Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

People are weird.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Let there be snark.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

He really is that stupid.

‘Museums aren’t America’s attic for its racist shit.’

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

The revolution will be supervised.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / On The Road – For Alain – Fly Away Home

On The Road – For Alain – Fly Away Home

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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

From Albatrossity

Alain’s passing leaves a void here, and that void can only partially be filled by words and pictures, even though we try our hardest to find words and pictures that might help. And I have no words better than these.

On The Road - WaterGirl - Test

Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver.

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

~

Love and peace from all of us, Alain.  Fly Away Home!

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home
BIllinGlendaleCA

I’ve submitted around 550 photos to OTR over the past few years, Alain showed the most enthusiasm for my Orion nebula photos (even though my first efforts were not terribly good).  But that showed the encouragement Alain provided in addition to a platform for us as contributors.  Many photographers are not the best at “blowing our own horn” and Alain was there when we didn’t. 

I’m eternally grateful and I think that this photo of the Orion and Running Man nebula is something that he would have enjoyed and I hope that you do as well.  

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 2
Albatrossity

In the introduction to one of my OTR contributions last year, Alain wrote “No, it’s not Friday, but, you know, life is tragically short – Albatrossity Tuesday it is!”

Yes. It is tragically short, and his passing reminded us of that with a jolt. Requiscat in pace, friend. In your memory, here’s a critter that is not a jackal, but is familiar to those who spent time in Colorado, as you did. The clever and indomitable Coyote, pausing just for a brief moment to admire the sunset.

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 3
H. E. Wolf

“Pax” roses and a neighborly cat, in memory of a very kind man.

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 7
Mike in Oly

A photo in memory of Alain. We will all reach the sunset of our lives.  Some will get there with a blaze of light and impact so many. Alain will not be forgotten.

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 5
Ceci n est pas mon

This Studentenkarzer picture was from Heidelberg, Germany.

Sure I have picturesque views of the river and the hills, and quaint local shops, etc. But my favorite memory and picture is the one of the Studentenkarzer, the student prison which the University maintained for centuries until 1914. Students were locked up for misbehavior like drunken vandalism in the town.

The University was founded in 1386.

So for Alain and our fellow jackals, here’s a snapshot of a couple of centuries of graffiti from drunken German students in the lock-up.

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 6
Frank West

Here is a photo I took a couple weeks ago in northern California.  If you look closely, you’ll see a rainbow over the rural road through the rain-spattered windshield.

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 4
arrieve

It’s no exaggeration to say that On the Road helped me get through the worst of the past few years, and I’ll always be grateful to Alain for that. Being able to see such a variety of places, with interesting, thoughtful commentary was a daily reminder that there was still so much beauty in the world despite all the crap, and reading it with my first cup of coffee is a wonderful ritual.

Two of the series of photos I submitted that Alain liked best were from Antarctica and the gorillas in Rwanda. It was hard to choose between them.

On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 22
Kelly

My mushroom hunting is limited to those I can confidently identify: chanterelles and morels. I enjoyed Alain’s mushroom hunting posts and admired his knowledge. Here’s a chanterelle fruiting up thru soft, damp moss. It’s a quiet spot in the Cascade foothills under the unbroken shade of douglass firs.

“Shake the dust off of your wings and the sleep out of your eyes.”

Reader Interactions

78Comments

  1. 1.

    African Wildlife Fund

    What follows next are images from Carol.

    Beyond that are more of the many images and notes that people sent as a tribute to Alain.

    We have left a few placeholders for anything that comes in overnight or early morning, or in case any pictures that were sent in were inadvertently missed.

    By the way, the first few comments have the names of charities that were important to Alain. The names are clickable, for anyone who is so inclined.

  3. 3.

    The Kennedy Center


    PHOTO OF ALAIN AND CAROL

    From Carol:

    This is a good part of the world through my eyes. A kind, passionate, enthusiastic man enjoying nature and technology at the same time. He marveled at just how weird and beautiful nature is, and completely embraced the differences of other cultures as he traveled.

