Waterfall

Back in September of last year, I posted a photo taken in 2005 of this very same fountain located in a quiet square in London.  I mentioned in that post how I discovered it and that it is one of my favorite fountains anywhere.  On my last visit to London last November, I made a point of visiting this fountain again and this time I took many photos of it from different angles.

The fountain is the work of artist Antony Donaldson.  I noticed that his blog does not mention this fountain at all however, you can certainly see similarities between the sculptures on this fountain and the works he does show on his site.

I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to this particular fountain.  Maybe because it's located in such a quiet and hidden spot.  I feel like so few people get to see it and that makes it special to me.

I'm so glad that I found it.  I'm sure that the next time I find myself in London, I'll visit it again.

Stepping into a Science Fiction story

If you've ever visited the Musee de Arts et Metiers in Paris it's likely that you stepped off of the Metro into this station.  The station name is Arts et Metiers and it was redesigned in 1994 to celebrate the bicentenary of the museum.  It was designed by Belgian artist Francois Schuiten in a style called "steampunk".  It looks like something Jules Verne might have dreamed up.  I was so taken by the station that I waited for the crowds to clear so that I could get a good photo of it.

Ghost Town

Just on the other side of the Arizona mining town of Bisbee is what is left of another mining town called Lowell.  At one time, Lowell was a sizable mining town but much of the town was consumed be the excavation of the Lavender Pit mine during the 1950's.

What is left of the town sits right on the edge of this working pit.

When I was there a few years ago, I was the only person wandering the empty streets and looking into the empty shop windows.  

My favorite building was this old Texaco station with it's green trim and antique gas pumps.  

And just up the hill from the gas station sat this yellow taxi from the Broken Spoke Taxi Cab Company.  The only information that I could find about it is that there is a Broken Spoke Saloon somewhere in the west whose owner lives in Bisbee.  No explanation as to why this car sits here except to encourage photographers like me.

The long flight experience

You can probably tell that this is an old photo, almost 15 years old.  That sounds like a long time but, to me it feels like just a short time ago.  When I was traveling so much for work, I was able to accumulate a lot of miles and one year I used those mile to fly "first class" to London on Virgin Atlantic airline.  It was by far, one of the most memorable flights I've ever taken.  From the champagne greeting on boarding to the speedy exit at the end, it was a luxury experience all the way.  Large roomy seats that turned into flat beds, pajamas (which I still have) to sleep in, a wide selection of meals and snacks, on-board massages and/or manicures, and a huge selection of movies and television shows for the non-sleepers are all just a sample of the of things to be experienced.  Oh, and did I mention the lounge on the second level of that 747.  It was by far the most memorable cross-atlantic flight I've ever taken.  If I could do that every time I fly a long flight, I would but the price tag simply won't allow for that.  I just need to rack up some more miles.