Leannderthal

Mark’s friend invited Mark to come take what he wanted from an old TV repair shop.  The shop has been closed, leaking, and getting moldy for many years.  We looked at lots of smelly stuff.

There wasn’t much that was old enough or cool enough to interest Mark, but he did manage to fill the big van.  Twice.

This will give you an idea of some of the stuff we looked at.

This will give you more of an idea.

Mark and his friend Kirk who is happy with his find.

On the way home, we passed a man on a white horse.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places Lynn Krawczyk spends her life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. If you’d like to join her by posting a photo on Sunday of places you’ve been on your blog/photo hosting site/website, leave a comment on her Sunday posts telling her where she can find you/your photo and she’ll add a link to her sidebar so others can find you. I am one of those that Lynn has badgered into joining her, I have changed it to “where I stood”, because right now I’m sitting in front of the computer, not standing anywhere.

A broken car mirror catches no understandable images.  This is the remains of the BMC factory, a place I visited early in the life of this blog.  To see the original post, click here.

They’ve finally torn it down, now all that’s left is this tunnel, some walls and a lot of debris.

Graffiti with an important message.

The pile of leftover.

A couple of shots of what was left on the walls.  I like the numbers and colors of these.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places Lynn Krawczyk spends her life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. If you’d like to join her by posting a photo on Sunday of places you’ve been on your blog/photo hosting site/website, leave a comment on her Sunday posts telling her where she can find you/your photo and she’ll add a link to her sidebar so others can find you. I am one of those that Lynn has badgered into joining her, I have changed it to “where I stood”, because right now I’m sitting in front of the computer, not standing anywhere.

Yesterday was a very busy day.  It started in Eastern market, then down to the Riverfront, where there is a map of Detroit in the pavement.  The map doesn’t quite make it out to Plymouth, Mark and I had to settle for Livonia.

First stop was Eastern Market, where we met up with friends and relatives, bought produce, and had an enormous breakfast at the Farmer’s Restaurant.  We would need that food/fuel later.

Then on to a long architectural bike tour of Detroit.  This tour was 15 miles, and took about 3.5 hours.  I would tell you of all the sights we saw, the majestic buildings, the different styles, but every time our guide stopped to talk my thoughts turned from architecture to “how did I get into this and how do I get out of it?”  I am not good on a bike.  I am awful on a bike.  I was having thoughts like “If I were to pull out in front of a slow moving car could he hit me hard enough to get me off the tour but gentle enough not to cause any permanent damage?”  I should add that of the six of us that went on the tour together, five of us enjoyed it very much.  If you want to talk about how wonderful the tour was, talk to Mark, his brother and sister-in-law, and their friends.  If you want to know how much my butt hurts, talk to me.

Then on to the Heidelberg Project, where they were having a big party. 

They were celebrating the art of Tyree Guyton.

I love Heidelberg street!  You can walk it easy, no bicycle needed.

Every place you look is more interesting than the last.

Though this house is covered with polka dots, it wasn’t the polka they were doing.

It was Michael Jackson’s dance from Thriller, by a group of very pretty zombies who invited us all to join in!

After this, an elegant dinner in Detroit, then on to the Bizarre Bazaar hosted by Theatre Bizarre!

Entertainment, artwork, and exceptional people watching.

We didn’t get home until after 1 in the morning, a very full day!  I’m gonna take it easy today.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places Lynn Krawczyk spends her life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. If you’d like to join her by posting a photo on Sunday of places you’ve been on your blog/photo hosting site/website, leave a comment on her Sunday posts telling her where she can find you/your photo and she’ll add a link to her sidebar so others can find you. I am one of those that Lynn has badgered into joining her, I have changed it to “where I stood”, because right now I’m sitting in front of the computer, not standing anywhere.

Our friend Ric was in town yesterday, and he expressed an interest in going downtown.

