streetart on the michigan coast

this streetart was spotted on the bender park road that is now blocked off. the park, according to oak creek city minute meetings, is being surveyed for possible apartment or condominium development which will span along the edge of lake michigan. the streetart was a charming part of my walk. i'm happy i've captured a bit of the road for posterity.

back at bender park-view of lake michigan at dusk

bender park & fitzsimmons road, oak creek wisconsin-i was braver than i thought

after i took some breathtaking shots down by lake michigan i thought i'd do a little research on the history of the park. it turns out that the road, now blocked off, was used as a dragstrip in the 30's through the 1950's. if you went over the cliff, you won, which means probably died, which sounds ridiculous. even though i saw nothing but tranquility it's listed as a very haunted place (unconfirmed). one man reported a car driving right through them and hitting a ghost teenage girl. i went back through my photos and i don't see anything. people say you can hear screaming and yelling. i heard nothing but birds and the water. here's a picture of the road. the road doesn't look 60 years old. just up the road, 1/4 mile or so a farmer went crazy and killed his family and neighbors. yikes.

upside down cigarettes

so, in Illinois, a 16 year old can sell cigarettes to an 18 year old.

cigarettes can be sold out of a vending machine if under the direct supervision of the owner of the establishment or an employee 18 years of age. (720 ILCS 675/2) make sense?

ah...i didn't see any owner is this corner of the restaurant.

oh, and a sign posted in a conspicuous place upon the premises must be in plain view: ‘SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: SMOKING BY PREGNANT WOMEN MAY RESULT IN FETAL INJURY, PREMATURE BIRTH, AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT’ (410 ILCS 85/4)...............see it? don't you see it? oh, it's that smoke-faded sticker in the upper right-hand corner.

notice how the cigarettes are all upside down?

i think the law is upside down.

it's an american thing

so, the new trend-maybe new-or i just started to pay attention (the latter is more likely) is that some car dealerships surround their parking lots with American flags.

Do you think the boss makes them follow the American tradition and salute the flags as they go up the pole? a group of salesman, shuffling from one pole to the next, mcdonald's coffee in one hand, the other hand to salute.

ever since i saw that city blog picture of the car sale lot with the big banners like wings i started paying attention to our car lots.

or is it?

The middle of the road is where the white line is - and that's the worst place to drive.

-Robert Frost

the swimming pool looks quite inviting this time of year

the overseer

pegasus-the red flying horse-mobil

pegasus was born from the dying medusa. he pawed the ground with his hoof and a spring of muses emerged. pegasus, than, is than associated with the arts and poetry.

in america-the red flying horse means mobil gas.

the clean team

these two stare at me until my car pool arrives. i have no excuse. the car pool ladies are always late. i just hate to clean and vacume out my car.

the least i could do is throw out my disgusting mcdonald's coffee cups and wrappers.

i only do it when it's my turn to drive.

the post office

house friends

well, maybe i was too hard on waukegan. they do have some great old neighborhoods and really, where do you find beautiful old brick houses this regal anymore?

eating lunch at a greek restaurant

waiting for spring-both of them

milwaukee streetscape

standing guard on the lawns of oak creek

for some reason I really like fire hydrants. they are like small stocky men, with yellow hats and the their chains, they just seem official somehow. serious, you know?

pockets of poverty lake county, illinois

rumour has it that senior citizens who have pets will share their meals that they receive from Catholic Charities. they either can not afford to buy dog or cat food or they can't get to the store. so an effort from the local youth ministry put together these packages of dog and cat food so that the seniors would eat the meals that are delivered to them. by disguising the food as a valentine the seniors can 'save face' and accept the gift. volunteers are changing the hearts to clovers for St. Patrick's Day.

street jewelry-oak creek, wisconsin