On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Jeroen, Below the waterline.
toujoursdan, Senegal.
Email me a link to your one or two favorite pics on a photo site like Flickr (do not send the image itself please) and I will put up favorites in open threads. Send a short caption if you want one.
asiangrrlMN
I am loving these geographical pics, and especially that first one. Amazing.
aimai
That first one is a stunner. Just jaw dropping.
aimai
Redshirt
What’s going on in the first pic? What are those black lines? Feel dumb for asking, as I’m guessing it’s obvious, somehow.
Violet
It’s not the teabaggers per se protesting outside Sasha and Malia’s school, it’s that idiot Fred Phelps’ from Westboro Baptist Church and his followers. I’m sure there’s crossover between the teabag crowd and his follks, but pretty much everyone considers Phelps and his ilk nutjobs. Link.
ScottRock
First pic’s gorgeous.
TPM pulls out “Scozzafavaed” in relation to the right’s latest foot-shooting episode in Florida. Should go in the lexicon, maybe?
asiangrrlMN
@Violet: Wow. What empty, horrible, hideous lives those asshats live, and what a legacy they are handing down. Putrid, toxic slime oozes out from every pore of them, doesn’t it? Disgusting. I hope the Secret Service is keeping a VERY close eye on this bunch.
@Redshirt: They are posts. The bridge is underwater.
jeffreyw
Very nice pics.
JMY
@Violet:
If I had my way, those idiots would be arrested with the quickness. I don’t care if you hate gays, leave children out of that BS.
Scott H
@Redshirt: It looks to be a dock, but the main part of the dock is below the surface. The posts that support the dock are sticking out of the water.
The parts above the water are reflected on the surface, adding to the visual mis-cues.
I like the way the water fades to white, as tho the scene is disappearing.
asiangrrlMN
@Scott H: Dock. That is the word for which I was groping. Thank you.
Redshirt
How am I seeing through the posts?
I’m not sure my brain has properly started today!
slag
@Violet: I’m afraid what we have here is a search for America’s Next Top Drama Queen. It’s Phelps v. the teabaggers competing for the title.
J.W. Hamner
I hope this becomes a regular feature, as I’m really liking the pictures. You might want to create a flickr group where users can submit pictures to you to post… that would maybe simplify things for you and also create a nice archive of Balloon Juicers best photos.
ellaesther
@Redshirt: You’re seeing the posts and their reflections.
Or, you have superhero powers! I’d really rather it be the latter, actually.
cleek
that first one is pretty wild.
asiangrrlMN
@Redshirt: The posts aren’t aligned properly with the dock. It’s as if you were standing on shore looking out into the water.
asiangrrlMN
@ellaesther: Or, what she said. I’m going to stop trying to explain the first pic as other people are doing a much better job of it.
Atanarjuat
The first one could have been titled, “my mortgage.”
In all seriousness, I love the dream-like, surreal feel of underwater pier.
The second shot is a great example of the Rule of Thirds, and slight vignetting helps to draw the eye to the fascinating, pastel arrangement on the clothesline.
-A
Brick Oven Bill
These photographs illustrate two examples of poor design. In the first photo, the dock should have been designed to be above water. In the second photo, it appears that whoever batches concrete in Senegal has no idea what they are doing.
Note the rebar that exists where the Senegalese concrete has since crumbled. Batching concrete is not that difficult.
This would explain why Senegal has no space program, and also why there is little electricity in Senegal, causing people to dry their clothes on a clothes-line, instead of in a dryer. I would recommend against driving across bridges in Senegal, unless the bridge was built by a company like Halliburton with aid money from the West.
I do not trust the licensing program for engineers in Senegal.
I also think that those posts in the first photo are photo-shopped, as you can see through the posts, and you cannot see through wood.
J. Michael Neal
Jesus christ. Jahvin Best suffered a mild concussion last week, and was playing again on Saturday, when he fell on his head from a height of five feet. He suffered another concussion and briefly lost consciousness, spending the night at the hospital. Coach Jeff Tedford said he’s going to miss their next game and then be re-evaluated.
No. No. A thousand times, no. He should have missed at least two games after suffering the first concussion; the medical view is that you need at least 14 days of rest from impact for any concussion. Now, having suffered multiple concussions in a short span of time, his season should be over. At a minimum.
This is disgusting.
Jim
Does anyone know the etymology of “Toujoursdan”?
Third Eye Open
@Brick Oven Bill: Perhaps you should move to Senegal to help them with their construction woes. While there, you can explain why they are an inferior culture, thanks to their lack of gunpowder.
John, seriously, find BIRDZILLA!, this crank is getting stale.
Fern
@Brick Oven Bill: you can see through the bottom half of the posts because they are reflections.
asiangrrlMN
@J. Michael Neal: Hiya. Good to see ya again. I agree. This is disgusting. Part of the hate part of my love-hate relationship with sports.
J. Michael Neal
@asiangrrlMN: Good to see you, too. I’ve just been buried in schoolwork. You haven’t lived until you’ve read the PCAOB’s Auditing Standard #5.
I have had a couple of good rants recently, though. One on accounting last week, and one long exchange on the morality of self-interest yesterday.
Michael D.
This has quickly become my favorite Balloon Juice feature. Nothing to argue about, just cool and beautiful things to see.
Redshirt
Ah! I see it now! Shadows. Thanks for the patience with the explanations. Wonderful photos.
Another vote to make this a regular feature. I’ve been really enjoying the awesome pics.
Royston Vasey
Love that Waterline shot!
Excellent work.
Third Eye Open
Here is my morning happy.
Captain Goto
Good stuff. That is all.
JenJen
@Violet: Jeebus.
JenJen
Anyone feel like talkin’ Mad Men Season Finale with me? Please?
General Winfield Stuck
Wow. that first one is a puzzler at first. Almost looks impossible until you focus in on the slight bent in the poles between reflection and real. Great Composition photo.
And the second has great colors and fine mix of sun and shadow.
licensed to kill time
The first photo looks like a Japanese or Chinese character, probably for “Hidden Dock” or “Water Covers All Things In Time” or “Slippery When Wet”.
Beautiful, haunting.
RedKitten
@Michael D.:
I disagree!
Tommy
After 20 years as a Citi Mastercard account holder, I was informed today that my rate on new purchases is being raised to 23.99% effective December.
Typically charge $500-$1000 a month and pay in full.
No missed or late payments on the account in 20 years.
No change in my financial status or credit score.
I can opt out and close the account, or balance transfer $3000 dollars of debt to this account get a 9.9% rate until 2011.
Priceless.
Jeroen
Thank you all for the kind words. Norway is such a beautiful country, the pictures practically take themselves.
That was an amazing morning, here are some more shots from the same session:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroen-janssen/103760365/in/set-72057594069514013/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroen-janssen/101738872/in/set-72057594066207145/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroen-janssen/115956941/in/set-72057594066207145/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroen-janssen/103760365/in/set-72057594069514013/
shpx.ohfu
Brick Oven Bob: (very slowly, with pauses between each word) If…she…weighs the same as a duck……she’s made of wood.