Thanks for this link, Jeffrey, which just unleashed a flood of childhood memories. One of Artificial Owl's "most fascinating abandoned man-made creations" was one of my hideouts, with my sister and friends, during the summers growing up:
This was a concrete bunker built on the beach at Cape May Point during WWII, where, I guess, the Army thought the Germans might attempt a land invasion [!]. We were strictly forbidden by our parents to go in there, of course, and attempts had been made to secure the steel doors so no one could ever go in, but . . . please. My sister and I got the bright idea of wrapping towels around croquet mallets and dousing those in lighter fluid: improvised torches. It actually worked and we spent many a day hatching great conspiracies and plots in the bunker . . . until our younger brother ratted us out. It was a magical place.
Given my roots in the Pacific NW, my favorite is, of course, this one, where I spent a happy afternoon in 1981 dodging rattlesnakes and imagining myself, probably, a viking (but I hope not one like this).
by J J Cohen
Thanks for this link, Jeffrey, which just unleashed a flood of childhood memories. One of Artificial Owl's "most fascinating abandoned man-made creations" was one of my hideouts, with my sister and friends, during the summers growing up:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.artificialowl.net/2008/10/abandoned-cape-may-giant-concrete-ww2.html
This was a concrete bunker built on the beach at Cape May Point during WWII, where, I guess, the Army thought the Germans might attempt a land invasion [!]. We were strictly forbidden by our parents to go in there, of course, and attempts had been made to secure the steel doors so no one could ever go in, but . . . please. My sister and I got the bright idea of wrapping towels around croquet mallets and dousing those in lighter fluid: improvised torches. It actually worked and we spent many a day hatching great conspiracies and plots in the bunker . . . until our younger brother ratted us out. It was a magical place.
Also, you *have* to love the Fridge Stonehenge outside of Sante Fe:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.artificialowl.net/2008/10/fridgehenge-fridge-stonehenge-outside.html
That bunker must have been SO much fun.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if gourmet chefs perform annual human sacrifices as the summer solstice rises over Fridgehenge?
Thanks for posting this JJC. I expect many rewards for procrastination.
ReplyDeleteHow many henges are there?
Given my roots in the Pacific NW, my favorite is, of course, this one, where I spent a happy afternoon in 1981 dodging rattlesnakes and imagining myself, probably, a viking (but I hope not one like this).