By coincidence, my family used to vacation in Maine every summer when I was younger. It never looked quite as good as it does in your pic, though; Wanna guess why? :frankiesmile:

Well done on both! :frankiesmile: :)

Hmm... "You can wonder if you wanna / But I never ask why." (Sorry, 'nother Hairspray quote...) Just teasin'.

Thanks for the thoughts, Cassini!

EDIT: Guys, I'm absolutely STUCK on Minnesota, and it'll be next. (I'll try to get Massachusetts and Michigan up tonight.) I know there's the Mall of America in Minneapolis (sp?), but I want to see if I can find some other options. And no doubt will be stuck on Mississippi when I get to it, too. Any ideas? thank you so much!

Yes, the Mall of America IS in Minneapolis. You know, that's really a great place for Frankie, seeing as how Bloo got her banned from the mall back home. She could really get a mall "fix" in that place! And Mississippi is one of the places I associate with the music style known as "Delta Blues", especially the music of Robert Johnson, who had such a tremendous influence on rock music.


pitbulllady

Yay, two more great ones, WiltsAK! :D Aww, I love Mac in the snow. He's the only kid, surrounded by sharp dressed adults. He's not letting that get in the way of playing in the snow though, lol!

Ah yes, good ol' Minnesota- the state of my birth. Besides the Mall of America, what comes to my mind is the many lakes they have there. And on those lakes many snow geese and loons. Loons are fascinating birds, and their calls are among the most haunting and beautiful bird calls if you ask me. :frankiesmile: They aren't as plentiful anywhere else I've lived, I kind of miss them. Also what comes to mind are obnoxious mosquitoes, biting gnats and horse flies. But that's just me... Once you've lived there a while, you'd understand. :scribble:

I've been through Minnesota in the past, but not for very long-- just until we could get to Ohio and back (long story short-- the airlines were being screwy in Minneapolis/St. Paul so we rented a car and drove to Ohio), so my Minnesota exposure has been limited. When did Bloo get Frankie kicked out of the mall? (Seems like something he'd do...)

Hmm... Thanks for the ideas, pitbulllady! i appreciate them immensely. :D

If you've ever been on the grounds of a military academy, you know there's little goofing off. When I got the picture of the academy gorunds in snow, I thought that a picture from ALC would look good, and the one of Mac instanly clicked.

I tend to think of lakes when I think of Minnesota, too. The Minnesota tourism site has a LOT of stuff devoted to lakes on it. And I do understand the mosquitoes, et. al.-- mosquitoes can be quite plentiful in Alaska. People frequently joke that they are the state bird!

Oh, and here are the next two:

Massachusetts

Michigan

Enjoy! :)

FYI, the Massachusetts link doesn't work. I found it though. ;)

I love Ed in Michigan. Very cute. More good work!

And concerning mosquitoes, they're plentiful all over the world. But in Minnesota, thanks to all those beautiful lakes and the humidity, they are the worst I've ever seen anywhere else in the country. But it's not just the "squits" that are bad, those darn gnats actually darken the sky- they come in clouds! And they bite too. It's just awful. :P

I took the liberty of repairing the Massachusetts link; I trust you won't mind. ;)

Nicely done, as usual. :)

I don't mind; if anything, I'm very grateful. Thanks.

Yay, Michigan! That one em was cute. %3 Heh, I've never been to Frankenmuth myself, though. (Heh, we Michiganders get a lot of interesting city names... Hell, Paradise, Christmas, Frankenmuth, Kalamazoo...)

Frankenmuth is German for "courage of the Franks," the group that settled the area. I think I've been to Kalamazoo, but I can't be sure-- all I really remember, as often as I've been to Michigan, is Frankenmuth and Holland.

Help Please?
 

Please forgive my double post; I have an update.

I have Minnesota done (not up yet-- I'll work on it ASAP, since I'm booked clear to capacity this week), but I'm STILL struggling with Mississippi. I'm working with PBL's suggestion and trying the Delta Blues stuff, and I found the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, but I can't find a picture. If you guys can tip me off as to where one is hiding, or could suggest an alternate place, I'd be immensely grateful. Thanks! :D

I have committed a new sin-- triple posting. I'm really sorry about it-- seriously.

I have the next two states up. (I've lost count on what part number it is.)

