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June 11, 2008 |
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Anywhere But Here
FOUND by Mellice
in San Francisco, California
I found this photo on the sidewalk in Lower Haight. Initially it reminded me of a lot of the homes I saw recently in Cambodia. Then I realized that it could have been taken in San Francisco. Then I realized it could have been taken in any major city in any country in the world.
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The Rainbow ... December 30, 2007 |
How Tidy Is This Now December 13, 2006 |
I Never ... December 15, 2008 |
Cease and Desist April 23, 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...
BO-RING.
Though I must say that one of my favorite photos (B&W) was taken by my friend Curt: out though a closed window at a clothesline in an interior courtyard. The window has a dark shade, pulled almost to the sill (you can barely make out the clothesline). The shade has one of those old style circular shade pulls. It's the brightest object in an otherwise fairly dark photo.
The bottom of the pull rests on the sill, the top of the pull, tied to the shade, angles away from the camera and slightly to the right. It has an ethereal, almost mystic quality to it.
Shirts, hanging from fire escapes? Bo-ring.
Meh....not impressed, either. However, I would want to be anywhere but there, as well!
Agreed farmer. Boring, but you sure had a lot to say on the subject.
i've always been afraid of fire escapes. could just imagine everything all burning up, and that final part- where the ladder doesn't touch the ground and you have to unfold it- getting all fusterated with the ladder not unhooking right...argh! dooooom!
Reminded me right away of the Dr. Seuss story of "the Pale green pants with nobody in them".
This is obviously Juliet's balcony, from that play by William what's-his-name.
Typical tourist photo, though. They even have footprints painted on the alley to show you exactly where to stand in order to get the "best" photo.
Is San Franscisco a MAJOR city?
Sure.. San Francisco is a major city - bright and happy, cheerful and gay. If it were a minor city it would be dark and brooding and morose.
When I see photos of living quarters I always wonder about what it looks like inside. Rather like George in "Dead Like Me" my fascination with Halloween wasn't the candy but getting to take a glimpse into the home of strangers.
I don't think the shirts on the fire escape are INTENDED to entertain you.
Damned internet.
Could anything be more boring than Farmer describing one of his favorite photos (B&W)?
Freon, one of my favourite things to do (ok, yes, call me a stalker) is to go for walks in the early evening, when you can look inside people's front windows, seeing what their houses look like.
I love that show, Dead Like Me. One of the more creative, insightful shows. I miss it. George reminds me of me. Except i'm not dead. and not that young, or that pretty.
wrye... deep breath.... its ok.. just remember.... 9 = to the power of ten..its ok.. just keep saying that. you'll feel better.
oh yeah, about the find. It could be artistic, but its so... done.
It's laundry day for Led Zeppelin.
so much to say, so much to say, so much to say so much to saaaay.**
here we have been standing for a long, long time.
treadin' trodden trails for a long, long time..
**(just nothin' to say about this pic. except for that blue shirt at the top looks like it's going to fall down any second, land in a puddle of unspeakable alley muck, then get run over by a beer truck, a taxi, and a Chinese food delivery boy on a bicycle. The cool thing is that it has a polaroid picture in the front pocket, from a wild party hosted in that apartment last night (graduation party, of course), and the Chinese food delivery boy will notice just a tiny corner of that polaroid sticking out of the pocket, FIND it, and submit it to Found.
Two years, one month, fifteen days and 18 hours from now, we'll have a really AWESOME polaroid Find, which will have come from the pocket of that blue shirt.)
@The man: I beleive that's a pair of jeans.
i can't wait for that found, man. But i think it's more along the lines of a love note, written on the back of a paper placemat. The night before, the man had written a note to the girl of his dreams, the one he'd lusted for, as she served him his beer. She answered his mournful query of 'won't you ever acknowledge me?' with a saucy 'maybe. :-) i'll be on the fire escape at 2am'. he tore off the corner of the placemat and tucked into the back pocket of his jeans. The chinese food delivery boy thought it was a fiver (the placemat was a muted blue) and, although disappointed at first, because the tips had been scant that evening, but then got excited about sending it to foundmagazine.com
and now we wait
Ya know what this is a picture of? Ya know those movies that include the slow camera pan across or through an apartment following a trail of clothing from door to bedroom? This is a photo one of those trails! Their shoes and socks were out in the alley. Shirts on the second floor balcony -- they took time to hang them up to dry because they weren't sure just how far the evening would proceed. Those jeans are flung carelessly on the second floor railing. If only we could follow the trial inside.
(Photo taken by the girl next morning on her way home after she left the guy up in his loft to wake up dazed and alone. She's wearing a T-shirt from his concert collection, and left hers hanging upstairs.)
oh, librarian..that's sexy. who's got the next installment?
What say you? Is that a hamster I see in the window?
I dunno. The windows dont look like North American windows. North American windows go up and down, these go in and out, little shutters. I can imagine an Italian mama opening the shutter-windows and screaming down: "Gianni, veni qua!"
Sorry Indy,
I used to live in a house that used to be Navy housing, the windows opened out by turning a little crank. Virtually every house in that neighborhood had the same windows. I've seen them on houses in other areas and other buildings. The windows on my house now and the apartments I've lived in all slide side to side. I don't think North America its own type of windows.
@Indy & Terrie, those are called jalousie windows. They are rare to find in areas where it's not hot to moderate year round; therefore, it's not surprising that Indy hasn't encountered them.
