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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / On the Road and In Your Backyard

On the Road and In Your Backyard

by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)|  August 11, 20175:00 am| 24 Comments

This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

Good Morning All,

This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into their world, whether they’re far away or close to home – pictures with a story, with context, with meaning, sometimes just beauty. By concentrating travel updates and tips here, it’s easier for all of us to keep up or find them later.

So please, speak up and share some of your adventures and travel news here, and submit your pictures using our speedy, secure form. You can submit up to 7 pictures at a time, with an overall description and one for each picture.

You can, of course, send an email with pictures if the form gives you trouble, or if you are trying to submit something special, like a zipped archive or a movie. If your pictures are already hosted online, then please email the links with your descriptions.

For each picture, it’s best to provide your commenter screenname, description, where it was taken, and date. It’s tough to keep everyone’s email address and screenname straight, so don’t assume that I remember it “from last time”. More and more, the first photo before the fold will be from a commenter, so making it easy to locate the screenname when I’ve found a compelling photo is crucial.

Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!

 

A bumper crop today as I try to clean up lots of smaller submissions, then a longer one from Mnemosyne!

 

First up – MOOSE! From Sandia Blanca:

Staying at a lodge in the forest in Haines, Alaska. Last night our daughter had to wait for Mama Moose and her baby to move away from her car before she could drive home. Here they are this morning, right outside the window.
Baby moose, taken on 2017-08-10 in Haines
Could not get a good shot of Mama, but here’s the baby.

I missed this last week when I ran p.a.’s pics of the hawk:

Can’t remember if I included this one in my ‘yahd shots’ submission, so here it is.
8 Spot Forrester Moth
S5 phonecam. The caterpillar feeds on grape leaves.

 

So pretty! I love moths; when living in Colorado, we were inundated twice a year (worse in the spring!) with Miller moths. Imagine a week where every morning, there are moths hiding in every crevice in your car, home, porch, etc. They’re harmless, and only passing through as they migrate from the fields in the plains to the mountains. They spend all summer feasting on wildflowers, etc., then the survivors go back to the plains to lay their eggs in the newly-harvested fields. I found that aggressively jingling keys made them skedaddle – by accident the first time, and my then-truck cab was suddenly filled with a dozen flying, panicked moths. They aren’t nearly as pretty as the one above, but in learning more about them, I saw them less as a pest and more of a wonder.

Next, pictures from valued commenter PlaneCrazy.

Trying out the form getting ready for a big trip next week. I have been reading BJ since John first started realizing that perhaps he wasn’t a modern Republican. I don’t comment much, but I love reading everyone else’s when I get a chance.
Lake Annecy in the French Alps
The beautiful tourist town of Annecy in the French Alps from a trip we took five years ago. Absolutely beautiful.

 

Sidney Opera House

We got the chance to see Cosi Fan Tutte while visiting Sidney. This is the entrance at night

 

I’ve not managed to see opera while traveling overseas, but I did see kabuki twice while visiting Japan (at the great Kabuki house in Tokyo). Should you ever have the chance to see grand opera or kabuki, GO!

 

 

Today, pictures from valued commenter Mnemosyne.

A few photos from our recent trip to Chicago. The first one is of the John Hancock Center from out of the window of our plane. The others are photos in and around the Field Museum. We didn’t have much time for sightseeing on the trip, but ended up having a better time at the Field than we expected.

Chicago Skyline from the Air

Virgin America

A shot of the John Hancock Center and surrounding areas (including Navy Pier).

Tooth and Claw IPA

Field Museum

The Field Museum has a big brewing program with a local brewery, so I made G get one with lunch. He said it was good. We missed the unveiling of their new ancient Chinese beer by one day.

Field Museum Mascots

The new and old-school mascots of the Field Museum: Sue the T-Rex and the Elephants.

View from Museum Steps

Gorgeous view even on a stormy day.

Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Studio

I’ve been visiting Oak Park for 15 years and only just got around to touring the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, which he built early in his career, shortly after his first marriage.

Oak Park House

Oak Park, IL

There are a bunch of Frank Lloyd Wright houses that he built near his home and studio. I’m not sure which one this is, but it’s in the classic Prairie Style.

 

Thank you so much Mnemosyne, do send us more when you can.

 

Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.

 

One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email

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Previous Post: « Friday Morning Open Thread: Because Those Sheets Would Never Be the Same
Next Post: The ACA and personal injury litigation »

Reader Interactions

24Comments

  1. 1.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    August 11, 2017 at 5:12 am

    Mnemosyne, ya know you don’t have to go all the way to Chicagoland to see some FLW houses? We have them right here in LA. And Lloyd Wright houses too.

  2. 2.

    Baud

    August 11, 2017 at 5:12 am

    An eclectic mix today.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 11, 2017 at 5:23 am

    Wi not trei a holiday in Sweeden this yer? See the loveli lakes. The wonderful telephone system. And mani interesting furry animals, Including the majestic moose.

