Thread: Frightening photos from my home town.

Here is a blog of some suicide girl from my home town. When I look at the photos my soul goes to heel :

http://cyber-scully.livejournal.com/151690.html

When I was a kid, me and my friends were frequently playing next to these towers. I remember myself wanted to climb it, and one time almost grabbed with my bare hands over the lower step of the staircase. But one of my friends shouted: "wait" and touch the step with one finger. And immediately received a burn injury. Since then, we have avoided these towers. But, telling the truth, it was a long time ago and they have worked then .

I noticed the gloves on the hands of one of the climbers. They must have the резиновые защитные пимпочки on the down side of it.

If I lived in such a dull quarter, I would definely climb this mast to see anything more attractive than just these alike block houses.

Originally Posted by Leof

I noticed the gloves on the hands of one of the climbers. They must have the резиновые защитные пимпочки on the down side of it.

If I lived in such a dull quarter, I would definely climb this mast to see anything more attractive than just these alike block houses.

Раньше эти мачты использовались для ретрансляции радиосигнала из Москвы на восточную часть России, но, насколько я знаю, они уже лет 10 как законсервированы. Теперь всё через спутники идёт. А насчёт мрачности, то с земли всё не так страшно :

http://www.rjx.ru/photo/

Originally Posted by Basil77

А насчёт мрачности, то с земли всё не так страшно :

Ну, на самом-то деле, ровно пол города Москвы выглядит именно так, как эта окраина Электростали. Московские окраины ничем не лучше.
Мы с мамой для обзора используем местную высоту - высоченное здание НИИ им. Склифосовского, и, если повезёт, его крышу. Самое замечательное было на 60-тилетие Победы. Салюты над городом.
Если посмотреть на Москву в сторону Кремля и Замоскворечья - здорово: Кремль вдали, все высотки, церковки, всё узнаёшь. Если в обратную сторону - Останкино, ВДНХ, Лосиный Остров, то город выглядит ужасно. Жуткое количество типовых многоэтажек, телебашня и леса лосиноостровского заповедника прямо от Сокольников.

Basil,

Thank you for posting these photos and showing me a window of your world. It puts into sharp contrast the differences between your childhood and mine! Do you know even when I am driving in a car, if power lines have fallen and I am driving under them, I still duck my head! Silly I know, since I am IN A CAR!!! :fool"

I'm glad your friend had enough sense to save your life that day.

I grew up on a former tobacco plantation and horse stud farm, the former Belair Mansion and Belair Stables in Bowie, Maryland. There used to be a horse race track in Bowie as well, driving distance from my house, but it close in 1985. This town was so small that we had one movie theater (that I could walk to) and it went out of business! Even my old elementary and junior high schools have long since closed as there were not enough children in the town to keep them open. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowie,_Maryland

A sleeply little town where I could walk to almost anywhere I needed to be and I had to be home when the street lights came on.

The Mansion was built in 1745 and the Belair Stables became very well known in the horse racing circles in the 1930 with Triple Crown winners Gallant Fox, Omaha and then in 1955, Nashua.

My house was one of 7 on our street and 5 of the houses, including mine, had backyards actually adjacent to the grass playing area for a church, so all of the kids on our street played there, unless the Pastor got mad at us. But the best thing about where I lived was Belair Drive. This tree lined road (without the pavement) was what one would use back in the "old times" to make their way to the enterance of the Belair Mansion



I would walk down this tree lined street, and climb the trees and hang out in them and also at the end of Belair Drive was my favorite place in the world, the pool!
Belair Bath and Tennis is on the left hand side as soon as you come out of the trees and was my home away from home every summer. From the time I would wake up in the morning until I went to sleep at night, I was at this pool!




Directly across from the pool and on the right hand side as you come out of the trees are the now vacant old Belair Stables


Directly behind the pool is the old Belair Mansion. I remember as a young child being in there for a function and having to use the bathroom. It was up on the second floor. Remember this is a VERY old building, well the lock got stuck and therefore, I was locked inside. Since everyone else was downstairs and it was very noisy, no one could hear my cries for help! I avoided the mansion for many years after that!



I do remember this prank that some kids pulled one Halloween, someone hung from one of the tree branches about half way down the tree lined Belair Drive a stuffed pair of pants and shirt and made it look like person was hanging there in the middle of the road… scared the hebejeebies out of the drivers as they came driving through the road!

