Musings

We went on a wee tourist loop after lunch. We walked around under overcast skies at the Carter Center.

Since the place was closed, our focus was outdoors, and the Left Coast family learned viscerally what high-heat-and-humidity is like to breath and stroll in. We found this Peace Bell Tower, that I had never seen before as it was dedicated not long ago in 2022. The bell was cast back in 1820, and the government set it aside to be melted down during WWII, but somehow it remained intact. And now it’s in ATL.

Posted at 9:03 PM | Comments Off on JC = Jimmy Carter

Motel view. [Quiet neighbor.]

Bridge view. [In light rain.]

Posted at 9:48 PM | Comments Off on Views

Today, I found several interesting human-made verticals. Here’s a communications tower on a mountain.

I almost didn’t include this fire-plug; however, I couldn’t overlook the fresh red paint.

And, finally, look at the looming multiple skyscrapers of the Atlanta skyline.

Posted at 8:09 PM | 1 Comment »

One of the possible tags I have selected for my posts is “architecture.” How can it not be eye-catching…especially large interior spaces of which this is an example.

Posted at 10:19 PM | Comments Off on Too tired to be coherent

I spotted the first blooming dogwood I’ve noticed this year…

…and this reminded me of a European scenario.

Posted at 8:11 PM | Comments Off on Of note

?!x&@# parking garages…and the people who don’t know how to negotiate them. Note: I’m fine now.

Posted at 8:38 PM | Comments Off on Blood pressure now normal

See this magnolia? It’s actually two adjacent trees on the bank of a former railroad ROW (to the right). Now the ROW is the BeltLine, a pedestrian and bicycle corridor, with landscaping by Trees Atlanta. To the left is a shopping center with a Whole Foods and a Staples (guess which one gets more traffic 🤣). Delivery trucks are the most common traffic along this route behind the stores (and us when the “front” is clogged).

Here’s a ca. 1950 photo from Georgia State’s archives of the Ponce de Leon Ballpark. The info that follows is from 2020 article by Adam C. Johnson (here). In 1890, there was a lake where the field is, and the magnolia was already there. The ballfield was first built in 1907. The photo shows the version built in 1923. If you were sitting behind home plate, you were looking straight at the magnolias. Johnson writes:

If a baseball hit the magnolia tree and bounced back into the field, then the ball was in play because, per the rules, it had to pass through or remain in the tree to be a home run. To this day, the Spiller Magnolia Tree is the only tree in baseball that has been in play, and [Babe] Ruth and Eddie Matthews are the only confirmed players to have hit home runs into it.

Recently, Trees Atlanta has cloned the magnolias, and planted the new trees along the BeltLine.

End of baseball trivia.

BTW, that big building to the far right facing the ballfield was a huge multi-story Sears that had a side track from the RR for deliveries. The building recently was redeveloped and is now Ponce City Market.

Posted at 8:22 PM | 1 Comment »

The BeltLine is a 22-mile route captured from abandoned train tracks to make a pedestrian corridor that encircles downtown. Long-range plans call for a light-rail streetcar to parallel the walking/cycling corridor.

On the left is the old rail corridor. Parallel is something under construction, except that the workers are taking a break. I assume the streetcar line will fit along here. This view is from the Park Drive Bridge into Piedmont Park.

On another note, here’s some architectural detail of the west façade of the Dockside building at the (south)west end of Lake Clara Meer in the park, with some blue, blue sky.

Posted at 8:47 PM | Comments Off on New and old construction

I’ve been wearing a ballcap when walking lately, but the light seemed bright this afternoon, so I switched back to the shadier 360° broad-brimmed hat.

Here’s the sun showing off making the arty planter appliqué even more dramatic. Also, I can tell the daylength is increasing.

Posted at 8:29 PM | Comments Off on Light sight

The weather was glorious today, so we took stroll-and-sit leisurely walk at Old Fourth Ward park, languidly enjoying the sunshine. This, however, was a look-over-the-railing moment.

Posted at 9:27 PM | Comments Off on A spring day, way early