tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30654085273091343552012-01-17T13:11:31.437-05:00jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comBlogger3601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-30076338999480122012012-01-17T13:11:00.000-05:002012-01-17T13:11:31.538-05:00

My dad's auto body shop is pretty cool, but I doubt that it's kooler than Kurt's.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-11412833884017667602012-01-10T12:03:00.001-05:002012-01-10T12:06:10.162-05:00

Community Christmas tree collection, Verona, Pennsylvania.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-75658018580330823892011-12-28T14:56:00.000-05:002011-12-28T14:56:45.210-05:00

We've taken Lord Vader for a half dozen walks around the neighborhood since he pulled this ratty, eBay-purchased helmet out of a box Christmas morning (Santa may have been up till the wee hours trying to make the rest of the costume out of an old laptop bag). At first Lord Vader made me hum the imperial march as we went, but eventually I just downloaded the song to play it on my phone.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-20050423012484804092011-12-14T14:32:00.002-05:002011-12-14T14:41:30.940-05:00

My kids always get a kick out of Meg White's holiday decorations. The Halloween ones were pretty awesome but Christmas is even better. Of course, it still can't compete with the Snow Duggars.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-11834327939774098002011-12-01T11:48:00.002-05:002011-12-01T12:22:47.479-05:00

The only thing I don't like about this abandoned Frank Lloyd Wright usonian house is that it's not in Detroit. Of course, if it was in Detroit it wouldn't have any of its original furniture. Or copper plumbing.  [Bravo to the guys who did restore the Turkel House in Detroit, saved from a fate like that of the Wynant House in Gary, Indiana]   Previous Photo This image is

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-33648861601343305502011-11-21T14:26:00.000-05:002011-11-21T14:26:53.268-05:00

I'm not sure how I feel about the wolf mask, but I totally digging this outfit he put together.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-82045342763869146482011-11-07T14:45:00.001-05:002011-11-09T10:18:10.774-05:00

The meticulously-sculpted honey locust trees that canopy our neighborhood were planted more than fifty years ago at the direction of prominent American landscape architect Alfred Caldwell. They are beautiful and even under the hottest summer sun they keep the neighborhood at a cool temperature. A few weeks ago they started dropping their leaves and pods. The tree gets its name from the

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-18021505374854213212011-11-02T14:01:00.000-04:002011-11-02T14:01:52.334-04:00

You know the guy who drives this truck looks just like Porter Wagoner.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-32764567979633909532011-10-25T12:15:00.000-04:002011-10-25T12:15:18.760-04:00

Saw this lovely ghost sign while driving around Denver. It's been exposed for decades, and long ago someone even tried to paint an American Beauty Macaroni advertisement over it. I'd guess that someone has been working to maintain this sign, and they're doing a great job. I love the portrait of "The Western Aristocrat." In researching the Tivoli Beer Company, it appears they had a large facility

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-35188586508421605172011-10-12T11:37:00.000-04:002011-10-12T11:37:18.380-04:00

By the time I got there, the wild orgy on the urban prairie was already over. ):   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-53595713747451705652011-10-06T14:53:00.000-04:002011-10-06T14:53:15.065-04:00

I probably should have included this one in my post about the knight costumes, it's one of my favorites. I think he's giving some invisible army a Braveheart-style pep talk here.    Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-37549871708480488832011-10-04T14:44:00.000-04:002011-10-04T14:44:27.616-04:00

According to Wikipedia, "there are currently at least seventy-six such shoe trees in the United States." I'll never forget coming across the one east of Reno when I took Highway 50 across the country in 2001, and was sad to learn from the Wikipedia entry that it was cut down by vandals in 2010. We came across this one by accident.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-8948826888905486012011-09-27T13:51:00.000-04:002011-09-27T13:51:07.996-04:00

I have a show coming up at the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Colorado Springs, Colorado with Yumi J. Roth on October 20-27 (with a lecture on October 20, 7:00 p.m., opening reception at 6:30).   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-25644678758889313722011-09-19T12:13:00.000-04:002011-09-19T12:13:03.431-04:00

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jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-61235981172058987952011-09-09T11:41:00.000-04:002011-09-09T11:41:26.684-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-45434051892231001202011-09-01T10:12:00.000-04:002011-09-01T10:12:40.393-04:00