А из нашего окна площадь Красная видна =)
My POV.

BappaBa,

So this is these were taken from the window of your apartment? If so, you must live up on a very high floor. You have a nice view of the park below! If you have children, it must be nice for them to be able to play right outside and for you to be able to keep a bird's eye view on them!

I have always noticed how a city planners make sidewalks around a park and people will make their own paths right through the park, the shortest distance thing. You would think that planners would finally begin to build this into their plans.

If Basil would not mind people adding to his thread (or we could start a new one) ... I would very much like to see other people's hometowns and/or current views of where they live.

This is the house that I live in now. We bought it back in 1992 and it was about 1/2 of the size that it is now. We added onto the back of the house almost doubling it in size (if you see the powerline running down the side of the house between the two picture windows, that is the dividing line between the old house and the new house). I know that you will laugh, but this is actually a VERY small house by American standards. We also added the driveway and the fence was built by my husband. BTW, the little thing in the window by the tree next to the front door, is a "cat house" so that our two cats can go in and out of the house when ever they want and they can also sit in it if they want to.

Front of house



View from the house

Originally Posted by rockzmom

I know that you will laugh, but this is actually a VERY small house by American standards.

I am sorry, rockzmom, but when I saw the picture, my first thought was exactly that the house is very small... and not only by American standards.

Well, yes, we Russians often live in city apartments which are even smaller than this house, but as a separate house... I think it doesn't look as a big one by Russian standards, either.
About trimmings (?? not sure if it's the right word) of the house... Is it (aluminum) siding? It's not very popular at ours. But it's highly common in America, right?

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by rockzmom

I know that you will laugh, but this is actually a VERY small house by American standards.

I am sorry, rockzmom, but when I saw the picture, my first thought was exactly that the house is very small... and not only by American standards.

Well, yes, we Russians often live in city apartments which are even smaller than this house, but as a separate house... I think it doesn't look as a big one by Russian standards, either.
About trimmings (?? not sure if it's the right word) of the house... Is it (aluminum) siding? It's not very popular at ours. But it's highly common in America, right?

Not to worry Olya! Yes, I live in a shoe box. You should have seen it before the addition!!! And we have four adults (me, my husband, his youngest brother and his older sister) our two girls, soon another adult and child (my husband's brother's pregnant wife and their daughter), and our two cats and a very large gold fish all snug as bugs inside!

Actually the house has vinyl siding. Aluminum has been phased out for vinyl. The houses across the street from us, they are made of brick and they also have basements, which flood a great deal and have been causing mold .

Our house was cheaper because it had the siding, no basement, and no driveway when we bought it. BUT... the previous owners added on that front section that comes out a little bit and that is a HUGE kitchen. It is the largest room in our house!!! And as you will note from the other thread I just started, I LOVE to cook. So, that was the reason we bought this house. The house has a great deal of wood inside. All "white oak" floors and wood cabinets. It adds a very warm feeling to the home and that also means that the termites like it as well.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

If Basil would not mind people adding to his thread (or we could start a new one) ... I would very much like to see other people's hometowns and/or current views of where they live.

I don't mind at all. You are welcome .

I see you have no gratings on your windows in spite of that it's the "first" floor. Is it okay in America, or you just don't like gratings, or your windows are bulletproof?
In Russia, many people who live in the first floor, install metal gratings on their windows. It often looks terrible both on the inside and on the outside, but... safety goes first. What about that in America?

Originally Posted by Basil77

Originally Posted by rockzmom

If Basil would not mind people adding to his thread (or we could start a new one) ... I would very much like to see other people's hometowns and/or current views of where they live.

I don't mind at all. You are welcome .

Thanks Basil Do you have any photos of where you live now????

Originally Posted by Оля

I see you have no gratings on your windows in spite of that it's the "first" floor. Is it okay in America, or you just don't like gratings, or your windows are bulletproof?
In Russia, many people who live in the first floor, install metal gratings on their windows. It often looks terrible both on the inside and on the outside, but... safety goes first. What about that in America?

Oh, the wonderful metal bars on the windows. Remember, I have lived in a number of places...Maryland; Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Long Island, New York; Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, Florida; and I have never had the honor of living in an home or apartment with bars on the window! I have seen them, just not lived in one.

To be honest, when I was growing up in Bowie (the first set of photos) we also only had a one story house but even the two story houses did not have metal bars on the windows AND most of the time, we did not even bother to lock our windows, doors or even the car doors for that matter.

