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The San Juan Islands, with ferry in the foreground.
A recent post by our Opera friend Linda got me to thinking this morning
about environments — places that we like to live in and places that we
don't like.
I was born in Indianapolis, a very flat city. And later I moved to another
very flat city. It wasn't until I was 30 and moved to the Phoenix valley
that I lived in a place with mountains. I loved the sense of vista there,
of space. When I lived in Tempe I could go outside my second-floor
apartment door and look East and, if the pollution wasn't too bad, see
60 miles all the way to the Superstition Mountains.
Returning to Indianapolis for a couple of years after that I really hated
the flat landscape there. In Indy there is only a 350 feet change in
elevation between the lowest area of the city and the highest. No matter
how many houses or buildings were involved I always felt that if I was at
one spot and then traveled 5 miles to another spot that I was essentially
in the same spot. The overall feeling was one of claustrophobia.
I now live in Spokane. We have mountains here, or perhaps they could
be called hills. But anytime there is a 2000 foot change in elevation in
the confines of one small city I would say that it is mountainous. The
overall feeling here, as opposed to the claustrophobia of flat places,
is one of being in a secure cradle. It is a very nice feeling. I don't think
I could or would ever return to a flat environment to live.
I do like the seashore, though. It's sort of strange — I'm not much of
a water person in terms of swimming and such, but I do like being near
or on the water. Over on the West coast of Washington there is a group
of islands called the San Juan Islands that combine both mountains and
sea. Of the places I have traveled to in my life, Friday Harbor in the
San Juans is my favorite place on Earth. It is generally cool most of
the year, and I love taking the ferry so much that I would probably take
the trip into Anacortes every day by ferry if I could afford it.
In fact the only reason I haven't moved to the San Juans over the past
few years is that rent there is too expensive. The cheapest apartment in
Friday Harbor, just a little unimpressive place, would cost me more than
I get as monthly income. Well, perhaps it is for the best. It doesn't snow
there much. And I am sure that I would miss the snow.
And so I will stay here in Spokane. Not ideal perhaps, but still safely in
the cradle. Mountains, beautiful gray skies, majestic pines, wonderful
snow now and then, and a river running through it all.
Yes, this is home.
Spokane, Browne's Addition, looking West.
Sounds like you are in the right place, Ed. Funny how where one lives seeps into your consciousness; I know feel a real kinship with the Mississippi valley and the surrounding countryside. So much so that I finally feel rooted enough to contemplate applying for US citizenship. It took a long time to grow, though.
The US has never recognized dual citizenship as such, so technically, at least from the US side, you renounce your citizenship of any other country when you get US citizenship. That requirement used to bother me, but not so any more. I'm not sure what the current sponsorship requirements are – I have a feeling that having lived here for nearly three decades under permanent residency, I do not need one! Ruth would do if I did! I do know, at least, being over 50, I do not have to take the English language proficiency test. I was really worrying about that one… 😀
I remember your comments during vacation and how much you missed "home." And your photos certainly show very clearly your love for the area. If you want to become a citizen, that's great. How may sponsors are required for that type of thing? I think I remember hearing recently that it was no longer possible to hold dual citizenship in some country or another. Was it here in the US?
Great photos, by the way! :yes:
Great bottom photo, then! 😆
But Richard — you don't speak English, you speak British! :lol:RE photos. Bottom one is mine. Top one isn't. :p
Interesting question – maybe black and white has a wider dynamic range, and thus a difference in exposure will have a lower effect than on the equivalent color?
Ah, very good theory. Sounds totally on the mark. :yes:
I have some BW photos of the San Juans taken with my Nikon, but the film is still in the can. In fact I just went in search of those. Think I will get them developed in October. :up:Which also got me to wondering something. Why is it that if you do a one stop push on BW that the difference in exposure is very small; but on color a one-stop difference is very obvious (especially on digital)?
@ Darko. :up:Isn't Beograd surrounded by mountains?Anyway, I hope that you find your forests and mountains. And a nice place with a zen garden in the backyard. 😀
I was born and still live in flatland of my hometown Zemun but mountains were and will always be in my heart. I am born to look at clouds covered peaks and feel the rock and wood around me. Makes me feel alive :yes:
I have no experience at all with mountains. I have lived in Denmark all my life. Possibly the only country in the World with no mountains what so ever.We have viking age burrial mounds all over the place, though:
Nice painting, in any case.I've seen many photos of your Danish shores on your blog and on Allan's and Nicolas's blog. And I remember how Allan loved the beach. I think that for him that was his cradle.
For me too. Actually Allan and I was born in the same region – Central Judland, between the dense woods of the eastern hills and the Midland Moors, on the ice age ridge that divides Judland in halfs. Allan in the North and I about 50 miles to the South, the homeland of a stout and steadfast breed. That is my cradle.
:up: :up:
PS NYC might be "flat" but has many "curvy" beauties….http://pibillwarner.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/curvy-debrahlee-lorenzana-her-photos-too-hot-for-citibank-ny-is-fired-she-files-lawsuit/sometimes too curvy to even hold a position at a bank! imagine that!
I was born in a small town in Greece that does not exist any longer, with my dad being a government employee we had to move every two years… it is the first time in my life I have a place that I can call home 🙂 that's NYC and Pa :love:I never knew your birth place Eddie… was Tass born in Indianapolis too ?
NYC, London, Paris: all great cities, but for me — too flat! :pThere is that old saying, "home is where the heart is." I'm glad you found your special places. :up:Oh and here's a :heart: for you to find also. 😀
😮 thanks Eddie!yes, I am at home ..I never thought I will be so much in love with America :up:
:lol:Hmmm. You know with all the troubles in the banking business you would think it would be a good idea to keep her. :p
I was born in Cheyenne, in the foothills of the Rockies and the edge of the Plains. Left there when I was too young to have solid memories–just a few vague recollections and old photographs–but have visited all over the state a couple or three times since. I love the mountains, too. My idea of the perfect home is on top of a mountain with no road leading to it. :D:heart:
Originally posted by edwardpiercy:
Hills to the south for a 200km then some mountains. Zemun is in Srem that is part of Panonia, a big flatland that was once a bottom of a sea :left:
That's Cheyenne Wyoming, then? Originally posted by Stardancer:
On top of old SmokeyAll covered with cheese…Sorry, couldn't resist. :p
Edward, I enjoyed this. Thanks for link to my post. I am like you—-I do not like flatland. North Texas, where most of my family live, is prairie, flat, without the thick forests of East Texas. I think the country up there—Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denison, Sherman, etc. is ugly and anytime I go up that way, I miss my trees and hills and am always happy to see them when I head home. Tyler, specifically, is not my cradle, but East Texas is. Love it's forests and hills.
Originally posted by Stardancer:
Star, what a coincidence! I've stated before that my fantasy for years was cabin on top of a mountain in the Canadian wilderness with only wild animals for company and accessible by foot or helicopter only. I have a log cabin and live much like Grizzly Adams, being friends with the wildlife.
@ Linda. Ah, across the sphere, more similarities. You know a few years ago I would have called it strange. Now, I don't. And thanks for the inspiration for the post. :up:
@ Mages. I love it. $150 night. :up:
That's it? Why so cheap?
I don't know!
Wow! What a pretty place!! I really need to visit different parts of the country. I'm missing out on so much!!
:lol:Cape Cod and the North Shore are kind of exotic spots around here, but you'd never find a place for that amount of money, and there not as pretty as the San Juan Islands :confused: