This house was built in the 1960s at the foot of the Chugach Mountains outside Anchorage, off the south coast of Alaska. At that time there were only two or three other houses in the area and they were only connected to the city by a dirt road.
At first the house was more of a hut with only one room, but over the years room after room was added. When Joe and Brook Connolly, the current owners, bought the house in 2008, the roof was about to collapse. They renovated it and installed large windows overlooking the mountains, the ocean and the skyline of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city with a population of nearly 300,000. Joe Conolly runs a wedding photography agency there. The area surrounding the house is mostly wilderness, animals roam by, such as moose and bears and occasionally even a porcupine or a lynx. The house is close to Flattop Mountain, by far the most popular hiking trail in Alaska. This is not only positive, as hikers sometimes get lost in the garden of the house to pick wild blueberries. And from time to time someone climbs onto the terrace to take a picture.
Weinberger, a collector of found stories, has written an essay about winds and mountains.
more
Climbing higher in search of the last unspoilt natural spots.
more
Booming tourist centres and abandoned valleys: How mountain culture is disappearing from the heart of Europe.
more
How did Mount Everest form, why do mountains grow and where would humankind be without them? An interview with the geologist Gillian Foulger.
more
What sets one nation apart from others? Customs, traditions and social graces are key. Here we explore how societies tick in Qatar and the Central African Republic, from flirting to bartering to death rites.
more
The Al Jafaari’s family home is Al Ashkharah, an Omani fishing village.
more