My daughter was so jealous that there was no museum named after her. "Don't worry, kid," I told her. "You've had a library and a restaurant." Give him this. It's not like the U.S. will adopt the metric system during his lifetime.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-52576998966406415552011-08-30T10:22:00.001-04:002011-08-30T10:24:47.792-04:00

It's hard to believe these started as seeds my kids plunged into little pots of dirt last March. We returned from our vacation to find two raised beds like this one full of open sunflowers, as well as several blooming in pots around our garden project. This was a dirt lot last summer, and thinking about that makes me happy. Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-13324766425536991662011-08-25T09:48:00.000-04:002011-08-25T09:48:11.880-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-76485414036552345352011-08-12T09:49:00.000-04:002011-08-12T09:49:28.774-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-64842895039359741912011-08-08T10:50:00.000-04:002011-08-08T10:50:32.968-04:00

With all due respect to Ms. Comstock and all the other women who've won the title of Michigan's top homemaker award since 1890-whatever, the time may have come for a dark-horse candidate. With balls. According to the article, the winner takes home "a trophy, a crystal dish, a $100 gift certificate, a tiara, a sash and a bouquet of red roses." I really want that sash. Previous Photo This

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-79383154750848771392011-08-01T09:13:00.000-04:002011-08-01T09:13:35.671-04:00

From Lewis Carroll, here.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-45837423113541917422011-07-19T11:59:00.000-04:002011-07-19T11:59:08.329-04:00

We've been hanging out a lot lately next to this "feral building" where one wall has been completely taken over by ivy (you can see it in a few of the pictures in this post, and I hope to write about what we've been doing up there later this week). The only time our pup Wendell ever runs away from us is when he hears a firecracker. Years ago, when we first rescued him, some teenager jackass

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-78341217750273495492011-07-15T11:18:00.000-04:002011-07-15T11:18:28.058-04:00

Technically, Thor's wagon was pulled by two mighty he-goats (Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr), but sometimes you just have to improvise.    Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-24207047537757639992011-07-11T11:11:00.000-04:002011-07-11T11:11:33.742-04:00

In my opinion, the best bookstore anywhere. Lemony Snicket was in line behind us when paid for eight or nine books that we discovered thanks to the always-excellent staff recommendations. Such a dignified pose for such an undignified text. This store wasn't there when we lived in the neighborhood, but if it was I might have dressed better. Why take your kid to the real aquarium when

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-44429414496917667172011-07-01T09:46:00.000-04:002011-07-01T09:46:51.145-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-80963475981742236662011-06-28T11:21:00.003-04:002011-06-28T11:47:21.210-04:00

I'm pretty sure the flavor they sold out of that day was "YUPPIE FART." Locally sourced, of course. (Smitten Ice Cream, Hayes Valley. . . thanks, Mike) Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-35406123569462490762011-06-21T09:16:00.000-04:002011-06-21T09:16:21.187-04:00

. . . now that we've been serenaded by our favorite neighborhood bagpiper.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-41456225870134599322011-06-15T11:20:00.000-04:002011-06-15T11:20:09.018-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-86096805544280001572011-06-08T14:23:00.000-04:002011-06-08T14:23:19.105-04:00

I felt like such a pervy creeper after taking this photo in Kingston, Ontario, but I swear I was mostly interested in the sculpture (Time, by Kosso Eloul). Still, there was something kind of magical about watching all the Canadians shed down to shorts and t-shirts (and in some cases, bikinis) for what seemed to be the first nice day of the year (last Monday). Throughout Toronto and the rest of

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-45712254860210538202011-06-07T12:23:00.000-04:002011-06-07T12:23:32.952-04:00

And here you thought mogwai were the strangest things you could buy in Chinatown.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-71653052099572925222011-05-31T19:02:00.000-04:002011-05-31T19:02:38.870-04:00

We spent an amazing day last week on my Mom's cousin's farm last week (it's been in the family for generations) and I once again marveled at the way he organizes all his tools and things in the barns (his hammer collection my favorite, and I took a picture of it last fall and included it in this post). I will share a few pictures of the fun the kids had on the farm soon, but today it's just

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-27049384285156720192011-05-24T11:07:00.000-04:002011-05-24T11:07:48.486-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-49571041446276928422011-05-19T09:51:00.000-04:002011-05-19T09:51:51.633-04:00

