Guess where I've been today?

[Bullethead 12]

Bullethead, you know your history - thanks for the detail; I enjoyed to learn a bit more about St.Francisville. And a useless collection of buildings - well, according to an old Zen master I love, nothing exists without the spirit (and I don't mean that stuff you and many others like, although this old master liked that spirit a lot too).

 

I'll get back to this. It's quite on topic .

 

My own hometown - the town I grew up I mean - is now a pretty unimportant town of ca. 30.000 souls.

 

St. Francisville, as of today, has about 1500 residents. That's not counting the ever-growing unincorparated shanty towns immediately outside the "city" limits, which hold about an equal number of people. So that's about 10% of your town's population, but it's the biggest concentration of people in this parish outside the gates of the Angola prison . Despite this, the folk of St. Francisville think they're rather important and so conduct Lousy Anna-style politics on a scale that would make even Huey Long blush for shame.

 

The oldest document mentioning it is from ca. 1200, but as it is lying on a long sand elevation higher than the marshes, which got flooded by the north sea, when there were no dykes yet, it was settled already in the neolithic age.

 

Indian settlements here go back about the same depth of time, into the Clovis period of Paleoindians.

 

The history of Bayou Sara is probably most on point. This major port began in the 1600s as a whorehouse at the confluence of the Mississippi and a small tributary later known as Bayou Sara. Sara was the Choctaw Indian woman who ran this house of ill repute. All her employees had 1 form of pox or the other, so the original French name for the the creek and the shanty town that grew there was "Bayou Chaudpis". You can see this on period maps. The Spanish later owned this area but English was the main language of the Border Scots colonists, so they translated the name of the stream and town to "Clap Creek", again shown on period maps. But civilization intruded so finally the city and stream were renamed after the oringal madame: thus the "Bayou Sara" of today.

 

St. Francisville, up on a bluff far above the river, was thus always the rich neighborhood of the nabobs who had controlling interests down in floodplain "Bayou Chaudpis". When the lower town washed away in the Great Flood of 1927, St. Francisville took to dying out slowly, postponed only by inbreeding amongst the few old money families remaining.

 

Today, all that remains of the town of Bayou Sara is "The Oyster Bar", a drinking and whoring establishment worthy of its ancient ancestor back in Sara's day. There's also a ferry landing, but that will soon disappear when they complete the bridge they're currently building a few miles downstream.

[Olham 164]

Would you say, Jonah Hex shows a lot of your area? I think I'll check, if my "Video World" has the movie.

I liked Josh Brolin in "No Country for old Men" (didn't know him before).

[Bullethead 12]

Would you say, Jonah Hex shows a lot of your area?

 

Yup, nearly all the outdoor scenes were shot within about 2 miles (as the buzzard flies, longer by road) from my house, at Lambert's gravel pit. The only outdoor scene not shot there was at Rosedown Plantaion on eastern edge of St. Francisville (the garden scene).

[Olham 164]

Thanks - then it's a must-see!

 

Since No. 11 seems to take his time (or does he never drink a pint in a pub?), I will add

a new picture here.

 

No. 12 - Whose town is this This is Menifee, California - Carrick's town

Edited December 10, 2010 by Olham

[Olham 164]

PS: Bullethead, that old Zen master I mentioned earlier, was an exceptional man, full of relish.

He said of himself: "I'm a half-drowned poet in a Sake river."

He lived 1394 - 1481; his name was Ikkyu Sojun.

I got a great little book with poems of him; it's called "POEMS FROM THE CRAZY CLOUD".

Some poems are funny, others pretty serious. Here are two you may like:

 

"Even in it's sheath, my sword can see you!"

 

"The edges of a sword mean life and death.

But no one knows, which edge stands for what."

Edited December 8, 2010 by Olham

[MikeDixonUK 5]

If that new picture is where I think it looks to be then it's quite apt - although it might be somewhere completely different as there aren't any obvious identifying marks for someone that hasn't been there.

 

That said there do seem to be a lot of Golf Courses in this place. (presuming that's a Golf Course in the picture.)

Edited December 8, 2010 by MikeDixonUK

[TaillyHo 2]

He lived 1394 - 1481; his name was Ikkyu Sojun.

I got a great little book with poems of him; it's called "POEMS FROM THE CRAZY CLOUD".

Some poems are funny, others pretty serious. Here are two you may like:

 

"Even in it's sheath, my sword can see you!"

 

Didn't Frodo have one of those?

[Olham 164]

Yeah - who knows - perhaps R. R. Tolkien had known those poems.

He was a professor for language or something like that.

[carrick58 23]

Looks like the Freeway close to Menifee California

[Olham 164]

Correct, Carrick - it is!

Funny thing there in Google Streetview is: on one side of the freeway you get newer, better pictures than on the other.

I used the better side.

[carrick58 23]

I live on the other side atop the Hill to the Right of that picture. Today's Temp 75 Degrees and Sunny. Ah this is Great, We can tour the world without spending money.

[Slartibartfast 153]

I live on the other side atop the Hill to the Right of that picture. Today's Temp 75 Degrees and Sunny. Ah this is Great, We can tour the world without spending money.

This is true but you can miss the wonderful bits in between... which is why a Motorcycle is my weapon of choice for Holidays... means I get to visit the places in between and get to see some fantastic sights...

[carrick58 23]

I did that route when I was young. Sad to say, Most of my friends ended Badly doing the Motorcycle Bit.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Motorcycles and I came to a mutual agreement a number of years ago: I no longer attempt to ride and crash them, and they no longer attempt to kill me. It's worked out well for all of us.

 

.

[Mr_Dirt 1]

Ah sad but true for me as well Lou. I loved riding my bike but old bones break so much easier and heal so much slower. I still think there is no better way to travel than by motorcycle. oh to be young again.

[Olham 164]

Time to get back to topic, I think. Here are two new pictures.

 

No. 13 - Leeds, England Hometown of Slartibartfast (although he is in vienna right now)

 

 

No. 14 - Dahlonega, Georgia Hometown of CaptSopwith

 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2010 by Olham

[carrick58 23]

Absolutely Stunning

[Bullethead 12]

PS: Bullethead, that old Zen master I mentioned earlier, was an exceptional man, full of relish.

He said of himself: "I'm a half-drowned poet in a Sake river."

 

Sounds like my kind of guy . I'll have to look him up.

[themightysrc 5]

Olham,

 

Well no. 13 is in the UK - you have a double decker bus and traffic driving on the correct side of the road. I'm guessing from the wharf buildings that it's somewhere in the North of England? I don't think it's Manchester though. As for 14 - sorry, not a clue!

 

Cheers,

Si

[themightysrc 5]

No. 11 - I know, I know....!!!!

[dokken1212 0]

Number 13 is Glasgow, I think lol?

[Olham 164]

Well, in post No. 1 of this thread I said the rules are, that the person who lives in that town must name it.

But now I think, why not have some guessing?

 

themightysrc, you came a bit late for your No. 11 - I had already added your subtitle. I'll add your name now.

[dokken1212 0]

Sorry Olham ..... my bad mate lol. I got excited and seen the glasgow pic and like a 6 year old in class i shouted out lol .....sorry lol

[Olham 164]

Well - it isn't Glasgow. Definitely somewhere in Great Britain - but not Glasgow.

Edited December 13, 2010 by Olham

[tranquillo 10]

No. 13 looks kind of familiar but i can't place it.