    A moose once bit my sister…

    No realli! She was Karving her initials on the moose with the sharpened end of an interspace toothbrush given her by Svenge – her brother-in-law – an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian movies: “The Hot Hands of an Oslo
    Dentist”, “Fillings of Passion”, “The Huge Molars of Horst Nordfink”…

    Mynd you, moose bites Kan be pretti nasti…

  4. 4.

    Central Planning

    August 11, 2017 at 5:41 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: OzarkHillbilly has been sacked.

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 11, 2017 at 5:57 am

    @Central Planning: The persons who sacked the OzarkHillbilly have just been sacked.

  6. 6.

    Schlemazel

    August 11, 2017 at 6:08 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    The directors of the firm hired to continue the comments after the other people had been sacked, wish it to be known that they have just been sacked.

  7. 7.

    Schlemazel

    August 11, 2017 at 6:12 am

    Love the Fields and visit every time I am in Chicago but the last couple of times we were there the place has been packed to the point of not being enjoyable. OTOH, they did not have special beers (though there were some locals at the food section) that might make it better!

  8. 8.

    Schlemazel

    August 11, 2017 at 6:14 am

    Planecrazy: Thanks for sharing, that village looks pretty interesting.

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 11, 2017 at 6:20 am

    @Schlemazel: Executive Producer JOHN GOLDSTONE & “RALPH” The Wonder Llama Producer MARK FORSTATER Assisted By EARL J. LLAMA MIKE Q. LLAMA III SY LLAMA MERLE Z. LLAMA IX Directed By 40 SPECIALLY TRAINED ECUADORIAN MOUNTAIN LLAMAS 6 VENEZUELAN RED LLAMAS 142 MEXICAN WHOOPING LLAMAS 14 NORTH CHILEAN GUANACOS (CLOSELY RELATED TO THE LLAMA) REG LLAMA OF BRIXTON 76000 BATTERY LLAMAS FROM “LLAMA-FRESH” FARMS LTD. NEAR PARAGUAY and TERRY GILLIAM & TERRY JONES

  10. 10.

    Schlemazel

    August 11, 2017 at 6:25 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    I was with right up till “TERRY GILLIAM & TERRY JONES”, who the heck are they? Compared to Ralph the Wonder Llama that is

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 11, 2017 at 6:29 am

    @Schlemazel: They’re just a couple of hacks who tied their wagons to the Circus coattails.

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 11, 2017 at 6:35 am

    There are a bunch of Frank Lloyd Wright houses that he built near his home and studio. I’m not sure which one this is, but it’s in the classic Prairie Style.

    Pretty sure that’s the Harry Adams house on Augusta Boulevard. One of FLW’s last Oak Park houses, and a beauty it is.

  13. 13.

    JPL

    August 11, 2017 at 6:52 am

    What an amazing collection of pictures. I did google Annecy in order to find out more about the village.

  14. 14.

    bemused

    August 11, 2017 at 6:59 am

    There’s a pic of David and Gladys Wright House living room, Phoenix, in Vanity Fair summer issue. I had an instant visceral dislike of the wavy wood ceiling. My thoughts were it’s heavy, much too heavy and I felt closed in on. It was not a room I would ever want to live in. I thought maybe it was just that photo that repelled me so I checked out other photos of living room and ceiling from different angles. Nope, I still hate that ceiling.

  15. 15.

    rikyrah

    August 11, 2017 at 7:28 am

    Thanks for all the pictures ??

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 11, 2017 at 8:12 am

    @bemused: It probably leaked too.

  17. 17.

    frosty

    August 11, 2017 at 9:44 am

    We started our summer Road Trip last Saturday. No pix worth posting yet. First stop was the Hopewell Culture Natl Historic Site. These were the mound builders of whom we know almost nothing. Historians don’t think they died out, just that the culture faded away and the people became the ancestors of the Shawnee and others.

    Saw Carter Caves after that. Mammoth and some others coming up after we hit the Bourbon Trail today.

  18. 18.

    StringOnAStick

    August 11, 2017 at 10:25 am

    @bemused: Architecture as art can be a funny thing. The “Sleeper House” (featured in the Woody Allen movie of that name) is of that ilk; the floors are all tilted, on purpose. You know, “playing with the dominant paradigm” that people prefer level floors.

    I did an architecture tour in Boulder, CO once which included a triangle house (more 1960’s paradigm subversion). It was like a teepee and was tiny plus you could bang your head on the walls anytime you got within 4′ of the wall base. The worst feature was a side that was a single pane sheet of glass that was stuck directly into the concrete floor with no way to replace the glass without jackhammering out the concrete pad the whole thing was built on. I can’t imagine how cold this thing is in the winter. I guess building codes exist for a reason…

  19. 19.

    Mnemosyne

    August 11, 2017 at 10:54 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Yeah, but these are his early houses, some of which were bootlegs (i.e. houses he did on the sly while he was still working for (I think) Sullivan). I couldn’t get close enough to get a really good angle, but there’s a really funky one that’s a weird combination of Tudor and Prairie that he did.