Even in the summer, steam rises from the tunnels underneath our city. It smells terrible. At this spot near our house, I've seen men cooking meals on the vents. This guy was dancing. My kids said he was a ghost.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-81498809297110557482011-05-17T12:06:00.000-04:002011-05-17T12:06:54.174-04:00

Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-45051142384721606572011-05-12T14:35:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:25:21.020-04:00

When we told him he'd spent enough time crawling around inside the 1912 Oldsmobile, he thought he could hide from us. A master of deception, this one.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-30258016711647793482011-05-03T14:46:00.000-04:002011-05-03T14:46:50.713-04:00

The other day he pulled two 40lb bags of soil/manure home from the hardware store (plus the boy) like it was nothing. I love this dog.  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-30149369478855798762011-04-29T10:34:00.002-04:002011-04-29T10:48:58.148-04:00

Dr. Haddad, you are, without a doubt, a very hunky gynecologist. Between your flowing locks, your penetrating stare, your confident stance, and your ability to wear pink without compromising your rugged manliness, I'd have to say you get my vote as the hunkiest gynecologist in the metro area. None of these things particularly make me want you anywhere in the vicinity of my wife's vagina though,

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-3719451297167486542011-04-26T08:00:00.000-04:002011-04-26T08:00:57.378-04:00

Our alma mater. A place where some of the finest young minds in the world come together to grapple with the most challenging legal issues of our day. And, you know, apparently learn how to properly spell the word "judgment."   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-36923549057901484482011-04-21T11:31:00.000-04:002011-04-21T11:31:22.207-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-9419696174355438042011-04-19T10:36:00.001-04:002011-04-19T10:37:07.737-04:00

Yeah, I could have gone around New Orleans only looking for all of this kind of stuff. The climate and the lingering legacy of Katrina mean there's plenty of "feral" architecture. But what amazed me about New Orleans (as a Detroiter) is that when you pan back from this sort of thing, it's hard not to include someone working to make the city better. Like here, where a group of workers were

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-18588664924865888152011-04-11T12:04:00.000-04:002011-04-11T12:04:50.902-04:00

What's the saying, "like a fish to water?" Indeed. She took to that thing like a Portland hipster to his fixie. Within an hour of learning she was riding it all the way around the park. Over the weekend she rode it all the way down to the riverfront (luckily, we have a below-grade, mile-long trail that connects our neighborhood to the river without crossing any streets).   Previous Photo

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-9685535372615334002011-04-06T09:47:00.000-04:002011-04-06T09:47:40.763-04:00

Of all the pictures I took when I went back into the book depository after three years, I think this is the only one I want to share. For scale, the brown paint on those columns goes up to about six or seven feet. I would estimate that pile of books and paper to be nine feet high in places. There was a stream running through this part of the building while we were there, and I'm not just using

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-16903067594761768992011-04-01T10:47:00.001-04:002011-04-01T10:55:36.387-04:00

We saw this dog outside one of those infamous Detroit houses alone on its block, in the middle of one of the city's biggest stretches of urban prairie. Although it's a little hard to tell from the photo, he was HUGE, and he was gnawing on some fresh beast that he'd killed himself. Rabbit? Rottweiler? Whatever it was, there wasn't much left.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-91862427968469732792011-03-30T13:55:00.000-04:002011-03-30T13:55:33.637-04:00

This poster from the set of a movie he's shooting downtown shows what it might look like when Clooney finally decides to become the next Actor President of the United States.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-74252527272177722192011-03-23T13:41:00.000-04:002011-03-23T13:41:57.835-04:00

So my father-in-law brought this Boba Fett helmet with him when he visited for Gram's birthday recently. As I said in a recent post, the kid steadfastly refuses to take it off. I am worried bearing the weight of it is going to give him those really thick neck muscles you see on guys who eat nachos and watch too much football. The real question is: should I bust out the glue gun and build

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-5792301814713388652011-03-08T11:10:00.000-05:002011-03-08T11:10:37.494-05:00

I spotted this "Asterix Helmet" at a toy store in the 13th District the other day and after making the purchase, it became clear that this would be the best thing we'd buy in Vienna. It was almost impossible to get off his head for several days, and he made a lot of people smile walking around town wearing it (including a group of Japanese tourists who wanted to take his photo).

