Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge for this week is “Straight Lines”, and have I got a treat for my readers!

Let’s get started with a contrast between man-made, and natural lines.  As I’ve stated here before, Nature does not do straight lines of any kind.  Natural systems do not line up in neat rows or columns, but are more inclined to be ragged or branched.  What does your lawn look like if it has not been mowed for a long time?  The tufts of grass grow unevenly, and you can tell that husband has not been doing his duty-a mower tends to lop off the tops of all the grass plants in a flat configuration, but they sure don’t stay even for long, do they?  The picture below demonstrates the difference between natural and man-made.

This farm near the town of Waterville in Eastern Washington has an obviously man-made fence, with its straight posts and stringers lining up neatly.  The metal barn/garage also has all straight lines of its walls and roof and doors.  Same with the house.  On the other hand, the trees, the dirt, the clouds, and the grass all have curves with no straight lines at all.  When archaeologists are searching for signs of ancient civilizations, from the Egyptian desert to the Peruvian mountains, they go up in airplanes and try to spot the remains of houses and buildings in straight lines.

OK, history and biology lesson over.

My workplace has so many great straight lines!  The photo on the left is straight lines of electrical conduit, organizing all the power to the many big lathes, milling machines, and shapers used to make big aircraft parts (with the straight-lined overhead fluorescent lights peeping through).  The picture on the right is the vertical blinds on the window right over my desk.  Their outlines are straight lines, but their surfaces are curved.

This is the fence that separates my yard from the house next door, and the straight siding on that house. The wood pieces of fence are cut straight, but the wood grain itself is not.  And it’s kind of funny that the siding used on our houses is straight-cut, but the fake wood patterns try to look like they are real wood.

Straight lines galore, on the Promenade Deck of the Crystal Symphony.  The lifejacket lockers make a perfect demonstration of perspective, don’t they?  Along with the straight teak deck planks, and the straight railing.

This straight section of US Highway 2 in Montana offers another excellent example of perspective, as it disappears into the very natural mountains, where there are no straight lines.

This fabric pattern consists entirely of straight lines in groups.  I was drawn to it, because it looked somewhat like the circuit-boards I used to buy.

And this apartment building in Philadelphia is all straight lines.

Here’s the Link to Cee’s Original Post.