Parting images of Pittsburgh…

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Sharon

I was sad to say goodbye to Steel City, though I caught some major highlights during my visit, including the Smithfield Street Bridge, which has crossed the Monongahela River in one form or another for almost 100 years.

Here it is again, viewed from the vantage point of another mill artifact…

A pedestrian walkway on the bridge is industrially practical and yet so imbued with the history of the people who built it, that it is undeniably poetic.

It enabled several Crayola-happy images for me.

But I said my goodbyes in the midst of the G20 Summit, an international economic thinktank that for two days pitted protesters against police and turned downtown into some sort of Orwellian seeming ghost town, since all the bridges in and out of the city were closed to regular traffic.

Here's one of several troupes of patrolling officers in the South Side neighborhood, the eve before the event.

The South Side is a colorful, eclectic district. I got Mahalia Jackson and Wumpscut CDs at an awesome used music store, saw draft beers advertised for as little as 86 cents on game days and pitied the owner of this RV and trailer combo, after experiencing my own harrowing driving experiences on Pittsburgh's crazy side streets.

My great aunt, Ann Donoghue, left, and Irene Toma (Sam Toma's wife) shared a wonderful Lebanese dinner with me in the South Side.

Earlier, I'd had my first ever taste of Lebanese food on Squirrel Hill with Kevin and Krista Mallon, who lead a vibrant Calvary Chapel just outside the city.

When I got to Pittsburgh, my hair was blue. When I left, it was back to boring brown. Think I'll blend in better this way.

A quieter network of trails

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Sharon

There is a network of trails that Amish and others use to get between towns without having to hit the highway. Here is a paved trail that passes the Wal-Mart in Millersburg.

And this hand-built covered bridge spans the Mohican River near Killbuck.

It's called the Bridge of Dreams because it was built against odds by members of the community.

Good bye Nashville, for now

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Sharon

Nashville has a beautiful skyline. I love how this cross section shows the old and new building styles.

There was an Old Crow Medicine Show concert in an outdoor amphitheater down by the river the night I walked around downtown.

Actually, the city of Nashville constantly emits musical notes! Here is the same shot, with some blur.

And while I'm getting artistic, an iris…

which was created when I swirled the energy around Joseph and Charlie — two local musicians you met earlier.

Beth Walker, another musical fashionista from earlier, made a second appearance in my evening at a local dive bar. She was there, and then she was gone.

And there were plenty of interesting people to watch, including Lemyng, 21, a student and bar back at popular local coffee shop and music venue Cafe Coco.

At a different restaurant I tried some brewed-in-Nashville beer that was excellent! Full-bodied, sweet and not at all bitter.

Nashville (or NashVegas as the locals call it!) was a style oasis for me on my journey through America's back highways.

And there is lots of bold imagery.

A traditional Nashville night-out experience:

A bridge over the river

A lifesize replica of the Parthenon, built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897

And a couple more 'back alley' images…

My time in the Ozarks

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Sharon

It's been a sweltering several days through Oklahoma and Arkansas. I don't want to know how I'd be faring if I hadn't gotten cab AC in Wichita.

Generally, I prefer to zig when others zag, and the Ozarks are regrettably touristy this time of year. But I pulled off the beaten path enough to catch the real flavor.

Thorncrown Chapel

I've seen a lot of churches and this one, built by late Pine Bluff, Ark. resident Jim Reed, is different. The glass and wood are perfectly reflective of the surrounding Ozarks. I stepped inside and felt a much needed dose of peace. Didn't hurt it appeared around a bend when I desperately needed it, after miles of steep hairpin turns, just before Eureka Springs.

Eureka Springs

After going through the tourist zoo that is Eureka Springs, it was another sweet reprieve to walk through a creek with no one but my dog, baby cat fish, crawfish and lots of interesting bugs.

Come to think of it, on a hot August night could't you see me sitting out on a porch in the Ozarks with my dog? I think we'd feel right at home.

In the belly of the country

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Sharon

Kansas is the first state that feels like a story book. I went to Lawrence with relatives and got back late. Took Armani for a walk down a long dirt road. Horses, soil and grass lend top and base notes to the humid air.

I'd never heard cicadas till I got here. You would not believe how loud they get. I looked up at the funnel-shaped clouds and the stars and couldn't help but click my heels.

The prairie has a similar appeal as the desert. It puts me, a lowly human, in my place. The landscape fosters simplicity, clarity.

On the other hand, Kansas planners love their toll roads. There is a fairly high sales tax and an income tax, too. Bigger cities have metered parking, though it's cheap.

There are some wonderfully unique houses here, including a Frank Lloyd Wright and others with unique detailing in Wichita:

And in Lawrence, I found some yin and yang:

In search of wild horses

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Sharon

What could be more American than the wild mustang? There are several bands of horses scattered throughout the middle of the U.S. and though their genetic makeup differs, they are all hardy, healthy, intelligent survivors.

Last week I drove into the Devil's Canyon recreation area, northeast of Lovell, Wyoming and into southern Montana in hopes of a mustang sighting.

I was blown away by the quiet majesty of the painted desert terrain – massive red rocks and a curving cliffs that look down 1,000 feet to Bighorn Lake.

Armani and I went swimming.

I meditated for a minute atop these cliffs, while flying birds and wind swished past my face.

And while I was on my way back from the canyon, I spotted this guy:

Here's how close he was to my van:

American Road

A laid-off reporter and her dog set off in an RV…

Category Archives: America the Beautiful