Hi Joni!

Sorry it took me a while to post in this thread, but here is a pic of my house from the front, with my trusty Trannymobile parked in front. Also, I have included a shot of the view from my backyard. West Virginia truly is wild and wonderful.

Hi Girls-

I thought this might be kind of fun, why don't we each post a pic or two of the area where we live? If you live in a city it can be a picture of the street where you live or a street in your neighborhood or maybe a famous street or landmark if you live in a big city like London or maybe some place of interest or anything you like just as long is it's in or near where you live. So cityscape, countryside, whatever. Let's share a little bit about where we live.

The first pic I attached is a shot of one of my favorite fishing spots on the Deschutes River. The other is a shot from the Campbell Grade Rd looking north with Mt Hood in the background. Yeah, yeah, I know kinda desolate. We live in high desert country, but remember it's the middle of summer, in the spring it's quite beautiful, the grasses are green and there are flowers everywhere. And the two pictures are only a couple of miles apart, hard to believe, huh?

Okay, who else wants to play?

Hugs...Joni

Well, okay, the pix came out in reverse order...as I'm sure you can tell.<lol>

view from my garden

Lucy, that's so pretty. What part of the UK do you live in?

And I love your signature line, have you been using it all along and I just now caught it? I guess it shows how thick I am. I love it, it's so apt. There must be more than one planet in that orbit, I think.

Hugs...Joni

Hi Joni
I live just on the edge of the Lake District in Cumbria. And I've been using that line for a couple of months. I guess it stands out more when under a photo like that. You're not thick at all hun, very lovely in fact.

Thank you, Lucy, you're very sweet.

So you live where Wordsworth wandered lonely as a cloud, eh? How cool to live in such a beautiful place.

Hugs...Joni

I live where Wordsworth wandered lonely as a lamb, though I don't think he ever published that one...
He was based (and buried) in Grasmere, lived in Dove Cottage, which isn't that far away, a few miles up the road from Windermere, the longest lake in England.
It really is beautiful around here.
xx
Grasmere gingerbread is to die for

I don't live anywhere as nice as the Lake District. Lucky Lucy. This is a photo of my church in Godalming.

Hi Cat!

How nice to hear from you!<big big hug>

What a beautiful old church, thank you for posting the picture. Do you know much about its history? I'd love to hear about it.

Hugs...Joni

Joni, thank you. Our church is over 1000 years old. There is a history on the church website | http://www.godalming.org.[...]rs.html. As far as I know, I am the only tranny member of this church.

Well I've attached piccies of the bridges over the Tyne & also of my home area of Alnwick, a few miles up the road & where I still class as home.

Hi Cat, thank you so much for sharing the information about your church, it must be an amazing feeling to worship in a sanctuary that has been in continual use for so many generations. Such old structures fascinate me, living as I do in a country where any building or artifact dating from Colonial times is considered positively ancient.

Gosh, Tiina, are you sure those aren't pieces from some alien chess set or something? They're certainly, ummmm...different anyway. Well, if it's any consolation we have our share of civic art that makes you scratch your head and think any group of energetic and ambitious grade schoolers could do as well and do it cheaper.<lol>

Hi, Gillian, I loved your pix, too. As I mentioned about Cat's post, I love old castles and churches for their sense of time and a feeling that we can connect in some way with the people who built them. BTW, what is the modernistic looking building to the left of the bridges?

Just want to say thanks to everyone who has posted to this thread and I hope we get some more.

Hugs...Joni

It's the new Sage music hall, it only opened last year.
Newcastle Quayside has undergone a huge redevelopment in recent years.
If you like castles, can I recommend a trip to Northumberland- we have loads of them!

Hi Joni, if you like old historic things, try this:



This is Stonehenge, an ancient worship site in south-west England. It gets lots of visitors at the summer solstice.

Hi Cat!

Thank you for the picture of Stonehenge, it's so amazing to me that something like that could have bee constructed with no modern equipment like cranes and bulldozers and so on.

And I bet you didn't know we have our own Stohenge right here in the Pacific Northwest, it's just across the Columbia River in Washington at the Maryhill Museum of Art. It's a replica, of course, it was built by the then owner of the museum as a memorial to the soldiers from that area who died in World War I.