    It just filled him with joy and the need to learn more. He loved life and was lucky to have found this community. He would be thrilled that On The Road will continue, and evolve.

    All of your comments and support have been most comforting to me.

    Thank you.

  6. 6.

    Local Rescue Centers (support one you are famliar with)

    On The Road - Wolvesvalley - Birds 1WATERGIRL

    Fly Away Home, Alain!

    So many tears. I offer a prayer, of sorts, for all who mourn your passing and miss you already: Peace to soothe you, grace to hold you, love to comfort you.

  7. 7.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 18SATBY

    From Alain’s comments on my Elephant Project submission:  ”My mother had a deep affection and sincere love for elephants, and because of that, instead of flowers, I asked folks to make donations to the African Wildlife Fund as they do great work, especially with elephants.”

    So in honor of Alain and his beloved mom, here’s an elephant picture from On The Road, March 5, 2018.

  9. 9.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 12TAZJ

    Here’s a picture I took in August of last year while on vacation with my family in Alaska. It’s the Mendenhall Glacier.  The OTR posts were a very pleasant and interesting way to start the day. Alain seemed like a very gentle soul and I’m very sorry for his fiancé, family and the many friends he has at Balloon Juice.

  10. 10.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 9
    LAURA TOO

    The kids in my neighborhood are using chalk to express their vision of the world as they would like to see it. I think it perfectly expresses what OTR and Alain’s posts meant to me, a pause, a mental break from the troubles of the world. 

  11. 11.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 11PAM (DIRAC)

    I didn’t get a chance to interact with Alain much, but I think he did contribute a much needed optimistic attitude to the blog. Even in tragedy and sorrow, he seemed to make sure not to forget the good and beautiful in the world. I think On the Road was a concrete example.

    Here’s a picture from the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Forest in Felton, CA. I think it is in the spirit of On the Road to go visit a redwood forest and be captivated by the moss.

  12. 12.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 17
    SANDRA BLANCA

    My nym is Sandia Blanca. I submitted one photo to OTR, several years ago when we were in Alaska. It was a fuzzy shot of a moose dining on the branches of a shrub right outside our window. It was fun to see it published, even though it was not at all in the same league as the professional-quality shots we normally see.

    Alain was obviously a warm-hearted and generous soul, and I am so sad he is gone. In the spirit of the OTR theme, I submit this photo taken from the window of our Amtrak seats on the way north from Austin, Texas to Fort Worth.

    The train tracks going through Austin are right in the middle of the highway, and they parallel the tracks at various points on the trip north. It’s always strange to see the roads we drive on every day from the different vantage point of a train car. It always makes me feel that I am really “on the road again,” even if I’m still near home.

  14. 14.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 19
    DAGAETCH

    I’ve enjoyed On The Road since it began, and been grateful for this daily opportunity to see the world through the eyes of others. Alain published my OTR just a few months ago, and his kind response to my first-time submission gave me real pleasure. Here’s one more photo from that collection that I think he would have enjoyed.

  15. 15.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 20
    MVR

    I very much enjoyed Alain’s posts on mushrooming in the Rockies and thought it would be appropriate to send a picture of a bolete from the Southern Wyoming Rockies, North of where i believe he liked to go in Colorado.

  16. 16.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 14J. R. in WV

    We emailed back and forth, I told him of trout creeks in NE West Virginia he could fish in, and we spoke of ‘shrooms and ramps.

    When I heard that Alain had died, peacefully, in his sleep … it hit me really hard. I never met Alain face to face, but we had so much in common, being techies, loving the small creeks where native trout live and reproduce, Ramps, mushrooms, pictures of the countryside, the cities, wilderness. I was stunned that day.

    Last week I laid awake thinking of Alain, and his mom. And Carol~!!~

    Here’s a picture, of the Arizona house, set at 5500 feet above sea level, and over a thousand feet above the Sulfur Springs Valley of SE AZ, after the first season of work. We have finished the structure, put on a sturdy roof, and wrapped the structure with Tyvek house wrap, before leaving on the trip back to WV.

