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British Trees
by Erik Gunther
Fri, June 08, 2007, 8:00 am PDT

Over the years, sites with flashy designs and dominant domain names have crashed and burned in spectacular fashion. That's why it's refreshing to come across a site like british-trees.com. This site dedicated to the deciduous has chugged along on the Web since 1994. It's not a spectacular site to behold, and it never received any special recognition from Yahoo! Picks up to now.

That said, there's something about the folks who were on the Web creating compelling content way back in '94. The man behind the genesis of this humble site is Bill Unsworth. He started the site as a reference point for U.K. native tree life. It never grew in scope beyond its roots, but the site lives on today without Bill at the helm. He graciously donated it to non-profit The Woodland Trust in 2004. We caught up with Bill to talk about the early days of the Web and his love of trees...

Hey Bill, when did you start your journey on the Web?

Well, a former business partner suggested in early 1994 that I take a look at this Internet thing and at first I was a bit skeptical. I got a modem and signed up to a service and as soon as a I realized what was really going on I was hooked. Read the full profile...

Filed under: Outdoors, United Kingdom, The Web, Yahoo! Picks Profiles

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A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania
by Molly McCall
Thu, May 24, 2007, 3:00 am PDT

Before we visited Kathleen Connally's photoblog, we didn't know a thing about Pennsylvania's Durham Township. Even now that we've lingered over her luscious, light-filled images, we can't tell you how many people live there or how the residents tend to cast their votes. But we can testify to the township's natural splendor. We can easily conjure up images of how the snow gleams in the winter sun or the clouds whisk overhead. We know there are woods that hold treasures like old lime kilns, rivers that offer muskie fishing, and more than one place for young people to jump around (even in the cold). Many of the residents of Durham seem to glow in that gorgeous light—and maybe from the proximity to Kathleen, who seems to find the beauty in all things. We're gushing now, but a walk through Durham Township can do that to you.
Visit A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania

Filed under: Photography, United States, Outdoors

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Massimo Vitali
by Molly McCall
Sat, February 17, 2007, 3:00 am PST

Massimo Vitali is a photographer of landscapes. But in his case, the panoramic views he captures are more concerned with the swell and shape of human bodies than any mountainside or savannah. Here, arms and legs and torsos fill tracks of sand, swathes of pools or lawn, and large town squares. It's only possible to see these subjects—unknowable and so far off—as tourists in the terrain they crowd. Even in the interior shots of crowded nightclubs or mega-church gatherings, people look small, staged, and overexposed to light or each other. In some of our favorite shots, poolside scenes melt into a bleached-out, borderless realm. The few images largely bereft of humans are inhabited instead by their fold-out chaise lounges, like patient creatures waiting for their people to return.
Visit Massimo Vitali

Filed under: Photography, Outdoors, Photographers

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Muskrat Lovely
by Molly McCall
Tue, October 31, 2006, 2:00 am PST

Once a year along Maryland's Eastern Shore, a decades-old competition pits locals against each other in feats of fishing, trapping, log sawing, muskrat skinning—and beauty pageant charm. Yes, that's right. Each year, one of Maryland's prettiest beats out seven of her neighbors to don the "Miss Outdoors" tiara at the National Outdoors Show. She beams munificently at the crowd, then gracefully yields the stage to a slew of seasoned hunters who proceed to strip large rodents from their pelts at rapid-fire speeds. A new documentary exploring and celebrating this oddball pairing airs today on PBS's Independent Lens. Its companion site includes interviews with participants and a startling selection of "rat" recipes. The brief slideshow of other "quirky pageants" reminds us that Miss Outdoors isn't the only beauty queen to go unheralded in the larger world. Each year, Miss Meat Pie, Miss Hell Hole Swamp, and Miss Penitentiary also clasp their bouquets and wave to the adoring crowds.
Visit Muskrat Lovely

Filed under: Sports, Beauty, Outdoors, PBS

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Camp Camp
by Molly McCall
Fri, September 08, 2006, 3:00 am PDT

In 2003, Roger Bennett and Jules Shell flipped the switch on the Bar Mitzvah Disco, creating an irrefutable account of the big hair and braces ritual. Now, these chroniclers of their time have launched a new project, one destined to rival the Disco in style, verve, and, yes, cultural import: Camp Camp. With a photographic exhibit and accompanying book also in the works, Roger and Jules intend to relate the true tale, once and for all, of the American camp experience in the '70s and '80s. Already they have collected evidence of sweat socks, soccer, and space camp. So if you shipped off to sleep-away camp, rode the bus to day camp, or shot off detailed missives to those who did, step up and contribute. And as you do, remember the Camp Camp motto: friendship, loyalty, and courage FOREVER.
Visit Camp Camp

Filed under: Outdoors, Teens

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