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January 31, 2008 |
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5-9-60
FOUND by Kristin Menke
in Seattle, Washington
We found this within the pages of a used book. Not sure if the junked cars are functioning as erosion control or something else.
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If These Items Fit January 10, 2006 |
Do the Patients Care? October 11, 2005 |
I Am on to You November 13, 2005 |
Warning February 09, 2006 |
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We collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework,
to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles -
anything that gives a glimpse into someone
else's life. Anything goes...
Woah! The "Tac" in the bottom right corner leads me to believe that this pic was actually taken in Tacoma, rather than Seattle... and wow.. junked cars shoring up the beach? Cool!
Wow, this is really interesting! I wonder if those cars are now underneath layers of mud and dirt?? I've never seen anything like this before, nor would I ever think to imagine such a thing.
I'm just amazed at that string of cars that disappears into the horizon of this picture! Creating a bulkhead out of old cars is actually not a terrible idea- in some ways. I really wonder exactly where this is, and if the cars are buried there to this day.
Oh, And Kristin... What was the title of the book? Where'd you get the book?
This pic must be from Florida. Half the state is built on man made land/or something resembling that.
Uh, dude, half of Seattle (and I think Tacoma) is built on fill.
wierd.
and is that a runway?
I think Kristin Menke should show this to a local historical society or something. I hope they took the gas tank, etc., out of all the cars before dumping them in the water, but they probably didn't think about polluting the water.
Ahhh....How I love these postcards from home.
Thanks for writing,
Your Pal,
Rusty Carville
neat and educational! Somebody go out there with a metal detector!
That would make rather good CD artwork. Say for an album in the IDM vein. Or something.
Does look sort of runway-ish, doesn't it? And it could be the Sea-Tac airport (Wikipedia says: "The runway was lengthened twice, first in 1959 to allow use by jets, and again in 1961 to handle increased traffic for the upcoming Century 21 World's Fair." and the date on the photo is right in between those years) except for the wide expanse of water that the line of cars is keeping out of the dirt. ...unless all the land between the airport and the water was later filled in, too? Anybody know?
Rusty Carville, that's funny Farmer!
I really really wish I could see this enlarged! In the 1960s and late 1950s cars were called "boats" or "floaters" because of their size, shape, and the way they seemed to just float along the road. For the driver and passengers to lose contact with the reality of tire contact on pavement, was the goal of American car manufacturers. They wanted a car ride to feel like lounging on a sofa at home. The magic of power steering added to the effect of this dreamlike state.
When I first met my husband, he had an old black 1963 Cadillac limousine originally used for funeral processions. He and his friends liked to water ski, so he needed a vehicle that could tow the boat to the lake. He put a trailer hitch on the Cad, which served the purpose well! It had folding jump seats in the middle, and could carry 9 passengers. It was larger than the average Cadillac and it was a true floater.. and unbelievably easy to handle on the road because of the power steering. Also, I believe it got better gas mileage than today's SUVs; probably 20 mi/gal.
The first time my parents met him, he drove us all out to dinner in the Cad. To this day, we wonder what their first impressions must have been.
Oups, i went on a tangent. What i meant to say was, you know, something about the irony of "floaters" being used to shore up a jetty.
I'll be the first to say it. This picture is CREEPPYY!! My first impression was that these cars were sliding into a void of nothingness. I had to stare for a moment before I realized that there was water.
What the heck did McDonalds put in my chicken biscuit this morning??
Taking my eyes off those fascinating cars for a minute, I'm looking at the fact that there is actually water on both sides of the land finger. It looks like a canal up the center, with what looks like pipes connecting that canal to the larger body of water. One of the pipes looks like it's connected to some kind of box. I'm wondering if it's a pump? Maybe pumping water out of the landfill? Or is it bringing water the other direction, perhaps for irrigation?
