Travis Williams » Places

Mall of America Weekend

Travis Williams — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:42:25 +0000

We flew up to Minneapolis a couple of weekends ago and hung out at the Water Park of America and the Mall of America. I used my iPhone to make this pano of the amusement park inside the mall.

Storm Over Embassy

Travis Williams — Wed, 26 May 2010 05:08:16 +0000

We had a storm roll through a few hours ago that really lit up the sky as it was leaving. I took this shot of the remnants of the storm over the Embassy Suites hotel from the parking of the Target store in Rogers, AR.

Peachtree at the Lane

Travis Williams — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:25:20 +0000

We have some intriguing old buildings in NWA but this is one of my favorites. It is located in downtown Rogers, AR. It has been known by many names but is currently known as Peachtree at the Lane.

From the Rogers Historical Museum:

Built in 1928 as the Lane Hotel for Little Rock owner S.A. Lane, this five-story structure was advertised as the first fireproof building in Arkansas. John Parks Almand designed the Spanish Colonial style building, which cost $150,000 to build. One-time occupants of the Lane included aviator Amelia Earhart, boxer Jack Dempsey, and actor Errol Flynn.

In 1935 Earl Harris of the Harris Bakery bought the building and changed the name to the Harris Hotel, which was known as the “Palace of the Ozarks.” The Orchard Room, added to the back of the hotel around 1939, was a popular restaurant.

From 1948 to 1963 Warren Felker and the Arkansas Hotel Company ran the property as The Hotel Arkansas. In 1967 the Defenders of the Christian Faith bought the building and opened it as The Defender’s Townhouse, beginning the building’s use as a retirement home. In 1977 Joe and Dera Keen bought it and renamed it the Rogers Townhouse. Since 1999 it has been known as the Peachtree at the Lane.

Shattered

Travis Williams — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:09:34 +0000

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” – Helen Keller

Down On the Farm Redux

Travis Williams — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:35:18 +0000

I recently posted a pano of an old barn in the area. Although I liked the shot, I wasn’t happy with the clear sky and wished for some clouds. A few days later we had some awesome clouds overhead so I went back to try again. This is what I was able to shoot.

Cotton Filled Sky

Travis Williams — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:41:01 +0000

We had our first beautiful day of the year earlier this week. The sky was bright blue and there were amazing clouds all around.

The Impending Storm

Travis Williams — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:20:33 +0000

We had a storm heading for us tonight that never actually hit where we were. It made for amazing clouds though. I took this 360 degree pano at about 6pm in Pea Ridge.

Shop, Shop, Shop

Travis Williams — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:45:39 +0000

I took a six shot pano of the Pinnacle Hills Promenade while on my lunch break today. My wife loves this place and can do some hardcore shopping there.

Alaskan Coast

Travis Williams — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:55:28 +0000

I took this at a beach near the town of Seward, AK. It was the first time I have been to a beach in the summer and was cold.

Full-Size

If A Tree Falls…

Travis Williams — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:09:47 +0000

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

This is some of the scenery that I saw near Seward, AK. It was about 150 yds. from the beach.

Seward, AK

Travis Williams — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:56:05 +0000

Lizzy, Jackson and I were recently invited to Alaska by Lizzy’s parents. This was a great opportunity for us and we were very excited to go go with them. We stayed a few days in a small town on Resurrection Bay called Seward. Here is a little information from Wikipedia.

Seward is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,016.

It was named after William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. In 1867, he fought for the U.S. purchase of Alaska which he finally negotiated to acquire from Russia.

A few things on the local economy:

Seward is the seventh most lucrative fisheries port in the United States per value. In 2004, 49.7 million dollars worth of fish and shellfish passed through Seward according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Another major industry in Seward is tourism.
Seward is also an Alaska Railroad terminus which has a maintained dock for cruise vessels and it controls a shipping terminal for coal from Usibelli. The Railroad and Aurora Energy Services employ dozens of people in the local area.