Chinese Restaurant, Hazelwood.

Back in the day, this splendid restaurant was the place to get Chinese food in Hazelwood. Nowadays, it sells granite sculpture imported from China.

"122 Eyes"

I found this old video for social services in St. Louis; it features some fascinating views of a St. Louis now largely gone. I suspect some of the footage is from the central corridor demolished in the 1950's and 60's.

Coldest Beer in Cape County

Ash Pits

Keith Raske was kind enough to provide me with a couple of photos of mysterious cement tubs located in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood. As best as I can tell, they were ash pits, where homeowners would dump the ashes from their coal fired furnaces. I have seen a couple of these in my own neighborhood, and they were obviously once more common. It's hard to believe that is was only fifty to sixty years ago that people were still burning coal in their furnaces.

Little B, Family Farm, Deer Creek, Illinois

Billboard, Washington, Illinois

Great Wall of Fenton

I came across this massive retaining wall, complete with composite fence, with another retaining wall behind it.

The Post Office: Americana and the Reality of the Present Day

The Chicago Tribune, among other newspapers, reports that the Post Office will be closing 2,000 post offices in the next year. What will happen to all of those abandoned buildings, and what will happen to the social life that once clustered around them throughout America? I will never forget witnessing the arrival of mail on Tangier Island; just about everybody in town had come out and collected their mail, and proceeded to catch up on the latest gossip and news from outside their small island. It was truly a special moment.

That being said, my relationship with the United States Postal Service has rapidly declined in the last ten years. 95% of my mail is now junk mail, and I find myself excited when I actually get a bill nowadays, as it is something that is actually addressed to me. I expect the Post Office to be dead in the average American's lifetime.

Cheap Flower Bulbs from Lowe's

My big box chain store inside bulbs have greatly pleased me in their performance. The flower below bloomed over Christmas, just in time for the birth of Jesus Christ. It's even red and white!The second one has not pleased me as well as the first one. It has plopped over in this picture, and shows no signs of blooming. It has since stood back up, but will probably flop over again sometime soon. It has flopped over before and then risen again, so I am not sure what is wrong with it.

Morton, Illinois: Pumpkin Capital of the World

Yes, it's hard to believe, but Pumpkinland does exist. It's in Morton, Illinois, which is sadly succumbing to suburbanization.

No, Climb DOWN!

No kidding? There's video up on Youtube of the famous ascent up the smokestack of Armour Meatpacking Plant.

Bauerhof, Grant's Farm

Evanston, Illinois Textures

Having grown tired of taking another dozen pictures of the Rookery Building in Chicago, I decided to photograph something else the last time I was in Chicago. Here are some of the fruits and vegetables I saw in the farmers' market in Evanston, to the north of the city.

Morton, Illinois Wooden Bumper

Joan's Trophy

Racing Back Before the Storm

Far North County Adventures

I recently had the opportunity to view some interesting sights in the far northern reaches of St. Louis County. Starting off above is a picture of the terminus of Bubblehead Road, a local legend among teenagers in North County. Below is Pelican Island, located in Sioux Passage County Park; when the water is low you can walk out to the island from the mainland.Located far off in the distance, the Porage des Sioux Power Plant looms over the bottomlands along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.I had never been this far up into North County in over twenty years, and I have no memory of the area except for the County Park. Much of the area is still rural, as this shot along Sinks Road illustrates. Sinks Road takes its name from the "sinks," a geologic formation in northern St. Louis County. A few years back someone built some houses on top of these famous sinkholes, and the houses, well, sank.Finally, it becomes apparent that McMansion construction has not spared this corner of St. Louis County, as this monstrosity nestled in the valley illustrates.If you have the time, take Old Halls Ferry Road north and tour one of the last rural areas of the St. Louis area.

Primary Color Farm Implements

I wonder if it was intentional or not, but I had to stop and take a picture of these red, blue, yellow and green tractors and mowers parked alongside a highway near Eureka, Illinois.

Towel Creations

Staying overnight in Bloomington, my family and I were astonished to discover these towel creations in the bathroom of the Holiday Inn. I was just amazed that no one complained about staying in a Holiday Inn.

Deer Head in Intercourse, Pennsylvania

I have no idea why this buck's head was sitting in the back seat of a car in Amish country.