    This is in what is called Basin and Range topography in the Southwest. In the distance you can see the Chiricahua Mountains — something like 40 miles away, the east range on the other side of the Sulfur Springs Valley basin. The west edge of that basin is the Dragoon Mountains, which the house sets on a foothill behind the photo.

    I will put together a reprise of photos which have been in On the Road in the distant past from this area. I don’t have any photos of the lions which are common, but other wildlife, I have some of that.

    Alain, I will never forget you.

  17. 17.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 13
    ARTEM1S

    I never participated in OTR but loved that it was a regular feature.  I¹m glad BJ is keeping it going. A fine tribute to Alain¹s Memory. 

  18. 18.

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    STEVE FROM MENDOCINO

    I’d always wanted to tell Alain that when I was 13-14, I spent a year in school in the same canton of Switzerland that his family was from. I waited too long. 

    We miss you, Alain.  May the road that you’re now taking be rich and beautiful. 

    Carol, I cannot begin to imagine your loss.  I hope life compensates you in some way as you go forward.

  19. 19.

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    SISTER GOLDEN BEAR

    LAKE TAHOE, CAJANUARY 16, 2011 – For many years, Balloon Juice has been an oasis of sanity — albeit a raucous and snarky one full of snarling jackals — and I’m so thankful to Alain for keeping things running behind the scene with spit, bubble gum and baling wire.

    This photo seemed apropos for marking a transition, since it’s ambiguous about whether it’s the ending of a day, or a new beginning. May his memory be a blessing.

  20. 20.

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    GEG6

    Our sweet Caroline, waiting for her dad to bring the boat in.

    I’m not much of a landscape photographer, but I always clicked on Alain’s On The Road posts to start my morning and wished I was better at landscapes.  But I do okay with people.

    This is from our last couple of trips to visit our granddaughter and her mom in Bradenton, FL.  They live there and my John and I stay on a little island off the coast, Ana Maria Island, Florida.

    This is my tribute to Alain.

  21. 21.

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    RANDY KHAN

    I always meant to submit travel photos to On the Road, and almost never remember to do it. But it seems right to remember Alain this way, so here’s a favorite image from a trip to Japan last fall.  

    JAPAN NOVEMBER 11, 2019 – Jinzu River in the fog.

    This is a photo of the Jinzu River, taken from the River Retreat Garaku, in the Toyama Prefecture. The fog was moving pretty fast, so I took a series and hoped at least one of them would convey the feeling of the world appearing and disappearing in the mist. It seems particularly appropriate now.

  22. 22.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 23
    DELK

    On The Road On the Sidewalk —Delk, Chicago Illinois

    Home was important to Alain. Here I am halfway between my L stop and my home. The first half is noisy with car traffic and bright sun. The second half is quiet and shady and causes me to slow down and take it easy because I’ll soon be home.

    ps to Amir:  There’s a guitar store at the end of this street!

  23. 23.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 24
    KAREN H.

    Sunrise at Wahatoya Lake-La Veta, Colorado Aug 1, 2019
     
    I intended to submit photos to OTR from my trip last summer to Colorado and New Mexico, but never got around to it. Now I regret that I procrastinated. I never met Alain or had any personal correspondence with him, but I felt like I knew him. I think he would have liked my photos and I chose this one because he loved Colorado and because it isn’t the typical mountain scenery.
  24. 24.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 25

    MAZEDANCER

    Stalwart, yet full of whimsy – the trees that border my yard remind me of Alain. Of course, we never met, but he felt so present.

    Alain, who worked tirelessly. Yet, always seemed to know when it was time to put important things first.

    Like mushrooms. Or sourdough starter.

    The hydrangea is a homage to Alain’s support of beauty. And the nuances in color in mushrooms only he could see.