Minnesota

Mississippi (Thanks, Cassini! :frankiesmile:)

Enjoy, despite my triple-posting sin. :-[

Happy to help. I'm just surprised that Eduardo didn't flee Minnesota screaming the moment the swords came out. :-[ 8D

Good job! :)

Just now visited this thread: Excellent concept going on. It's so neat to see Foster's characters wandering around the United States; it's also quite funny, too.

I assume you're doing the states alphabetically, meaning that there's gonna be a few more of them to cover. No big.

However, I've got a suggestion for Texas-It involves Eduardo, some rope and a visit to a rodeo. It also probably involves Ed fleeing in terror soon after. Just a thought, since I'm so fond of the Lone Star State.

Thanks. Ed can surprise you, so maybe that's why he didn't run. 8D

Glad you're enjoying it, Diamond Duchess.

I am doing everything alphabetically, but if I really pick up the pace, I'll get done sooner. I may have to take you up on your suggestion for Texas, since I don't have much planned for the Lone Star state.

My next two states are Missouri and Montana, so you guys have some ideas there, I'd be very grateful, particularly for Montana. :D :)

More great stuff, WiltsAK! Keep up the good work! :D

I have an idea for Missouri. Hannibal, the home town of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Fin is there, right on the Mississippi. Mr. Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain lived there himself as a boy. The entire "old town" has been turned into a museum for Sam and his character Tom. I was there a number of years back, quite a fascinating place. Lots of history, and even some fun humor since Mark Twain was famous for his comedy.

Thanks, Lynnie! :)

I actually have Missouri all planned out, but thank you so much for the idea. If the idea I have planned doesn't turn out quite right * cough Wilt in Marine Corps dress blues that I Photoshopped out of sheer boredom cough *, I'll see what Hannibal turns up. (Whenever I think of Hannibal, I think of Col. Potter from M*A*S*H. Yes, I'm weird like that.) I'm going on an absolute idea-finding binge, and I have stuff for Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and Nevada. I'm getting ready to start in on all the "New <state name>" states. Whoo hoo-- I'm getting closer to Ohio!

More double posting! Grr... :edmad: (Maybe I should just go make dinner...) Anyway, here's the next set:

Missouri (Sorry it's so skinny-- the picture I was working with was skinny and making it fatter would have thrown the proportions all outta whack.)

Montana (I think that Montana turned out very well. :))

Enjoy!

Aww, I just love the one with Wilt and the puppy! Adorable. :D The one with Mac is nice too, very well proportioned.

Uhm, I gotta ask though, where did you get the picture of the geyser? Cuz, well, that's not Old Faithful. :-[ For one thing, there are no palm trees in the northern Rocky Mountains, which is where Yellowstone National Park is. The actual Old Faithful is in the middle of a large sand pit, with lodgepole pine trees around. For another thing, although a small portion of the park is in Montana (and also Idaho), most of the park is in Wyoming, and Old Faithful itself is in Wyoming.

Sorry, I had to say something. :-X It's still an awesome picture though. And it's still a beautiful geyser. Nice job, as always. :)

Thanks. I really like the puppy one.

:-[ Oops... The site was note.amherst.edu (the short version) and when I typed "Old Faithful" into my search engire, it pulled it up. Gah, I'm such a dorkfish. (Bill Engvall reference) Thanks for the gentle crtiques, Lynnie. I apprecite them. Them and their gentleness.

P.S. Does anyone have any ideas for New Jersey and New Mexico? New Mexico has Roswell, but that may contradict/be redundant with Nevada.

Oh, well, you'll probably think I'm a meanie, since I left you a note on DA about that particular geyser. It IS Old Faithful, just not the one that's in Yellowstone in Montana! There's actually a lesser-known "Old Faithful" in Calistoga, California, and that's the one in your pic(palm trees were a dead give-away).

New Mexico also has Albuquerque, which is always seen on those hitch-hiker's signs("Hey, this isn't Albuquerque!"-"Bus the Two of Us"), Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, White Sands Testing Range, the artists' colonies at Santa Fe, and one of the largest and most beautiful cave systems ever discovered, Carlsbad Caverns, home to millions upon millions of Mexican Free-Tailed bats that take to the skies each evening in a spectacular exodus!