What are those little sections of land, divided as if for a housing subdivision? who would be so silly as to build houses on land fingers jutting out into a lake, bay, or ocean like this? Oh wait. I'm getting a dim memory of some fancy extremely expensive and exclusive community of homes on just such a land finger, that I saw in a magazine somewhere. I think the selling point was how "secure" they were, due to the surrounding water, and only one access point by land, via a locked gate.
Anybody know more about that?
@ Tori- You are absolutely right. I was thinking the same thing. Not only is the picture creepy, or I was thinking eerie fit better for me, but it's also depressing. I don't know why, but that's what it makes me feel. I don't like it very much at all.
super cool pic. Would really like the "magnify" option on this one. Jason@Found?
In the great flood of Tacoma, on running out of sandbags, the citizens used anything they had on hand to stop the floodwaters from rising. Unfortunatly for Junkyard Joe, this meant taking all of his "gently used vihicles" and using them to shore up the coast line.
Picture Caption:
"Mud Slides...another reason to not live in California"
Hey,that's my car!
@chill in out: I was just thinking the same thing! Check again, I just added the magnified version. I love this photo.
In all my found-following days, I think this is the most fascinating picture you guys have ever published.
I've been looking around online for half an hour, and there's a few pictures of cars being used this way, but pretty much no info on government regulations or any past controversy over this kind of a use for cars. I wish I could learn more about this mystery.
This was my other favorite picture:
http://www.schweich.com/imagehtml/IMGP2242sm.h
The perfect solution to NASCAR!
thanks Jason...you RULE!
I used to live on a mountain up near Bloomsburg PA (right across the road from Knobles Amusement Park, for anyone who knows the area,) and our road has a series of switchbacks which proved lethal in the winter. At least once a week we would see a truck trying to haul some poor sucker back up over the embankment...
This picture kind of reminds me of that. Like all these cars were going waaaaaay to fast and one by one lost control and slid gently over the side. I have this mental image of hundreds of drivers struggling out their passenger-side windows and then standing with hands on hips wondering how the heck that happened.
This is what happens when you let beavers drive.
what a strange, post-apocolyptic looking photo...
oh my god, the angry coffee-shop dwarf was right...
This photo reminds me of old photos of the race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. Back in the day, they actually raced on the beach. If they wrecked a car, they just left it there.
Stunningly awesome.
I get a runway-vibe too.
few Things- I've been to Knobles! My Grandmother, Aunt and cousins lived in Selinsgrove, PA : ) Hmm, let's see...it was cabbage patch kid day, so if you brought yours you got some kind of discount...or something. It was obviously a long time ago :)
I LOVE old photos like these.
I bought a book for my Dad one year of how our neighborhood in Brooklyn looked when my grandparents first moved there- think it was called Brooklyn Then & Now. It's so interesting to see the changes. Sometimes sad too, but always interesting.
Old architecture is fascinating too. I know someone where I live now with a house built in 1865, original wallpaper still in the attic. I love being able to touch it and feel history in a small way, as lame as that may sound.
Wish I could see a "now" picture of this to go with the "then" one.
Thanks Jason! :)
Spider in one's bra -- EEK!
they really need to clean up around "dead man's curve"...
This is the most interesting photo I've seen on Found- why did they take it? Were they building soemething? A lot of work went into this- isn't this an aerial photo? Where is this? Why are the American apparel ladies always headless or high. Whores
I'm thinking Jersey...
when i was younger, my parents had a marina, and there was a causeway/breakwater built like this (but not so big). The one thing i remember was a dumptruck falling into the water, and my brother on the tractor, pulling it out.
this picture was taken three days after my dad's birthday..
Cool picture. Looks like a landing strip.
Parallel Parking Purgatory.
Tiffany - I thought the same exact thing! I am calling City Council right away...
Turbo - Best comment ever.
This is an amazing photo.
"Our purpose in life is to sustain that which sustains us."
Bless that angry little man....
Dear commenters, can we ask you a favor? We really want to get the word out about these new brand new DIRTY FOUND videos. They're a little NSFW, but kind of hilarious and we'd love for them to get loves of love and attention. Head to http://www.youtube.com/user/DIRTYFOUND and pass them along to your bffs. THANK YOU!