Here's a link to the museum website: <http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/about.htm>

My wife and I have been there several times, they have an incredible collection of art. But it's kind of funny to find this beautiful building more or less in the middle of an essentially rural area. The setting is beautiful, though.

Hugs...Joni

Catherine,

Lovely pic of Stonehenge but could you make it a little smaller? I need a 2ft wide monitor to view it properly!

Can I suggest we keep pix to a small size say 5x7 (13cmx18cm). If you need to post a larger image set it as a link rather than inserting the pic in the post. Just a suggestion.

When I finally work out how to insert pictures, or set the link properly I will post some pix of the area around where I live I promise.

Alex
xxx

OK, where I live.

Pau is situated in the foothills of the Pyrénées between Toulouse and Biarritz in the heart of Beanais country. It is the principle town for Pyrénées Atlantique (departément 64) and the birthplace of Henri 4 of France, born in the chateau in a turtleshell cradle.

Pau is known as the English town thanks to the historical links it has dating back to the Napoleonic Wars, when British soldiers first "discovered" it. We have the oldest golf course on mainland continental Europe thanks to the Scots Guards I believe.
Thanks to the location Pau was home to the first ever flying school, set up by the Wright brothers. There is hardly ever any wind here so flying conditions are superb. The French Parachute Regiment have their training base down here.
We also have our own wine appelation, Jurançon, which uses the little known Manseng variety of grape, which thanks to the soil and climate produces a fantastic sweet and dry white wine. Perfect with the locally produced foie gras de canard. Perfect!

With the discovery of the huge Lacq gas field a few kilometers up the road in about 1960, Pau became the base for Schlumberger and Elf Aquitaine (later to become part of Total). The town grew in size thanks to the gas industry although the pollution was horrendous in the early years. Lacq is a sour gas field with a scary 15% H2S (H2S is deadly at 100ppm) so the flaring was creating a massive cloud of Sulphur Dioxide. Thankfully it has cleaned up although you can still smell the eggy smell as you drive past Lacq.

Today Pau is a bustling tourist town, thanks in part to Ryanair flying here from Stansted and its train and bus links to Lourdes, Biarritz and the mountains. It has hosted the Tour de France more than any other town in France after Paris due to the stunning climbs in the Pyrénées. Names like Col d'Aubesque and Col de Tourmalet should strike fear into any cyclists heart, some of the toughest climbs on la Tour. It's most well known attraction is the Boulevard des Pyrénées, this street has perhaps the best view in the world. One only has to stop and look to see the chain of the mountains stretching away in both directions. Stunning in winter with the snow on them. Makes the beer taste even better!

The two pictures are of the Pyrénées from my balcony (the reason we chhose the flat) and of San Sebastian in Spain (actually taken 1st Feb 2004). Is there any wonder we like it here??

Alex

Lovely pics Alex, and I think you should take up writing travel guides. I've passed through that area stopping off at Biarritz and San Sebastian and you've made me want to go back.
Tiina, I'm ready to hang up my boules too!
xx

Tiina,

Petanque is still a national pastime, every village has its dedicated bouleadrome and Petanque club. They even have licences and insurance these days.

We even have a club whos "pitch is in the middle of a roundabout!!

Silly game really, lots of old men throwing their boules around!!!


Alex
xxx

Sorry Alex, I don't think I can make it smaller. The Tranny Forum options don't seem to allow you to post pictures from your own computer, only those you see on the web. cos it asks for the full address of images and obligingly starts you off with http//. If you know a way round it, please tell me!

Thanks Tiina. As you guessed, I don't have my own server. I've now resized the photo so we don't all have to scroll two miles to the right to read the threads.

Michigan is a very beautifull state. Detroit is not so nice.
This is the Ambassador Bridge linking the US to Canada.

It's a very busy crossing with millions of dollars a day in trade making the journy. Looks awsome at night all lit up.
Also like going thru the looking glass. Detroit is old homes & dirty streets. Windsor is clean & a very nice place to spend a day.

