Sunday, August 22, 2010

Route 66

Immortalized in a song, Route 66 is world famous as one of the original highways of the USA. If you are planning a trip across its 2,451 miles of tarmac, or just want to share a little of the experience from the comfort of your own home, visit the magic of this group. Threads on the discussion board include 'Favorite Places on the Mother Road…Historic U.S. Route 66', 'Bike rental', 'What to take with you…', 'Where are the best places to stop on Route 66???', and 'Places to Avoid (Single Female Traveling Alone)'. There are over 600 images in the gallery, including photos of the Cadillac Ranch, Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, The Round Barn in Arcadia, Oklahoma and the Route 66 Museum. Visit the wall, if you are looking for a travelling partner, some advice or just want to share your own experiences.

What's great about this group: Share the magic of Route 66.

Update (28 October 2023)
This Facebook group still exists. It has 6.3k members, but is now private. Go here to request access.

The Labyrinth Society on Facebook

Labyrinths are mysterious and irresistible. Some claim they have hidden meanings and purposes, but they can be admired just for their intricate beauty. The group has less than 400 members. There are two threads on the discussion board, 'masked labyrinth walk' and 'World Labyrinth Day results'. The gallery features 38 labyrinth related images (when i visited). The wall is where you will find the most activity, with posts about labyrinth related activities and links to resources. There is even a post from someone who solicited help to construct a labyrinth in Farmville, with an accompanying image. There are various links to other labyrinth related resources.

What's great about this group: it embodies what's great about the internet in general - creating a common area for people who share a minority interest.

Update (28 October 2023)
There is a Labyrinth Society Facebook page (which can be found here), as well as The Labyrinth Society Global Group, a Facebook group with 18,000 members. Go here to visit or join the latter. 

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Man, The Legend, FEATHER HAT

I love groups that take to places and people I might never have known, in this case, Windsor, Ontario to meet the famous Feather Man. There are three topics on thediscussion board, 'His story was in a local magazine a few years back..', 'Rons left hand' and ' Downtown McDonalds', while the gallery shows a couple of photos of Ron the Feather Man(some a little blurry) and even a mural that features his distintinctive image as centerpiece. The group wall is a wealth of additional information and anecdotes about sightings and encounters. There are a few posts from members claiming kinship to him. Other points of speculation are the identity of his girlfriend and the exact nature of their relationship and, of course, the meaning behind all those feathers in his hat. Two posts even suggest powers of teleportation. True, there are a few detractors, but, to quote one wall post, 'we all do things others think are strange, we all carry our own 'feathers'...'

What's great about this group: Well, Ron, really, he will intrigue you.

Update (28 October 2023)
Feather Hat Man, a.k.a Ron LaDouceur, passed away a little more than two months ago on 5 August 2023, at the age of 75. You can read his obituary here. Toy collectors may also be interested to know that he got his own action figure as tribute to his legend, before he passed.