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-23196413747407038022011-03-04T16:09:00.002-05:002011-03-04T16:15:09.927-05:00

Now try to imagine it with drumming and chanting. Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-68311996826688215132011-03-01T04:17:00.001-05:002011-03-01T04:23:05.237-05:00

What? Your neighborhood playground doesn't have a baroque Cathedral built by a Holy Roman Emperor to commemorate the patron saint of plague victims? Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-35195222440459947772011-02-23T04:20:00.000-05:002011-02-23T04:20:40.639-05:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-51630070782170170682011-02-18T12:20:00.000-05:002011-02-18T12:20:43.913-05:00

I don't know what's wrong with me lately. All I've really wanted to take pictures of is dirty brick walls. At least I have had the sense not to share any of them. This one I could not resist sharing, if only for President's Day weekend.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-52138303696940305042011-02-10T12:34:00.000-05:002011-02-10T12:34:51.535-05:00

We were building in the snow, and every time we picked up a fallen stick to fasten an arm or bolster  a sculpture, he pointed and that tail started up a hundred miles an hour. Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-64862328977656477392011-02-01T12:21:00.000-05:002011-02-01T12:21:28.815-05:00

Our daughter has been an avid bird-watcher for over a year now (it started in earnest with last year's birthday), and nothing gets her as excited as a male cardinal in the tree in front of our big window. No matter where I am in the house, I receive an urgent plea to come and look. This time I had my camera.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-53094159517900702011-01-21T16:25:00.000-05:002011-01-21T16:25:16.945-05:00

This building was a favorite of visiting photojournalists for years to illustrate stories about Detroit. It's right across the street from the iconic train station (a mecca to visiting photographers), and I suspect they felt the words "auto parts" and obvious abandonment said something about the state of the city's economy or industry or something. At some point during the recent spate of

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-46825187844080583332011-01-19T14:05:00.000-05:002011-01-19T14:05:33.589-05:00

So there's this house on Grand Blvd. that my kids love because they must have ten German Shepherds and they're usually all out on the porch or in the yard. They're sort of like the Bumpus Hounds in A Christmas Story. The other day I drove past and only saw these two sorry fellows out in the cold, but I got a nice shot of that one looking at me from the porch. Next summer I'll try to get one

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-52058078925192237012011-01-14T11:51:00.000-05:002011-01-14T11:51:57.908-05:00

Our neighborhood is full of these juniper bushes, technically Juniperus Virginiana (or Eastern Red-cedar). There are juniper berries growing on them most of the year, and when we walk past I often grab one and bite down on it to get that little taste of gin. Unfortunately this is also the dog's favorite place to relieve himself, so I make sure to pick a berry growing well above the reach of dog

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-23972130796866473832011-01-10T09:27:00.000-05:002011-01-10T09:27:03.905-05:00

I can't believe I've been visiting Pittsburgh for fifteen years and I'd never once been inside any of the Carnegie Museums. We finally went on this last trip and the kids got to see the collection of dinosaurs, which is one of the best around. Nothing like the massive skeleton of a Jurassic monster to make you feel like a kid again.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-31499257945774782862011-01-04T14:28:00.000-05:002011-01-04T14:28:53.764-05:00

We were heading from Oakland to my father-in-law's place in the South Side hills when we saw this weird church tower on a corner floating alone against a modern office tower. I looked up what it was, and it turns out the tower once belonged to the Bellefield Presbyterian Church (built in 1889), which merged with a nearby church in 1967 and most of the original structure was torn down in 1985.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-29364867610905166462010-12-31T11:03:00.000-05:002010-12-31T11:03:19.662-05:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-33710092169917139852010-12-20T11:32:00.000-05:002010-12-20T11:32:47.177-05:00

Oh winter in Detroit. . .the tree is lit at Campus Martius, the skaters are circling 'round the public rink, the Santa at the Renaissance Center asks my daughter if she still likes Dora, and the dog gangs finally emerge from the vacant houses where they've been hiding all year.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-69614004137022353242010-12-14T14:33:00.000-05:002010-12-14T14:33:57.656-05:00