    If I were allowed to make a T-Shirt or Bumper Sticker for Alain it would be: Enjoy everything to the utmost. Do your job.

  25. 25.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 26
    FROSTY

    I’ve been a road tripper all my life. Alain’s first OTR was during one of our Snowbird trips to Florida. I must have taken over a thousand pics in the years we’ve been traveling but never submitted any. This pic was from my first submission, a visit to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. It was inspired by Alain’s post about his visit to Udvar-Hazy. It was surprising we had a love of old airplanes in common so I wanted to show him these.

    He had such a broad range of interests, and was the glue holding the site together for so long. I miss him.

  26. 26.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 27
    MALI MUSO

    I spent some of the most formative and memorable months of my young adulthood in a bucolic village in Switzerland. Alain mentioned his Swiss family connections on several occasions, and I think I recall him posting an old photo that included this iconic mountain, Dents du Midi (teeth of the midday).

    I always intended to send in some of my Swiss photos to On the Road and to ask him if he recognized any of my old stomping grounds.

    I regret never doing so. Bon voyage, Alain.

  27. 27.

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    On The Road - For Alain - Fly Away Home 10GIN & TONIC

    This was just an iPhone grab shot, nothing fancy, but truly “On The Road,” as it was from the highway. In Alain’s memory, it was from CO Highway 550, somewhere between Durango and Silverton – not exactly his neighborhood, but as close as I’ve got.

  28. 28.

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    COMRADE COLETTE COLLABORATRICE

    I took this over 20 years ago in Switzerland, and Alain’s posts with his photos and memories of his Swiss home always reminded me of that wonderful trip. Now those trip photos will always remind me of him. I’m grateful for the beauty he brought to us here.

  29. 29.

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    MISS BIANCA

    Alain and I started corresponding a few years back when we discovered that we lived one county over from each other when he was in Colorado – he had a house in Canon City, which is only about 20 miles or so from my house as the crow flies – that is, if the crow followed Oak Creek Grade some 20 miles over some fairly harrowing (and steep!) dirt road.

    Our last spurt of email exchange came in July 2019, when he told me he was planning to come out to Colorado. He had definite plans to go mushrooming, and he absolutely wanted some Palisade cherries, as I recall. We made plans to try to get together, but they never came to fruition, alas – altho’ as I recall, he did do a feature on the mushrooms he’d bagged.

    Anyway, this isn’t the greatest photo, but this is literally my back yard, or at least, back deck – with the rugged Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background, and my dogs Watson (left) and Roxy (right) in the foreground, on the deck overlooking the back yard.

    I always wanted to send that photo to Alain – not because it was a great photo, but because I thought he’d get a kick out of recognizing that mountain range.

  30. 30.

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    DOG MOM

    Mom’s Rainbow

    Alain shared such kind and peaceful words and images – I appreciate being touched by his presence.  Wishing strength and peace to Carol and the others in his circle.

    Thanks to Watergirl and all contributors for lovely and inspiring pictures.

  32. 32.

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    COPE

    Venus, the Moon, and Palm Fronds – SEMIOLE HIGH SCHOOL, SANFORD, FLORIDA

    I wanted to send this in over the weekend but chickened out.  I reckoned there would be some excellent pictures submitted (I was right) and being my own worst critic, I chose not to send it.  This morning, however, it occurred to me that this isn’t about me at all and that I would still like to honor Alain’s time on this Earth.

    Almost 70 now, this is not a new experience for me but it is always a shock and horrible surprise to lose someone no matter what the context of there lives in our own.

    Peace and rest, Alain.

  33. 33.

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    RIKYRAH

    Taken along the walkway between the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium.

    This is my absolute favorite spot in my city. There is no other place that captures the beauty of our skyline. And, as beautiful as it is during the daytime, at night… it’s almost magical.

    Thank you, Alain, for giving us this thread.

  34. 34.