I kind of like this picture. It's not my favorite but there is something kind of interesting about it.
aaah alexisonfire...
@Farmer, can I have the link to this found you're going on about?
I wish my computer could zoom into those windows, like Harrison Ford's computer in Blade Runner.
"Enhance."
When I look at it, all I can see is a bunch of invisible people without pants making their way down the stairs, being the only survivors of a party where a fire was started and, since they were smokers, were already outside.
I guess even old abandoned buildings like to dress up once in a while....
Kudos to the storytellers.
In the cold dark night
We can hide on the fire escape
While the junkies inside
Worry about their next fix
Chewing gum and holding hands
My friends would never understand
Why I fell for you
Innocent and playful, you remind me
Of a little child
And all I ask is that you, you find me
Once in a while
Once in a while...
-Crimpshrine
Did I see Grace Kelly dash by the window? I think she was bringing Jimmy Stewart some iced tea. That goof broke his leg and she has to help him all the time with stuff.
I don't understand the negative reactions to this Find! I think it is an amazing photo. Just looking at it can inspire so many flights of the imagination. Anything could happen in this photo. Just think: we have no idea about the lives, the feelings, the conflicts, the thoughts of any of those people that live there. And they might have no idea that their home is being viewed by potentially millions of people on the internet.
FOUND makes the world a smaller place.
Simplistically beautiful.
I love how everything in the photo is run down. The building has rust stains from the decaying windows, the fire escapes, patios and pole have peeling paint and all the blinds look ratty and some are broken.
Detroit perhaps?
My favorite part of this find is the sort of art deco railing on the fire escape balconies.
Thank you spider in the web! I too don't understand all the negativity about this find either. I like it :)
This photo reminds me of the corkboard on the wall next to me, where the cork itself looks to be both smooth and rough, although when you run your fingers over it I'd have to say it's more on the smooth end of the scale, almost like what you'd expect from soft leather with a hard board behind it, except you can feel the holes where stickpins have held photos or notes in the past, but the interesting thing is if you move something that has been posted for awhile, then the cork is a little darker behind where the note or photo used to be, suggesting that perhaps even ordinary indoor lighting tends to bleach the cork over time, causing several shades of brown to appear in a patchwork across the corkboard, not including the oak frame of course or the areas that are still covered with notes and photos. Very, very, very interesting.
I like this find too! When I was in high school, we used to break into an old abandoned hotel via the fire escape. This find makes me remember grittier times in grimier places.
white collar laundry from the blue collar district.
I thought that was a person standing on the railing of the fire escape.
Anyway, I find this picture interesting. Mona! I do that too.. at twilight time I like to look at what peoples' houses look like on the inside. Usually they seem so cozy, warm, inviting.
About this picture. I think the grillwork on the balconies is interesting, with the circles. The pipe going vertically with the faucets -- what is that? A water line? And what are those spring-looking things?
I love photos like this. It's a nice change from all the notes, I think. Although the notes are interesting too.
This is def. not Chicago, so we can narrow out one "major city" Mellice. I'm thinking west coast somewhere.
On second thought, this could very well be Boston too. So we'll just say a warmer climate area do to the windows.
@ MONA & CLOVER- I have to admit, I'm a **voyeur** (<--SP?) too!!!!
Hubby and I walk our Rottweiler 3 times aday in the summer and twice in the winter, (too cold!)however, no matter what time of year or day, (but like you and Clove said,)in the spring & summer months, 8pm is the perfect time to start walking (your dog.) You can see how ppl decorate their homes, when all of them are sitting around the table eating dinner, (It's nice to see that!)a family that eats together, stays together!
In the fall & winter months, 5pm is the perfect time to start your walk as it gets darker earlier, and, the Christmas lights come on and make it look like a winterwonderland! Plus, it's easier to see in, with the extra light! Also, at night, if you have your lights on and blinds open, anyone can see perfectly into your home. I especially love Christmas time 'cause most homes look all cozy with the fireplace roaring, and, the tree all pretty and the kiddies sitting around watching Christmas movies and what not...just so nice to see families together.
Even though I am an admitted, forever, voyeur, I NEVER leave my blinds open past 8pm in the warm months and 6pm in the colder months!
I like my privacy! Also, I know that I like looking in other ppl's homes, so, I'm sure other ppl would like to look in my home, too!
Thanks for sharing, MONA & CLOVER, now I'm out of the closet on that one!!!!
In the fall & winter months
Please excuse ^^^^^^^"In the fall & winter months^^^^^^^^^^
TYPO-TYPO-TYPO-TYPO-TYPO
Clover, I think that upright pipe with the faucets is the standpipe- it's a pipe connected to the water supply for fire fighting purposes.
Clover, I think that upright pipe with the faucets is the standpipe- it's a pipe connected to the water supply for fire fighting purposes.
Perves.
@Terrie and Freonz, thanks for setting me straight on the windows. I know one thing that I like about (some) North American windows: bug screens! Traveling in Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean, I was surprised that many places didnt have bug screens (or door screens)--and they left them open all day! Makes a difference, that's for sure.
That's what this photo reminds me of...Rome.
Dang it! I can't log in with that American Apparel ho covering the sign in!
It occurred to me looking at this photo that the windows in the house I grew up in were slightly different. They didn't have a single pane of glass, they had four smaller panes of glass. It was tres ghetto.
And actually, I think they're casement windows.