It's funny how determined kids can be to enjoy the snow when it's still a seasonal novelty. It was eleven degrees outside when I took this picture. It was like a Jack London short story out there. She's wearing four pairs of pants under the snowsuit and at least three sweaters. I had to cajole her into the house with promises of hot chocolate. In a couple months, we'll be so sick of the

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-52763274470893307992010-12-07T13:42:00.000-05:002010-12-07T13:42:15.550-05:00

Of all the pictures I've taken in this town, this one probably says the most all by itself.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-46668455643541426742010-12-01T14:43:00.000-05:002010-12-01T14:43:16.411-05:00

Strangely enough, just a few days after I posted a photo of the Brush park "castle" (also known as the Luben Apartment Building) and wrote about what a wreck it was inside, a suspicious fire broke out in the building and within a few hours demolition crews were there to level it. In a city filled with corrupt politicians and greedy demolition contractors, theories abound about how quickly

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-10080298112978051452010-11-23T12:56:00.001-05:002010-11-23T13:11:21.049-05:00

We were running some errands on a foggy morning and when cutting across Brush Park I just had to stop and take this picture. This building is wide open, a total wreck inside, and likely cannot be saved. That's one hell of a facade though.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-58362092968014293222010-11-17T14:56:00.000-05:002010-11-17T14:56:46.742-05:00

. . .although you wouldn't know it from any of the houses. Still, somebody has to put the garbage out to feed the gang of feral cats.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-14879805034233839252010-11-11T11:11:00.001-05:002010-11-11T11:20:49.682-05:00

I got up early on Tuesday and drove down to Bloomington, Illinois for the opening of a solo exhibition of my pictures and to give a talk about them. Central Illinois is as flat as they say, but it has its own kind of beauty.  Thanks to everyone who came to the beautiful campus of Illinois Wesleyan University, from the students and locals to those who drove from as far Peoria, St

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-89562651777083365942010-11-04T11:35:00.000-04:002010-11-04T11:35:48.720-04:00

There's nothing this kid can't do out there.    Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-21592927159727712162010-11-01T09:44:00.000-04:002010-11-01T09:44:05.875-04:00

Despite what you may have heard, Robocop/Red Fox relations have never been better.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-47456130434225217952010-10-28T11:39:00.002-04:002010-10-29T10:55:19.615-04:00

I'm sure my more sensitive, liberal readers will bristle at the sight of him with that toy gun, but sorry guys this was pretty awesome. Even my more sensitive, liberal readers will still probably agree he shows excellent room clearance technique. And no, I'm not crafty enough to make a holster that pops open at the thigh. That would have been cool though.   Previous Photo

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-12820262408336064102010-10-15T10:15:00.001-04:002010-10-15T12:05:57.826-04:00

We caught a performance of the Crosstrailers Square Dance Club at Eastern Market last weekend. I spotted this lovely lady buying greens after she danced and asked if I could snap her photo. She was so sweet she practically talked my wife into joining the troupe. The Crosstrailers meet every Friday 6:00-8:45 p.m. at the Williams Recreation Center, 8431 Rosa Parks Blvd. in Detroit. Who knows,

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-46382547353981830642010-10-12T10:40:00.000-04:002010-10-12T10:40:47.974-04:00

The Detroit Institute of Arts recently installed "framed reproductions of forty of its most famous works to the main streets and landmark outdoor spaces" of metro Detroit in celebration of the museum's 125th anniversary. Fittingly, they placed a reproduction of Frederic Edwin Church's massive Syria by the Sea in front of the ruins of the Michigan Central Station. My daughter had a play

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-22478361148185989542010-10-06T10:46:00.000-04:002010-10-06T10:46:00.354-04:00

On our drive down to Nashville, my friend and I stopped in Cincinnati for a bite at Ollie's Trolley right off I-75 and a quick tour of Over the Rhine. I was interested to see the ways that someone (the OTR Foundation? The Cincinnati Preservation Assoc.) had painted the doors and windows of many of the abandoned structures bright colors. We made slight detour to visit The Hole (I wrote about

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-17291493738765402172010-09-29T14:30:00.000-04:002010-09-29T14:30:21.627-04:00

With the cold weather coming, we've been enjoying the dog wagon quite a bit before I put it away for the winter. Truthfully, we didn't use it much during the warmer months, because I was constantly getting harassed by overeager amateur animal activists at Eastern Market on Saturday mornings. Ninety-nine people out of a hundred would smile or say something nice, but there was always that one

