Monday, June 28, 2010

Our pylon

This tower, or pylône in French, is a few kilometers west of our house just at the point where the vineyards give way to forests and fields of other crops. I presume it's a tower for microwave transmitters, the kind the telephone companies use for their signals. But I'm not certain of that.

The pylon is visible from the vineyards out behind our house.

At any rate, the tower stands alone near an intersection of small roads that connect St.-Aignan with Orbigny and Céré-la-Ronde. It's even marked on the maps. And curiously, there is no blinking red light on top to warn aircraft of its presence. And we do have air traffic around us. Light planes, sailplanes, the occasional helicopter, frequent ultra-light motorized hang-gliders, and hot-air balloons.

I suppose most of those things don't fly after dark, so the red and white painting does the trick.
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6 comments:

  1. Cubby28 June, 2010 14:17

    Here in the States it's become popular to disguise communications towers as crosses. Every so ofter we come across giant, monstrous crosses visible over a little town. Are they doing that in France too?

    I'm sure there is some kind of deal worked out with the comm companies and the churches. The church gets a free cross in their yard and the comm company gets to use the church's land for free. They both win, but the rest of us lose by having to look at it.

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  2. Suzanne28 June, 2010 14:43

    It has become popular by us in Connecticut to "disguise" these towers as pine trees but of course they wind up looking like the 1969 artificial Christmas tree variety! We laugh about how they look better just as plain towers with no "branches"...:0

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  3. chm28 June, 2010 14:58

    In rural Southern California, notably around Indio, some antennae could be camouflaged into date palm trees. It doesn't fool anybody, but, at least, it doesn't mar the landscape, especially when there are other date palm trees close by.

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  4. Seine Judeet (Judith)28 June, 2010 15:03

    Wow, all of this about disguised cell-phone towers is news to me! I don't know of any... unless that big arch-looking thing down at the riverfront is one?? :))

    Judy

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  5. Starman28 June, 2010 20:25

    I think the light on top has most to do with the height of the tower.

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  6. wcs29 June, 2010 08:06

    cubby, I think people would have a hard time with that in France. Too tacky.

    suzanne, I've seen that!

    chm, do you have any pictures of that? (et merci pour ton coup de fil)

    judy, no, that has to do with aliens and plots to overthrow the government. Just ask Sarah Palin.

    starman, I wonder...

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