    Besides, Green & Green houses look better out here.

    @Schlemazel:

    The Field was a little busy, but not crazy packed. I was surprised because it was a very rainy day, so I expected more people to be there. I think we went on a Wednesday.

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    You’re most likely correct. There’s an audio tour you can purchase to take on a walking tour of the neighborhood, but I didn’t do that. The Home and Studio were pretty cool, though.

  20. 20.

    Mnemosyne

    August 11, 2017 at 11:02 am

    @JPL:

    Annecy is the site of a huge animation festival every year. I know people who go to it — it’s basically the Cannes of animation.

    @frosty:

    I remember visiting the Cahokia Mounds when I was in high school. It was a little freaky because they had half-unburied some of the bodies, which made me very conscious of the fact that I was inside someone’s tomb. Very interesting, though.

    @rikyrah:

    I’m just glad the weather cleared up enough at the end of the day that I was able to take some outdoor pictures. We got several flash flood warnings on our phones while we were there. ?

    I had wanted to also check out the new American Writers Museum near the Art Institute, but the weather made us want to stay in one place and there was more than enough to see at the Field. And the Jurassic World stuff was really fun — you should take Peanut if you haven’t yet. It’s mostly animatronics, but really well done.

  21. 21.

    J R in WV

    August 11, 2017 at 12:34 pm

    We visited Fallingwater one February around Valentines day and learned that it wasn’t a house you would want to live in, really. Partly because it was intended to be a showplace summer party house. It’s quite wonderful for what it is. Of course it was rebuilt recently just before it crumbled into the creek over which it hangs, because Frank didn’t build it sturdy enough and the flat roofs leaked.

    Flat roofs are – well just a bad thing. My dad drew their house, it’s very Wrightian, including a multi-level flat roof. Eventually he gave up and put a more traditional peaked shingle roof on it, and complained that it had made the house ordinary the rest of his life. But it didn’t leak once the roofer made a second swing on a valley.

    Even peaked roofs have foibles architects need to think about.

    Our architect talked me into a flat roof, new technology, space-age plastics and adhesives, bla-bla-bla. Nope. First roof was put on by guys who didn’t use space age primer/cleaner when they could get gasoline so much cheaper. GRrr. Current version works OK. Had one leak pop up that was from a bullet hole, no doubt randomly shot into the air across the mountain. Can’t blame Chuck for that.

    Anyway, while preping for our Vlanetine’s trip to Fallingwater (built in the 1930s), I learned that another Wright house was built very nearby in the 1950s, the Kentuck Knob house. Currently owned by some uber-wealthy English Lord who collects architecture, it is mostly open to tours and is quite interesting. I would live in it.

    The wealthy Dairy family who built it were friends of the Kaufmanns who built Fallingwater, and they gave much good advice regarding working with Wright, for one “Tell him your son is a Basketball player nearly 6’10” tall so he will give you at least a 7′ 6″ ceiling” and also “Tell him your budget is half what you afford to spend, so your budget and his budget will come out nearly even!”

    There are no 90 degree corners or angles anywhere in the house, except where the walls meet the ground and in the shower, where the plumber said “I don’t care how much you hate 90s, that’s how plumbing fixtures are manufactured…” But that doesn’t really stand out as you experience the house. They did have to block out much of the skylight into the tiny kitchen, it got way too hot from the energy absorbed into the space. Otherwise very nice.

    Current owner has added a wonderful sculpture garden on the grounds around the house.

    There are many Wright buildings you can arrange to spend the night in, I have thought about that as a theme vacation, but you would spend a lot of time flying around as they are really spread out all over the nation.

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    August 11, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    @J R in WV:

    “Tell him your son is a Basketball player nearly 6’10” tall so he will give you at least a 7′ 6″ ceiling”

    The docent at the Home & Studio told us that all of the ceilings and doorways were low because Wright was only about 5’7″ tall and built things to his own height. ?

    G and I were able to take our wedding pictures on the porch of the Gamble House, which is a beautiful Craftsman mansion built by Greene & Greene, who were architects here in Los Angeles. And I think they were better builders than Wright was, too, because I haven’t heard about persistent issues with their houses.

  23. 23.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)

    August 11, 2017 at 3:22 pm

    @frosty: If you get to Nashville and still want to see distilleries, google Greenbrier Distillery and Corsair Distillery. You can also look into our local microbreweries.

    Also, no matter what the Chamber of Commerce says, eating at the Loveless Motel is not mandatory.

    And after Monday, the Nashville Sounds are playing in Memphis all week, but will have a homestand the week of the eclipse.

  24. 24.

    frosty

    August 11, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    @a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio): Thanks, Corsair was on my list. Just wrapped up Willetts, Maker’s Mark and Limestone Branch today. On to Lexington tomorrow!

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