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-2590661919259245612010-09-28T11:24:00.000-04:002010-09-28T11:24:44.522-04:00

God we are such yuppies. The moose cutting board is for my mom. We were hoping to give it to her earlier, but now she's going to have to read about it here, and watch me tell the internet that she collects moose tsotchkes and doesn't own a cutting board (every time we go to my parents' house and try to cut vegetables we have to do it on an old school lunch tray). Not anymore! The yarn

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-65376003468222018162010-09-24T14:13:00.000-04:002010-09-24T14:13:19.141-04:00

Things sure are easier when you have an extra paddler. Especially redheads wearing sailor shirts. Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-4986606178004764782010-09-23T12:02:00.000-04:002010-09-23T12:02:51.396-04:00

My wife took this one at the bald spot on top of West Rattlesnake Mountain right before my canoe almost got blown across the lake below.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-71306016912756150872010-09-20T11:07:00.001-04:002010-09-20T11:34:05.390-04:00

I would have liked to have been there when the offer for this ride was made (and accepted).   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-17227904747588205852010-09-15T17:00:00.001-04:002010-09-15T17:00:40.476-04:00

Man, I really wish this place had been open. I would have loved to have seen what they had in there.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-88089739312889129872010-09-09T10:05:00.000-04:002010-09-09T10:05:55.720-04:00

May: September:   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-76898356697656598002010-09-07T08:37:00.000-04:002010-09-07T08:37:57.859-04:00

It's been awhile. . .   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-1781725631477031642010-09-01T13:01:00.001-04:002010-12-28T10:50:29.162-05:00

As I wrote yesterday, with a small group of interested parties I had permission to see the inside of the Broderick Tower. The penthouse apartment once belonged to Thomas Eaton (the guy who built the building, calling it the Eaton Tower) and it was later used by David Broderick as the swanky private Sky Top Club during the 1940s/50s. Vandals have seriously destroyed the interior that was pretty

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-6839584533310221722010-08-31T11:39:00.001-04:002010-12-28T10:52:55.574-05:00

My friend Camilo Vergara was in town for the week (with preservationist Tim Samuelson, Chicago's "original crazy white man") and the last few times he's visited I've tried to figure out a way to get him into some of the shuttered buildings where he took some of his early 1990s shots of Detroit (as seen in American Ruins and The New American Ghetto) without much success. I'm not an "urban explorer

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-51566024327373928072010-08-27T08:47:00.000-04:002010-08-27T08:47:12.590-04:00

It's fairly often that I dream about living in the country, Romae rus optas and all of that. When I see some place like this it makes the fantasies worse. I'll bet they don't even bring that stuff in at night, they just leave it there, protected only by trust.     Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-72582478179592703642010-08-25T11:01:00.000-04:002010-08-25T11:01:01.970-04:00

Last Saturday I walked around the market delirious with the peaches and melons. We pulled enough tomatoes out of the garden for ten pints of pasta sauce. We saw this guy from the side of the road, watching over his bounty. You'd be hard pressed to convince me this isn't one of the best times of the year.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-85170815428364949502010-08-20T11:14:00.000-04:002010-08-20T11:14:10.843-04:00

At first this looks just another one of Jim's depressing and overexposed photos of nature taking over a formerly-nice middle class neighborhood, right? But see that tree growing in front of the porch of that house on the left, just a few feet from the orange sign warning that the houses will soon be demolished? Look closer: It's a feral peach tree. The girl is a huge James and the Giant Peach

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-51570525283466298332010-08-16T17:23:00.001-04:002010-08-16T18:02:33.771-04:00

So I was intrigued enough by this broke-down Louisiana hovercraft I saw in Cheboygen that I actually inquired about its price. I figured once you've built your kids a bicycle built-for-three and a dog wagon, if you're going to impress them next summer you can only go HOVERCRAFT. When I got home, I googled "scat mobile" to see if I could get any information about the model, and was as revolted

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-2237533266721438812010-08-12T16:25:00.000-04:002010-08-12T16:25:41.590-04:00