This is a very interesting photo. I would love to know the story behind this. It is kind of eery looking too. It does sort of remind me of a dirt race track especially with the way the dirt is kicking up around those vehicles.
I also wanted to point out that those letters are not TAC but TUL.
A person could write an entire essay about all the things in that photo that are downright terrible for the environment. Who thought that putting CARS into that waterway? Think of all the oil and antifreeze and noxious crap that is polluting that ecosystem...
Whats ironic is that the cars were put there to prevent erosion.... and the erosion was caused by clear cutting all the vegetation from that land. It is funny how people solve problems.
I also saw TUL. And I think this photo is surreal, like a big dirt track just floating in a no-particular-color sky. The cars are to keep the track from just falling to dust. Fascinating.
Jason, what's NSFW?
Did you produce those videos? They're very funny!
Super cool!
On the shore of NC we'd all donate our Christmas trees each year to help beach erosion. Never thought of old cars....
Nightingale, that's "Not Safe for Work."
I'd agree on that one...
This pic looks like a still from "Koyannisquatsi" or one of those environmental films I was shown in school in the 70's. Our teachers discovered audio visuals and would show us a film of Anything At All just to get a half-hour or so break from the kids.
The dwarf is right...you can bury it but it'll still be there.
@ Turbo and Ghost....
Best comments ever!!!
NOW you tell me! Thanks anyway, Baby Basil....
i am super curious, where is "tul"? I really want it to be Tacoma, because then I could just head out to the Sound and look around for somewhere that looks like this picture!!! But I keep thinking Tulalip or some other city that starts with "tul"...
In any case, it is amazing how someone captured the edge of the world in this photo!
(Narrator's voice)
"What you are seeing is the future of traffic management. When the traffic becomes impassable, we simply pave over the traffic jam, and begin anew, thus encouraging the economy"
This is my favorite find. I'd like to get a framed print (is that what they call them?)to hang on my wall.
See how bad parking for Starbucks is gettings?
Thx Jason!
This is flippin' awesome! The first thing i thought when i saw those hundreds of cars diasppearing into the distance was, "Where did they get them all?"
I am wasting my day Googling to see if I can find out anything about this photo! I am so printing it out and framing it!
Well, looking at the magnified version, it does appear to say TUL..
Oh well. the only thing that comes to mind for TUL is Tully's... (oh how I despise that huge green T where the Big old red R should be)
I'm still amazed by this picture, though. It looks a lot like 405 traffic this morning, as a matter of fact.
This is absolute coolest and most interesting picture I ever seen on FOUND. I don't think it's creepy in the least. That might have a great way to recycle cars in '60, as long as the hazardous fluids and tanks were removed first.
Math spam questions are kinda hard.
Oh I hate seeing this! We have vehicles in the river by our town. Back in the old days that was a way of limiting the speed of the river flow (I believe) and we still have vehicles in our river today! Well, think about it geniuses!! Oil and gas in those cars... they didn't think to remove them! HELLO!!
when i looked at the closest edge of the "island" thing, the edge almost looks like it was eaten away at by some machine.
it's a great photo - the person taking it probably didn't realize how many questions we'd all have from it (if they could label things better).
Could it be Tulsa? It looks like the chunks of missing earth near the cars are machine made so maybe it's a picture of a reservoir or dam being built in the area. Though if that's the case why would they use old junker cars for erosion control? Awesome find!!
As much as it would make me happy if this was in Tulsa, you'd think the writer could squeak out an "SA". Maybe it stands for "Totatly Useless Levy".
The car lining the shore is very weird. It looks like they are clearing out paths to make roads and possibly subdivisions. Someone earlier noted that they couldn't imagine building a subdivision on a little sliver of land; however, if you have ever been to the Outerbanks of NC, lots of stuff can be built on a little piece of land. I don't know, but this picture is fascinating indeed.
This photograph makes me feel weird. I think that's what I like about it.
