"Mary Kay Catherdral"

Whoa! Just reselling the glass in this place would probably take our country out of its recession! Below is a description from Dru, the person who submitted the pics. Thanks Dru!

This is the "Mary Kay Cathedral," in Charlotte NC.

Okay, it's really Calvary Church, but it's HUGE and very pink. It used to be a lot pinker but pink stucco fades after a while, so it is sort of rose colored now.

When you fly in over the city you can see this pink thing down below - even the roof is pink. Hence the nickname, obviously.

When they built it they ran out of money, so instead of facing it in pink granite they used pink stucco.

To give you some idea of the size of the building, the little bushes in the front of the church are actually trees higher than an eighteen-wheeler. When they load stuff in and out for events the big trucks look like matchbox cars.

The sanctuary seats something like ten thousand, and the parking lots go on for acres.

Photo Submitted by Druscilla Carter Copyright All Rights Reserved

Peach Water Tower, Gaffney, South Carolina

I am FINALLY sending you some of the pictures of the more ... interesting ... things in South Carolina. We seem to have a thing for weird water towers around here.

The peach is the pride of Gaffney - SC grows more peaches than Georgia, or did when this thing was built, so in an effort to convince the national Peach Association to locate itself in SC they built a giant peach water tower.

Unfortunately, from certain angles it appears to be a giant butt mooning the city of Gaffney.

Pictures sent in by my friend Dru from South Carolina

Sombrero Water Tower from South of The Border, South Carolina

The sombrero is from South of the Border. Apparently some people think it's a romantic destination - there's a 24-hour wedding chapel there. You can also camp, eat at one of the restaurants, or buy an incredible amount of cheap crap.

Picture sent in by my friend Dru from South Carolina

Strange Sign Post

This is an actul sign post in Lynchville, Maine and the towns and distances are real and correspond to the sign.


Photograph and posted by Shay White

Strangely Shaped Birch Tree

This was sent in by a friend. Look closely and you can see the very strangely shaped birch tree in the middle of the picture. Thanks Cynthia!

Breakfast Anyone?

This large frying pan, approximately 10' across, is brought out each summer during the Egg Festival in Pittsfield, Maine and eggs are actually cooked on it. The rest of the year it is stored in the town's maintenance facilities.

Desert of Maine Camel

A strange place to visit indeed, but one worth checking out is the Desert of Maine in Freeport, Maine. Here is a bit of history of the strange phenomenon.

The Desert of Maine was once a working farm, but because the land was overworked and the farm owners used poor crop rotation habits, erosion began to unearth the natural wonder beneath the farmland, starting with a dinner plate sized patch of sand that over the years began to "grow" and overtake the surrounding farmland.

Between 10,000-11,000 thousand years ago when the glaciers that once covered most of North America receded, they left behind large deposits of sand and silt . Once the erosion started and the sand began to become unearthed it began to adapt the habits of a real desert. Just as in the other deserts of the world, the sand began to move and swallow up everything in its path, including any farm buildings left standing.

The family that once owned and operated the farm finally, after years of futile efforts, gave up trying to contain the Desert sands and years later the farm was purchased and turned into a natural, public attraction.

Now the only thing that contains the Desert in Freeport, Maine is the surrounding forest which helps to keep the sand in place. At some point when the real camel that used to be kept here became a bit of a problem, it was replaced with a couple of camel statues, one sitting, one standing.

Beautifully Creepy Gate

What Strange and Unusual site would be complete without a picture of the creepiest gate in town. I don't really think there is any need to post who owns the house nor the street it is on. Needless to say, I wish I knew who made the gate as the workmanship is absolutely wonderful even if IT is a bit creepy . . .

Photograph by Shay White

Maine, USA

Paul Bunyan Myth or Giant Statue Come To Life?

Bangor claims it is the largest statue of Paul Bunyan in the world. The city also claims his legend was born here in Bangor, along with the lumber industry. (I think other states also lay claims to his birthright.)

But no matter where he was born, Mr. Bunyan, as large as he is, (he weighs nearly 2 tons and is over 30 ft tall), and as strange he may seem is here to stay, as he was built to withstand hurricane force winds of 110 miles per hour.

(I remember as a child that we were told all about his escapades in the woods of Maine along with Babe, his Blue Ox from our Grammar School teachers.)

The stone pedestal he is on also holds a time capsule that is to be opened on February 12, 2084. (Not sure I'll be around for that one.)

Oh, and let's not forget that if you read Stephen King's book "IT" you will find that Paul Bunyan comes to life in a way that perhaps the good people of Bangor never counted on . . . Creepy!

The statue was built and donated by New York based Messmoor & Damon Co. (designed by J. Norman Martin), on the city's 125th Anniversary in 1959 and he stands ever proud in front of Bass Park Auditorium at 519 Main Street.

Bangor, Maine
Photograph by Shay White

The Flying Moose of Moosehead Lake

Find it strange when people refer to the saying "When Pigs Fly"?

How about "When Moose Fly"?

This is a strange, yet very recognizable, landmark of a life size "Flying Moose" that graces the entrance to a private residence between Greenville and Rockwood near Moosehead Lake in Maine.

Photograph by Shay White

Route 15, between Greenville & Rockwood, Maine

Giant Hula Polar Bear?

Who knew that there is a species of Giant Hula Surfing Polar bears living out in the public spaces of South Carolina?

Sent in by Drusilla, my Southern Correspondent for this little mission of capturing the Strange and the Unusual on film.

Photograph by Drusilla 2008
South Carolina

Key West Cloud Formation

A strange cloud formation taken from the top of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Key West, Florida.

Not only does it look like a giant hand stretching across the sky, but it appears that Mickey Mouse might be peaking over a cloud bank watching the hand. Strange indeed since I thought Mickey only appeared over Orlando?

(This is the original photo, and has not been photoshopped in any way. It was taken with a Nikon 4300 digital camera set on the Sunset setting.)

Key West, Florida July 2004
Photograph taken by Shay White

Key West Ghost Tour Photo

In 2004 I took part in a guided 'Ghost Tour' walk of downtown areas of Key West, Florida. This is a photograph of a building (I believe the tour guide said the building was to have once burnt, killing many children). I didn't see anything unusual when I took the photograph, no did I see anything unusual on the entire guided tour.

However, upon looking over my photographs when I got home I noticed that there was this strange shape which appears to be floating in mid-air, not to mention it appears to have created a reflection in the window behind it? (look below and to the right of the object.)

This strange shape did not appear in the photos directly before or after this shot, so I am not sure if it was something on my lense? Also, I am still undecided whether or not it is emitting its own light and where in the world did that reflection come from? I can't see how my flash could have produced it since from the position I was standing in should have created a reflection on the other side of the thing and the reflection is on the right side of it. What do you think?

Key West, Florida
During a guided Ghost Tours walk of Downtown area orginating from the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Duval Street.
Photograph by Shay White

Strange Legend of the Buck Memorial

Transcript of the Buck Monument "Curse of the Witch" Legend
(click on the photo of "The Legend" and you can easily read the entire script.)The side-ways "heart" can be seen towards the top of the monument.

The "leg & foot" of the Buck Monument.

Strange and Unusual because of the endurance of the legend even after so many years.

The Buck Monument in Bucksport, Maine

Photographs by Shay White