And New Jersey is home to Bruce Springsteen and Asbury Park, Atlantic City with its world-famous boardwalk and casinos(most of which belong to Donald Trump), some great beaches, and one of the country's most pristine wilderness areas, the Great Pine Barrens. The latter is also reported to the be the home of a bizzare creature, the "Jersey Devil"(look it up on Google), which would fit right in at Foster's!

pitbulllady

No, you're not a dorkfish. :frankiesmile: Just an innocent mistake, besides, it looks like it was "Old Faithful", just not the one in Yellowstone. I didn't know there were two either.

For your reference, here's a pic of Yellowstone's Old Faithful. :)

I was going to share some sights for New Mexico since I lived in Albuquerque for a few years, but looks like PBL got to it before I did. :bloosmirk: Yes, Carlsbad Caverns is an awesome place. Seeing the mass cloud of bats in the evening is amazing, but the cave itself is beautiful, all sorts of stalagmites and stalactites, in every size and shape and color. Truly beautiful. White Sands National Monument is a cool sight too, endless white sand dunes. What I miss most is probably Santa Fe, and all the stucco. It's a city ordinance for every building or house ever built within city limits be built out of stucco. Very "Southwestern" looking, it's really cool. A lot of Native American and Mexican culture down there too- Pow Wows, beautiful jewelry, weaved fabrics, embroidery, and yummy food. They have some awesome skiing there too, both in Santa Fe and Taos. *sigh* I'm starting to miss New Mexico now. :sadbendy:

Oh, I don?t think you?re a meanie-- I saw the note on DA, and I appreciate the constructive critique. If you had flamed me to a blackened crisp over it, on the other hand, THEN you?d have garnered ?meanie? status! In all honesty, I didn?t even look at the picture too much-- it was waaaay past my bedtime when I found it and I was tired. I deleted Montana to try it again tomorrow.

Ah, Albuquerque-- I forgot about it! Wow, I didn?t relaize that there was so much in New Mexico! I haven?t really been there before-- unless you count Four Corners. As for New Jersey, my exposure to the state was really recent (just this summer) but I didn?t really see or do anything that left a lasting impact to make the road trip. I?ll have to look all this stuff up-- thank you so much, pbl! :D

Well, my parents would argue with you on the dorkfish thing, but that?s something else entirely! Thanks for the link, Lynnie-- I appreciate it.

Sounds like I really missed out on New Mexico last summer! I wish I had the money-- I?d do so much more traveling. I can?t wait to look all this stuff up! Thanks. (I?ll probably end up missing Ohio a TON when I do get around to my home state ;))

Avalanche of Pics
 

Today, I went on a total FIT and did a ton of pics. I told myself, "Okay, I'm gonna redo Montana, then do Nebraska and Nevada." Well, I did all that PLUS FOUR MORE. And here they are:

Montana (Thanks for the pic, Lynnie! :))

Nebraska

Nevada (I'm quite proud of this one.)

New Hampshire (Cassini, consider this my way of thanking you for the Delta Blues Museum pic :frankiesmile:)

New Jersey

New Mexico (Thanks to Lynnie and pbl!)

New York (This is the best one of the set, I feel. It's now my desktop pic.)

Enjoy, you guys! <Looks back over massive amount of text and links: Wow, I was busy today! And please forgive me ever-eternal double posting.>

Me happy. And you're welcome, of course. :frankiesmile:

Nice work on all! :)

Wonderfulness all around WiltsAK! Besides the top of her ponytail being cut off a bit, I really like the New Hampshire one, and I also like Mac studying to get into Princeton. I do believe he'll make it in, I really do. Good boy, Mac! :)

And yes, the New York one is awesome, inspirational on many levels, and also turned out very well. Awesome.

Wow, you were busy today! Keep up the great work! :bloosmirk:

Eagan, Minnesota? That's where the Northwest Airlines Headquarters is! I wonder if the they went there, too. Back in topic, Nice work on all these photos. Keep on going.

Thanks. I'm glad you liked New Hampshire. :frankiesmile:

Thanks, Lynnie. I know that Frankie's ponytail got cut off a bit, but I wasn't sure what to do about it; had I been EXCEPTIONALLY Photoshop-savvy, I could have recreated it, but I'm not that good. I think mac stands a pretty good shot of getting into Princeton, too-- a far better shot than I, who haven't even applied anywhere yet! <Sheepish grin>

I'm very proud of New York. Every time I look at it, I can't help but smile. :D

Thanks so much!

