Lens Artists Photo Challenge: Small Towns

Amy starts out this week’s challenge with:

This week the photo challenge is about the countryside and/or small towns.

“Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere;

and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself” –author unknown

Here in the Midwest, small towns are often found along the shores of the numerous lakes.

Ephraim, Door County, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan

Bayfield, Wisconsin on Lake Superior

Sometimes you will find a really BIG town on the shores of these lakes, too!

Chicago, Illinois on Lake Michigan

Being from a small town is nothing to be ashamed of. Even if the town’s name is Embarrass…

French fur traders found it difficult to float logs down the meandering river that runs by this town. They would create log jams, hindering the flow of timber to its destination. “Embarrass” in French means “block or hinder”. The Embarrass River and the town of Embarrass is not hiding a dark scandal, after all.

School bus stop, Woodman, Wisconsin

Small towns that can sustain their small populations are wonderful models of the future, not simply relics of the past. Putting humans on the landscape while paying close attention to scale and carrying capacity is a challenge that must be addressed if our species is to survive much longer on this planet.

14 thoughts on “Lens Artists Photo Challenge: Small Towns”

Great photos! Thank you for introducing the Embarrass town in Wisconsin, Priscilla. Good to know “Embarrass” in French means “block or hinder”. Yes, the scale and carrying capacity is a challenge, good point and well said.

scillagrace says:

September 21, 2019 at 1:04 pm

Thanks, Amy!

Reply

Lovely! I live on such a noisy section of our city and just yearn for something like this. Even just these photos bring a sense of quiet to my world. Thank you, Priscilla. xo

scillagrace says:

September 21, 2019 at 11:20 pm

I think I’m totally spoiled now and could never go back to living in Pomona in southern CA. The urban sprawl really gets to me.

Reply

Loved your images as well as your closing thought Priscilla. And of course enjoyed the story of Embarrass!

scillagrace says:

September 21, 2019 at 11:26 pm

Thanks, Tina!

Reply

Lovely.

scillagrace says:

September 21, 2019 at 11:26 pm

Thanks, Dawn.

Reply

Great post! Love it!

scillagrace says:

September 22, 2019 at 4:11 am

Thanks, Ana!

Reply

so fun to learn about Embarrass and block or hinder
and this post reminds me as to why I like blogging – I learn so much
and I see cool things like those chairs at the small town bus stop