernthol, in character as The Punisher. It fooled _me_ for a long minute.


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## hollydolly (Nov 24, 2022)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I like it because it's orange, it certainly is a very clear shot and reminds me of something that would be used in a movie scene. Great shot HD. The train by the lake with trees is nice too.


thank you Diva,  It's an old photo I took years ago on my little fuji finepix, pre smart phone...,

Train picture by the lake ?..  Did you mean the night picture of the Narrow boats at the canal ?...


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