I remember my grandfather, the one I wrote about in the thread The Night James Brown Saved Boston, he never locked his car and used to keep the keys to his car under the floor mat INSIDE his car!

Now, in my neighborhood where I live now, times have changed, but not THAT much. We still will sometimes forget to close our windows and leave our car doors unlocked or the shed open. Our house has been broken into twice since 1992 (once they broke a glass window to the back door, which we now have a piece of unbreakable glass there and the other time a window was left open). The first time our neighbor actually watched it happening; but, she was too afraid to call the police because she was illegal and thought she might get deported if she called them. The second time, it was a bunch of teenage kids as young as 13 and they were stupid enough to come back to our street the next day. We have a retired police officer living on our cross street and she saw them and realized these kids did not belong in our neighborhood and started to talk to them and they got all nervous and she called her buddies still on the police force and they got them.

BTW, it is interesting that you comment about safety... The problem with the bars on the windows is it is a saftey hazard. If there is a fire in the house, people often get trapped inside and die because they cannot open the bars or the fire department cannot get them open. The people usually die from the smoke, not the flames.

The places around here that I see them the most are in Washington, D.C. and in Baltimore, MD. There is where you will find them; but in the “suburbs” not too much.

Sorry for the long answer to your question...

The day when darkness came to my city and turned a day to a night.

Originally Posted by Kozma Prutkov

If ever asked: What's more useful, the Sun or the Moon, respond: The Moon. For the Sun only shines during daytime, when it's light anyway, whereas the Moon shines at night.

What if both of them will take a rest one day? The rest for a while, or forever ... ?



The view from my window upon full Sun eclipse of 2008 August 1 at 17:52. You can see the Sun hiding behind the Moon. The Sun halo in reality was negligible. The remarkable shining circle around the Moon is due to overexposure, otherwise the buildings would not be visible at that fantastic moment. The two white dots are stars.

That is definitly a photograph!

Lake Michigan. I am on a seventeenth floor:

Originally Posted by Lampada

I am on the seventeenth floor:

Lampada, is that Lake Michigan??? What a fantastic view you have! It brings back so many memories for me spending my college days there on the lake trying to study while looking out the classroom windows; but, in fact daydreaming.

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

The view from my window upon full Sun eclipse of 2008 August 1 at 17:52. You can see the Sun hiding behind the Moon. The Sun halo in reality was negligible. The remarkable shining circle around the Moon is due to overexposure; otherwise the buildings would not be visible at that fantastic moment. The two white dots are stars.

CoffeeCup, once again, you have proven you are definitely an excellent photographer. Didn't you win the award on another thread? You have a great eye. Have you studied this in school at all or is it just a hobby for you?

Great photos, guys! I want more.
Лампада, отпад просто! Рыбу ловишь?
---
And now a view from my window (an almost 180-degrees viewing angle). It looks distant because I zoomed out, but it's actually very close, right across the street:

Chestnut trees are blooming right now, and it's very nice

The road to the right at night:

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Chestnut trees are blooming right now, and it's very nice

These are FANTASTIC! I love your night shot!

The chestnut trees, can you actually "help yourself' to the nuts and roast them and eat them? Is there street vendor? My dad simply LOVES chestnuts!!!

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Basil... once again, thank you so much for starting this thread even though it was not what you had in mind and I want to see photos of where you live NOW!!! Pleassssseeee. rockzmom.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

The chestnut trees, can you actually "help yourself' to the nuts and roast them and eat them? Is there street vendor? My dad simply LOVES chestnuts!!!

No, in Russia and Ukraine we have only Horse Chestnuts. :"": They look almost the same as Sweet chestnuts, but they are not edible and even (as far as I know) they are two unrelated kinds of trees (different families). I wish we could eat them... There are bunches if chestnut trees everywhere.
PS.
edible

local nuts

... and local chestnut blossom (Does it look the same?): http://www.ljplus.ru/img/g/a/garkushev/kashtan2.jpg

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Basil... once again, thank you so much for starting this thread even though it was not what you had in mind and I want to see photos of where you live NOW!!! Pleassssseeee. rockzmom.

I myself actually don't shure what I had in mind starting this topic... Just found that blog and desided what someone could find it interesting. I just came home and made a couple of photos from my balcony:





And here are these places on the photo from the blog:



Rockzmom, I'll post more later in day light, if you wish.