Huh, I learned something today! Maybe they did go to the airline headquarters... I now know what I'll be doing for Washington-- Alaska Airlines headquarters is in Seattle. Thanks, LaBloo-- I'm still plugging away, I think I have 19 more to do, and that includes Washington DC.

Ok. I hope to see more in the project!

Since you're doing North Carolina, Try Raleigh or Charlotte or Duke University.
I hope these can help you.

NC has lots of opps for tourism! There's the Charlotte Bobcats NBA expansion team, the Carolina Panthers for those NFL fans, there's the quaint little town of Mount Airy, which was the prototype for the town of "Mayberry" in the Andy Griffith series, and a HUGE Lowe's Motor Speedway NASCAR complex in Concord, near Charlotte(NASCAR is probably the most popular spectator sport in the Carolinas). Mac seems to be really into racing, so he'd be in proverbial hog heaven at that place, which is almost big enough to be a small city unto itself, all devoted to racing and motor sports. For history buffs, there's the Battleship North Carolina, a retired WWII battleship anchored at Wilmington, the home turf of Michael Jordan, that now serves as a museum. There's the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, and plenty of winter skiing in the nearby mountains, and the beautiful and pristine Outer Banks in the northeast, bordering the Atlantic.

pitbulllady

NASCAR Complex! Cool Place. You Can Add Bloo or Cheese with it. And Great Smokey Mountains may have Mr. Herriman as a Rabbit in the winter. NFL will may have Madame Foster or something.

Thx for the ideas for it, pitbullady

First off-- Thank you, pbl, and LaBloo for the ideas on North Carolina. However, you forgot one, which was the focus of this pic: Asheville, NC, and the Biltmore Estate.

North Carolina
Here's a link to the Biltmore Estate page for more background info. My description was a little fuzzy-- www.biltmore.com

My next set will be North Dakota and Ohio. Any ideas for either, particularly North Dakota? I feel really weird asking about Ohio, since that's where I'm from originally!

Beautiful place the Biltmore is. Coco looks quite elegant there. Nice job yet again! :bloosmirk:

When I think of North Dakota I think of the Missouri River which Lewis and Clark paddled on their way to the Pacific Ocean. Fort Mandan is on the banks of the river, where they spent the long, gruesome winter of 1804-05 I believe.

Fort Mandan Is a great idea! But, who should we have the pic?

For Ohio? Let's see..I don't really know that much for Ohio.

I'm about to go on Spring Break (we have break early for some odd reason), so I'm putting out the list of the states I have left and what I have planned for each one (sort of-- I want it all to be a surprise) and I'll work on collecting pics over break, since that's the most time-consuming part of the project:

• North Dakota?need help
• Ohio?covered
• Oklahoma?need help
• Oregon?need help
• Pennsylvania?covered
• Rhode Island?need help
• South Carolina?covered. Trust me?I got this one covered ;)
• South Dakota?semi-covered; I?m very opened to suggestions here
• Tennessee?semi-covered; again, opened to suggestions
• Texas?need help
• Utah?need help
• Vermont?need help
• Virginia?need help
• Washington?Covered
• West Virginia?need help
• Wisconsin?covered, but open to suggestions
• Wyoming?need help
• Washington DC?covered

I'd very greatly appreciate he help here. Thank you all so much for the ideas and for sticking with me this long!
~ WAKG17

Marmath is the "Dinosaur Capital of North Dakota", where many important fossil finds have been discovered, including some of the most-intact Tyranasaurus rex skeletons. There is a Dakota Dinosaur Museum in Dickenson. There's also a lot of Native American sites.

Oklahoma also has a lot of Native American sites and activities, and the National Wrestling Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Stillwater. They also have an awful lot of tornadoes.

Oregon has Crater Lake National Monument; the capital, Portland, is the birthplace of the U-Haul. There's a town called Aloha, which has a statue of an Imaginary Friend, "Harvey the Rabbit", a sort of "relative" of Mr. Herriman. There is the infamous "Oregon Vortex" near Gold Hill, where gravity seems to work backwards, and water flows UPhill, and there's even a town called "Boring", though I'd bet once Bloo showed up, it would be anything BUT!

Rhode Island has even ME stumped; I know there is an Art Museum in Newport because they keep sending me field trip stuff, and there is a bunch of Colonial era buildings and sites, and old light houses, but that's it.

South Dakota-Hopefully this will involve lots of Harleys and a town called Sturgis, or I will be disappointed!