We were up north for a few days, on the shore of Lake Michigan, swimming three times a day.  Not a lot of time to update the site, but plenty of time for lots of fun. Now that we're back I'll be posting regularly again, soon. [photo by my wife, belly by mozzarella cheese]   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-5495060547433943372010-08-06T10:21:00.000-04:002010-08-06T10:21:02.249-04:00

I told him it was way cooler than a Ford F-250.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-29901821890096903862010-08-03T09:18:00.002-04:002010-08-03T15:14:00.866-04:00

The wife and I jetted to New York for our first weekend without the kids since well, since before we had any. While she was at a bachelorette party, I caught a great (and free) evening of classic Detroit blues/garage rock outdoors at Lincoln Center after meeting up with Zan and her husband Jonathan. I saw about half of Death's set, and made sure we were right up close to see the rare performance

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-37638486674707980712010-07-29T09:19:00.000-04:002010-07-29T09:19:52.574-04:00

I just put up some new work on my portfolio site. The new motto is less broken shit. Let me know what you think.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-61464216584610694212010-07-23T11:25:00.000-04:002010-07-23T11:25:32.325-04:00

Here the J.W. Westcott II mail boat makes a delivery to the CSL Niagara, a 225.5 meter Great Lakes bulk vessel passing through the Detroit River. The Detroit River Post Office is the only one in the world that exists solely to deliver mail (and sometimes pizza) to vessels that are under way. It even has its own zip code (48222). Mail boats have been operating from this location since 1895,

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-81987734523163542402010-07-20T10:01:00.001-04:002010-07-20T10:02:56.791-04:00

When you're driving down a street full of mansions built during your town's glory days and you see a pink edition of one of the most bold and luxurious products that town ever produced (a four-window 1959 Cadillac Sedan De Ville) with three kids in the back seat parked in front of a magenta-roofed mansion, not only are you glad you have your camera with you: you can almost forget that just

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-29307844416730837932010-07-14T22:21:00.000-04:002010-07-14T22:21:12.334-04:00

Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-46339141184516749642010-07-13T13:10:00.000-04:002010-07-13T13:10:23.606-04:00

Every morning while I was camping, I went for a short hike before my friends woke up. The campsite was right in the middle of the overgrown ruins of the ghost town of Proctor. I took this while walking up to find Proctor cemetery.  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-6287123071161951372010-07-04T23:37:00.000-04:002010-07-04T23:37:19.493-04:00

  Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-58926372180165525922010-07-02T09:18:00.000-04:002010-07-02T09:18:26.219-04:00

The funny part is, in Detroit I wouldn't leave my Wang 1200 word processing microcomputer, brick cellular telephone, VHS-camcorder, or newfangled solar-powered calculator in public view either. Yoink.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-71539750593525656522010-06-28T10:26:00.001-04:002010-06-28T12:04:59.964-04:00

I came across this guy picking mulberries on a highway service drive yesterday.  He had that tree nearly picked clean and I told him about some of my favorite places to pick. Then I asked him what he was going to do with all his mulberries, and he said, "Man, I'm just gonna EAT 'em!"   Previous Photo These images are Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-48716710011076267012010-06-21T10:33:00.000-04:002010-06-21T10:33:47.692-04:00

We watched the pheasant go in and out of view among the tall grasses in front of the ruined building my daughter calls The Castle, and an old guy came out on his porch we talked about the birds a bit. Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-52288753780370906762010-06-15T09:34:00.000-04:002010-06-15T09:34:20.351-04:00

If you're ever in Detroit's neighborhoods in June, you have a chance to see that some of those plants growing up and taking over the porches of abandoned homes are actually the former owner's untamed rose bushes. Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-21492177214767100662010-06-11T11:47:00.001-04:002010-06-11T11:52:11.847-04:00

The father of one of my good friends in high school did his Mormon mission in Italy. I believe it was somewhere in Tuscany, maybe even Florence. I ate my first real Italian meal at their house. The time he spent in Italy inspired him to live a life bent towards classical learning, and later he would be my professor in Latin and Ancient Greek in college. Whenever I see smiling young Mormon

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065408527309134355.post-4826015592642257412010-06-09T13:02:00.000-04:002010-06-09T13:02:03.732-04:00

Saw this guy painting a mural on his garage, and came back a few days later to see the results. Love the panther.   Previous Photo This image is Copyrighted. No unauthorized reuse.

jdghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17138644775090861195noreply@blogger.com