This photo looks very Stephen King-ish to me. Reminds me of what I imagined the landscape to look like in "The Langoliers". Dunno why, but that's what comes to mind.
I like the pic, but it's hardly the "most interesting" photo FOUND has ever posted. Pleassseeee, not much else can be said about it. Look how many comments it has generated.
I don't know if it's the best photo Find ever, but it's certainly in my top five most intriguing. (along with Monkee Astronaut and I'm not sure what else at the moment.)
Every time I see that girl in the unitard, I think she looks like she's trying to fart...high wasted--indeed.
I never see a girl in a unitard. I always see the girl in a cardigan, two tone oxfords and pleated cheerleader skirt. You can tell she's the head cheerleader. How can you tell which one's the head cheerleader?
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She's the one with the dirty knees.
(*with apologies to cheerleaders everywhere, past present and future*)
please, people! this is a closeup of someone's tongue after a grand night out drinking and all the crud that piles on there while you're sleeping it off. obvious...
WOW, this pic makes me feel weird. It's creepily fascinating. I would love more information about it...
I love cool pics !!!!
hey booger...there is an Irish word for that....
Please forgive if i miss spell...
It's called the Ha-coopers.
Er sound it out...
means the dry mouth you get in the morning from a hangover;)
'Pilot to Air Traffic Control -- on final approach -- do I have clearance for landing? Over'
'Air Traffic Control to pilot... Oops, sorry -- we're a bit behind schedule with the new runway'
I think it's possible that this photo was once part of a museum's collection. The number on the lower left would be the accession number, the date would be the date the photo was taken (obviously), and the other marks could either be the region where it was taken and/or the museum's shorthand initials. BM = British Museum? Brooklyn Museum? Beaches Museum and History Center?
It would be interesting to know. The photo has a "let's take a photo to record history" quality to it. The mystery here would be how (if it was once part of a museum's collection) did it end up in a book in Seattle Washington?
I did a google search for '557383' the number on the picture just for the heck of it.
There were some interesting really random pages that popped up.
Hey! Like the number on the show 'LOST'except we're on 'FOUND.'
I asked my cousin who is an air traffic controller in the Seattle region. He says Sea-Tac is not surrounded by water, so that wouldn't be it. Dang, I forgot to ask him about the supposed fact that it's built on fill. Sorry. He was pretty positive about it, though.
I absolutely adore this pic, any pic that is from the days of 'ol facinate me!
I was thinking that this pic could be of strip mining or something along those lines...?
I thought of a racetrack or a demolition derby...
Whatever the it's a pic of...brilliant!
This could be from the 1967 expansion of Harbor Island, in Seattle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Island
I used to work at Todd Shipyards, and the man-made island always fascinated me.
Sue- he's right- SeaTac is not surrounded by water, and while it may rest upon some fill, it doesn't rest upon man-made land.
That is definatly an erosion control plan used for some time in the US. And no, they did not take out the gas or other volitile liquids. They eventually stopped using old cars for this same reason.
There are still some rivers, specially out west, where old cars were used as erosion control that you can still see.
However, most of these cars have been or are in the process of being removed.
There's no way. 3 for THIS?!?!? How can this picture possibly elicit the least bit of fear in anyone??? It DOES look like they are drifting off into nothingness - that's COOL not CREEPY!!! I'm sorry, I usually just calmly count creepies and comment, but in all my months of CreepyCounting, I have never seen such an un-creepy photo get so many creepies.
I've seen old cars used for erosion control before. In that case it was along a river. Yeah, it blows the mind!
It certainly looks like the Honolulu International Airport's runway. Check it out on Google Earth or Wikipedia.
it's from florida. When hurricane Donna hit.
but didn't hurricane donna hit in the summer? my aunt was born in late july in florida and if i remember right the hurricane hit right around her birth...the date on the photo is too early
If u had a higher resolution image of the tnker truck and/or the equipment or the back of the white truck it might be possible to see the company name or at least license plates of the vehicles.