Tennessee-Dollywood, Memphis and Beale Street Blues and the Peabody Hotel, and of course, Graceland; Nashville, the Country Music Capital of the World and the Grand Ole' Opry

Texas-the Alamo(who would NOT appreciate Bloo's impersonation of Ozzy Osbourne, lol), San Antonio's massive bat population, which lives under a bridge, Big Bend National Park, Houston and NASA(Mac would SO be geeking out over that), and my favorite thing to do, if I'm ever in New Braunfels: http://www.savvycenter.com/explorer/.../snakefarm.htm ! This is the same place that was featured on an episode of "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel, by the way.

Utah-Great Salt Lake, skiing, the beautiful Zion and Bryce Canyons National Parks

Vermont-Vermont Cheddar, as in CHEESE(need I say more?)

Virginia-George Washington's home, Thomas Jefferson's beautiful Monticello, the courthouse at Appomatox, where Gen. Lee surrendered, Chesapeake Bay and its fishing and crab cakes, Arlington National Cemetary and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, lots of Civil War and Revolutionary War sites

West Virginia-coal mines, Point Pleasant, home of the infamous monster, "Mothman", who was featured in the movie, The Mothman Chronicles, Harper's Ferry, where abolitionist John Brown was arrested and hanged for plotting to blow up the US arsenal there, made famous in the song, "John Brown's Body"

Wisconsin-Green Bay, home of crazed football fans who take off their shirts and paint themselves green during games played in sub-zero blizzards; Ed Gein, on whom the movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre was based, was actually from Plainfield, WI, and is buried there, and Paul Bunyan is supposed to have been from WI; Eu Claire has a famous statue of him and Babe, the Blue Ox.

Wyoming has a museum devoted to the Jackolope, their official mythical creature(Imaginary Friend?), in Thermopolis. Jackson Hole is famous for its scenic mountain beauty and wildlife, including elk and grizzly bears. There are lots of dude ranches for those cowboy types, and most of Yellowstone National Park is actually in Wyoming.

pitbulllady

Actually Crater Lake is a National Park, not a Monument. And also, sorry, but Portland isn't the capital. Salem is. ;) A lot of people do think Portland is the capital though, so you're not alone. Don't feel bad. :-[

Another famous landmark in Oregon is Haystack Rock at Beacon Beach. There's also Mt. Hood just east of Portland. There's some great skiing, rock climbing and hiking on the mountain. Many Portlanders refer to "her" as the city's guardian angel. Another popular Oregon tourist sight is the Columbia Gorge, through which the Columbia River flows, and is the state line between Oregon and Washington. There are dozens of beautiful waterfalls, including the famous Multnomah Falls.

I use to live there. I have a lot of pride in Oregon. :D

I also use to live in Texas, and what PBL didn't already mention that I miss about Texas is the Gulf of Mexico, particularly South Padre Island. Dublin, TX is the birthplace of Dr. Pepper (my personal favorite soda/pop/tonic :bloosmirk:) and there's a museum there. Texas is also well known for it's State Fair in Dallas every fall. There's a giant puppet of "Big Tex" at the fair's entrance, and he greets everyone as they come in.

*sigh* Ok, I'm starting to miss Texas now, too. :P

I almost forgot that Texas also has Port Arthur, birthplace of Janis Joplin, the "Texas Riviera" of Galveston Island, also on the Gulf Coast, and of course, that football team over in Dallas...what's-their-names...with the cheerleaders. The Austin music scene is still pretty hot, even though the great Stevie Ray Vaughn is no longer with us.

OH, almost forgot this for Wyoming-Devil's Tower! You know, that famous volcanic "plug" that was featured so prominently in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, like that thing that Richard Dreyfuss was sculpting in mashed potatoes?

pitbulllady

Thanks so much for the ideas guys! If I have access to my compouter this spring break (loooooong story... ::)), I'll keep working on finding pictures.

Here's North Dakota

Enjoy!

Poor Ed. It's ok Ed. The T-Rex is looonnngg gone. That's just a statue. Of course I don't expect Ed to take any comfort in that, haha. :smed:

I just realized something, we see Ed jump into Wilt's arms, or rather, ARM, a number of times in the show. How on earth can Wilt hold him up with just one arm?? I know he's strong, but.....wow

Ok, sorry, back on topic. Nice work WiltsAK! :D