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    BRUCEFROMOHIO

    I occasionally have business in Dallas, and make it a point to tack on three or four days extra to rent a motorcycle and head south to Kerrville, TX. West of Kerrville is the hill country, and in all of Texas it is second only to Big Bend National Park for beautiful vistas and fun twisty roads for the riding.

    Vaya con Dios, Alain.

  36. 36.

    rikyrah

    This is a fabulous tribute.
    Thanks so much for it
    Alain, thank you for this thread.
    Before there was a respite thread, there was OTR?????

  39. 39.

    Ruckus

    I wanted to submit a picture I took in a Norwegian port, in November 72. My ship stopped in there for a couple of days and the only thing I could do was take a picture of the sun setting with a lone woman in silhouette walking on the breakwater, because I was sicker than all get out. But I can’t find it. I’ve only moved at least 12 times since then and 3 of them across the country and some things have dropped off along the way, like it or not. When I read about Alain and this post I thought, that’s the picture. I’ll look some more but I’m not hopeful.

  43. 43.

    Amir Khalid

    Alain helped us open our eyes to the world — that is, the whole world, and the world right in front of us.

  44. 44.

    Nancy

    As some here have said, I felt as if I’d begun to know Alain from reading his thoughts. His humility as he strove to make the site and the section work were so evident along with his appreciation of the artistry of the photographs. His efforts on our behalf enriched my experience of Balloon-Juice. I hope those who knew and loved him can gain some comfort from reading the many tributes to his essence.

  48. 48.

    Albatrossity

    Thank you for putting this together, Watergirl. It is a lovely tribute, and a reminder to appreciate even more our days and our friends on this earth.

  49. 49.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Thank you, Watergirl.

    The location info on my picture got cut off apparently: The Studentenkarzer picture was from Heidelberg, Germany.

    The University was founded in 1386.

  50. 50.

    BruceFromOhio

    I’m eternally grateful and I think that this photo of the Orion and Running Man nebula is something that he would have enjoyed and I hope that you do as well. 

    That this is an OTR submission is delightfully ironic.

    Awesome photographs, everyone, thank you so much for sharing.

    @Rob: Yup.

  52. 52.

    BruceFromOhio

    @…: GEG6 – Ana Maria was my grandmothers favorite, and the beach on the northwest end of the island is one of the most placid, beautiful places to watch the sun set.

  53. 53.

    Noname

    Alain approached the world with the wonder, joy, and enthusiasm of a child but was able to convey it with the insight and wisdom of a sage.  I will miss his posts and my thoughts are with those left behind.

  55. 55.

    Rob

    @laura: Tears are in my eyes again. That is one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs and listening to it always makes me cry.

  56. 56.

    Miss Bianca

    And of course, because I was sleepy and stupid last night, I managed to misidentify *my own damn mountain range* – it’s the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background, not the San Juans!

    Lovely tribute, WaterGirl, thank you!

  57. 57.

    mvr

    This was really nicely done, WaterGirl.  Thanks!  And from this thread I’m finding out how many interests we have in common.  Now I find out, that besides mushrooming, he liked trout fishing and cared about fisheries conservation. I wish I’d had a chance to chat about that with him.

  60. 60.

    Aleta

    Beautiful fitting loving tribute well-executed, in the Water Girl style I admire.  I’m so moved.  Regret I couldn’t participate.  Last week I was overwhelmed by grief on all sides. Thank you everyone for this.

    A gift of yeast mailed by Kate Beetle reached me yesterday, facilitated by WG, beautifully packaged by an artist.  To be given some beauty at a dark moment is a very deep gift.  Alain did this too, and yeast and sourdough seem to symbolize his presence here too.  Thank you WG and so much thanks to Kate Beetle.

  63. 63.

    Miss Bianca

    @Aleta: It is, it truly is.

    OTR has made me want to become a better photographer, just so I could try, at least, to capture the jaw-dropping gorgeousness of the Sangres.

    Oh, Alain, how we will miss you.