Oh Karen that brings back some good memories, I've been across that bridge (and through the tunnel) on a day out to Windsor. We were staying in Royal Oak, Detroit, which seemed very clean and tidy, perhaps unlike the rest of Detroit? I asked our host to take us downtown so I could get some gritty photos but he refused, "You just don't go there...!"
I loved my time in the states, I was on a youth theatre exchange and I was the only one who was 21 so it was up to me to buy the booze each night for over 20 of us. Fortunately I had two strapping, good clean American boys to help me carry the beer, lots of it! The liquor store owners always asked for my ID and I'm sure none of them had ever seen an English passport before!
I live near the longest lake in England (13 miles long) which is a tiny speck compared to Lake Michigan (over 300!), an awesome place. I would love to go back.
I haven't travelled for years, this thread is giving me itchy feet.
xx

Hi all, I'm so glad we're getting more pictures on this thread, I think it's great to see and find out things about where some of you girls live. Thank you all so much!

And how about the rest of you girls? Let's see some piccies from you.

Lucy, that's just how this thread is making me feel, too. I grew up in a military family and we moved every two years or so when I was a kid and for years I had itchy feet and just couldn't seem to stay in one place. But now I've lived in this same town for nearly 20 years...I must be getting old!<lol> I need to win the lottery or something so I can get over there and visit you girls and see these places for real.

Hugs...Joni

Did a resize do the trick, Tiina? By the way, in the ghettos of Baltimore, shoes hanging from an electrical line indicate an active open air drug market, and are cause for concern.

OK, let's try this, eh?

Our house actually sits on the route of Hadrian's Wall.
Dunstanburgh Castle, near Craster (a couple of miles from my parents' house) is IMHO one of the most romantic ruined castles & Alnwick Castle has been used as a film location on many occasions, incuding Elizabeth, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves & Harry Potter

Oh, Gillian, how absolutely beautiful. So cool. Is it haunted? Please, tell me it's haunted, that would make it absolutely perfect!

Hugs...Joni

There's a beautiful legend about Dunstanburgh Castle.

Sir Guy the Seeker, whilst sheltering from a storm in Dunstanburgh Castle one night, was accosted by Merlin, who led him up a winding stair to a large, well-lit hall, draped in black & with a hundred white marble knights on their black marble horses. At the far end of the room lay a beautiful lady, captive within a crystal tomb, guarded by 2 large skeletons, one holding a horn, the other a sword. Merlin advised Sir Guy that the fate of the maiden depended on his making the right choice, and after much deliberation, he chose the horn & put it to his lips. The noise awakened the knights & their steeds, and Sir Guy sank to the ground, only to awaken the next morning in the once again ruined gateway.
The pale yellow & red quartz crystals which are found in the area are supposed to form part of the vast treasure with which the lady would have rewarded her hero & Sir Guy's ghost is said to haunt the clifftops, forever in search of his beautiful maiden.

& here's a piccy of Bamburgh Castle- I told you we had loads of castles up here!

Thank you so much, Gillian, for the new picture! How beautiful. And story about Dunstanburgh castle is absolutely perfect.

And thanks to everyone who took the time to post a picture or comment to this thread. I think it's great way to get to know a little more about each other.

Hugs...Joni

image

early august last days
of summer revisitation
by a girl boy girl
coming out swimming
made me feel better
about so many things

.................................................................................................................\/



Public bath, Oslo, 5. August 2005.

I've just put some pics in my blog, having been out and about this weekend, here's another overlooking Lake Windermere, with Morecambe Bay in the distance.

Catherine
for us yanks, where is Godalming in relation to London?
thanks

It really makes me happy that this thread is staying alive, you girls are all so awesome and so are the places where you live.

Hugs...Joni

Seems I deleted my pix. So I'll put them back. Except I can't find them. Sooo new ones.


First is the Ambassadore Bridge. A link between US & Canada. Second is the Detroit skyline taken from Canada.

Lucy Royal Oak is not part of Detroit. Very close to it. The Detroit zoo is there. But the people that live there whould get upset if you were to call them Detroiters. It's also about 10min from me.

Oh how did I miss this one ...?

.. been taking pics of the landscape around the little bit of Cheshire where I live for years, that said I have just moved house (closer to the Welsh border and a little further from civilisation) so these more accurately show where I used to live until last week.


These little copsed woods hugging the tops of the hills are typical of round here.



.. and one in colour, taken back in July



There's an awful lot of sheep round here and the landscape is littered with these pens and runs for dipping and shearing.



Swing bridge; this was the main road in and out of the village, if you were unlucky you could easily wait twenty minutes for this to open and close to let ships pass through on their way up and down the river.

If anyone's interested I have a whole stack of pics at my "Flickr" page .. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cerys/

C xx