Musings

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

Look at these wee windows all lined up to ogle pedestrians walking by on the sidewalk. Or that’s how it looks to me.

I thought the light on the fence-top loops looked darned special, and tried to capture it…but, nope, in the digital world, it looks just flat and not side-lit curvy lovely.

Posted at 9:25 PM | Comments Off on Architectural bits

Somehow I managed a ten-minute I’m-in-the-city stroll this morning. The sun balanced the cool temp beautifully.

The presentation would have been better if I’d taken the time to remove the keystoning (?: keystone effect), but you get the original.

Posted at 7:08 PM | Comments Off on Level lines, unaligned

I walked in the morning, in the old world.

Then, my new iPhone arrived, and I began the transfer. I hit snags, and The Guru stepped in and did the magic with Mint, etc., and it finished.

The new phone means a major camera upgrade. See! Look at that vegetation variation detail!

Posted at 8:34 PM | Comments Off on Techno upgrade

This pair of photos is from the beginning of our day…from the hotel portal…oh, and I should add this is an early urban motel, dating to 1957 according to the plaque (right), I kid you not.

…and a view from the bridge crossing the great Ohio R.

The rest of the day was chugging through miles, eventually with a podcast to entertain us, followed by anti-traffic-clog detours in the northern ATL suburbs, and whoosh, we made it home in good time. And home was fine, if a bit dusty and in need of an airing. Relatively nothing as far as problems, in my book.

Posted at 8:08 PM | Comments Off on I’m smiling

The first part of the day: packing and closing the cottage. Then we said goodbye and hit the road.

Next stop (after dropping off garbage and returning library books): pay bridge toll. Lots of work vehicles on bridge, both sides. And we saw a freighter almost under us…exciting, no?

Then on the south side, we made a scenic pit stop. I’d expect these are sumac, but I don’t remember any yellow sumacs…for now, a plant mystery.

Soon we dropped down on old lake bed and logged miles and more miles, in Mich then in Ohio. I’m going to post before we stop, which should be into Kentucky. It’s a plan.

Posted at 8:01 PM | Comments Off on Mid-day

With our fine cuppsa-joe in hand, we strolled across the Fox River bridge rather early in the morn, meeting these googly-eyed statues of two of the four fox-sons of Papa Charlemagne. The St. Charles (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce website tells the story of Charlemagne’s command to his offspring to take care of the EuroAmerican settlers of the valley. I find it a fanciful and strange tale.

Upriver a short way, we came across this statue, also with rather paternalistic words, although I rather liked the figure’s presence.

We continued up the riverwalk to the older train trestle (green), now with a walking bridge nestled alongside (brown). Our friends said long ago when they were children, the daring among them might cross on the trestle…this was long before the river was cleaned up and the walking trails developed. And condos built and development and resurgence…and gee, it’s great someone spent tax dollars to clean up the river….

In the afternoon, we attended a fine party and BBQ, and still later, we caught the smoke-altered sunset en route to our overnight location in Wisconsin. A great time was had by all.

Posted at 10:43 PM | Comments Off on Quite a day