  66. 66.

    geg6

    @BruceFromOhio:

    Yes, it really is.  I’m not a big Florida fan, but I really love Ana Maria.  It’s what you would wish all the rest of Florida could be.  At least, it’s what I wish.  I feel the same way about Islamorada in the Keys.  I’ve been all over the state, but these are the places I would go back to.

  67. 67.

    J R in WV

    Thanks Watergirl, for putting this together for us Jackals.

    A very fitting tribute, the best we could do under the circumstances… even if there was no Trumpian plague we’re spread out all over the world, but able to gather together via the Internet and swap bits of personal history, beautiful views of what matters to us. Quite a bit of variety, as usual.

    Thanks, Jackals, for sharing with the rest of us ~!!~

  68. 68.

    Miss Bianca

    Love it that new photos are trickling in – rikyrah’s makes me nostalgic for Chicago – truly, one of the most magnificent city skylines I’ve ever seen!

  70. 70.

    Boussinesque

    I don’t have any photos of Alain to contribute, as I never had the good fortune to meet him in person, but he’s the entire reason I was able to change from a lurker into a (sporadic) commenter. WordPress had been eating every comment I had ever tried to post over a span of years, so one day I just decided I’d try the “contact a front-pager” link.

    Alain emailed me back promptly, and then called me on the phone so we could do some rapid troubleshooting. We got to talking about…pretty much everything, and he encouraged me to share some of my knowledge with the community, which led to the couple of short guest posts I did on ocean-science related subjects. That simple act of helping me comment led to me feeling more a part of the community here than I ever had before, at a time in my life when many things were uncertain. It’s hard to believe that he’s gone, but he touched my life in a way that I will never forget.

  72. 72.

    BigJimSlade

    “On The Road” is a favorite of mine because it shows us as people with wider lives beyond obsessing about politics, though I certainly do plenty of that.  Alain certainly helped enrich our little community here. It’s awful that he had to go. Words are kind of failing me here. Best wishes for Carol and any other of his family and friends.

    When I think of getting out there, you know, on the road, I think of something like this – a picture in the Dolomites, so far our favorite place to hike (and hopefully we can make it back this next year).

  73. 73.

    Zelma

    This is a special community and Alain was one of the people who made it special.  I read OTR every day and love seeing the world thru everyone’s eyes.  As I come from a family of terrible picture takers and uphold the tradition, I would never have dared submit anything.  But I know that had I, Alain would have been kind.  That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of Alain: kind.

  74. 74.

    SFBayAreaGal

    On the road again
    I just can’t wait to get on the road again
    The life I love is makin’ music with my friends
    And I can’t wait to get on the road again
    On the road again
    Goin’ places that I’ve never been
    Seein’ things that I may never see again
    And I can’t wait to get on the road again
    Here we go, on the road again
    Like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway
    We’re the best of friends
    Insisting that the world keep turnin’ our way
    And our way is on the road again
    I just can’t wait to get on the road again
    The life I love is makin’ music with my friends
    And I can’t wait to get on the road again, break free
    And I can’t wait to get on the road again

    Take care Alain

  76. 76.

    ...


    WAY2BLUE

    I know Alain only through the Balloon Juice website.  We exchanged emails when I submitted photos for his ‘On the Road’ feature via the old, old procedure.  He was generous & complimentary of my photos.  I will miss his gentle, open spirit.  His tinkering under the hood of the Balloon Juice engine.  His love of his Mom, sourdough, travel, nature…

    The photo I’ve attached shows a road in the fjord region of Norway.  Signifying perhaps the unexpected turns our lives sometimes take.  With Alain, I wish it were otherwise.

  77. 77.

    Jackie

    What lovely tributes to Alain. Thank you all! I’ve kept this post open all day loving ALL the contributions ♥️♥️♥️

  78. 78.

    Debbie(Aussie)

    What an amazing tribute to a man who cared for such a wide variety of disparate things, that mixed together to make a gentle loving soul. I too will miss you Alain and all my love goes to Carol and his friends and family, in real and on-line life.

Comments are closed.