What to do?  He’s already seen a lot of what we have to offer over the years, but he hadn’t seen Hitsville, U.S.A.  We took an amazing tour, and learned a lot.  Berry Gordy started Motown with $800 borrowed from his parents.  It wasn’t really borrowed from his parents, all 8 of the children worked, and $10 a week from each child’s wages went into a fund for anyone to borrow who had a great idea.  Berry asked for $1000, but the family felt his idea was worth $800, so that’s what he used to start the Motown empire.  He paid the family back within a year at 6% interest.  I’d been to the museum before, but it still amazes me to think all that went through that little white house on Grand Boulevard.

Then a bite at the Woodbridge Pub, lovely food and atmosphere.   I had a wonderful lentil salad, and a Stroh’s in memory of my father.

I’ve always had a soft spot for blue bunnies.

We showed Ric our dilapidated train station.

Beep , indeed.

Then we headed for Ann Arbor to see Funktion at the Top of the Park.

We checked out a couple of Ann Arbor historical buildings, a little more intact than the Detroit buildings.

A lovely day.  Back to work.

The orphan car show was yesterday, or would have been had it happened.  The grounds were flooded and the show was canceled.  Three cars showed up anyway. 

They had the sign up, but the river was too high for the show.

Normally, this field would have been full of cars.

These are the three that showed up.

Some of the cars came anyway, but couldn’t get to the fairground, they gathered at the old Hudson Dealership in Ypsilanti, so we did get to check out a few old cars.

The Hudson Dealership sign.

One sexy hood ornament.

Fortunately, the only hornets we encountered were friendly.

A couple of hitchhikers.

Mark calls the Pacer the perfect car for growing pot.

If you are not a Detroiter, you might wonder why our train station looks like Swiss cheese.  I can’t really answer that, except to say it was closed in 1988, and the grand old dame has fallen on very hard times.

She was a beauty, I remember going there with my folks when I was a kid to pick up Grandma and Grandpa.

It is heartbreaking that no one could ever find another use for her.

As beautiful as her details still are, I suspect she is beyond the point of anyone being able to afford to restore her.

The “save the depot?” graffiti was written back when she might have been savable.

At least she’s still there.  This was Tiger Stadium.  Welcome to Detroit.

It’s all about water.  Hard water.

That’s what brought out the throngs of people.

Beautiful water, in beautiful shapes.

It’s the Plymouth Ice Festival this weekend!!

Jim brought along his beautiful wife, the Ice Queen.

Everyone wanted their picture with the Ice Queen, I’ve never seen a celebrity more photographed!

Today the water is falling from the sky, in the form of rain.  Fortunately, one artist was working in a medium more permanent than ice.

I had a couple of good looking men to keep me warm.

We had lot of fun, then Mark and I headed over to “The Station” aka Station 885 restaurant, to see the world’s largest snow cone.

Tony helped build it, and Mark helped eat it.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places Lynn Krawczyk spends her life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. If you’d like to join her by posting a photo on Sunday of places you’ve been on your blog/photo hosting site/website, leave a comment on her Sunday posts telling her where she can find you/your photo and she’ll add a link to her sidebar so others can find you. I am one of those that Lynn has badgered into joining her, I have changed it to “where I stood”, because right now I’m sitting in front of the computer, not standing anywhere.

All things man made eventually fall apart.  Much of it needs to be saved as long as possible, and fortunately there are people whose full time jobs are to keep the likes of say, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, or Stonehenge, or Mona Lisa in as good repair as possible.

I’m fascinated with those artists who not only know art is temporary, but plan for it.  I am astounded at the work someone like Andy Goldsworthy will put in a piece that will slowly and eventually return to nature.  Time is an integral element in those pieces.

Possibly the greatest collaboration in modern art ended on November 18th.  The amazing work of Christo and Jeanne Claude was temporary, but everyone who experienced it was changed.  To see the films about their projects is a wonderful way to understand their work and the incredible drive it took to get these pieces done. There are those so opposed to changing the landscape for a few weeks, then you watch some of them become completely won over when seeing the changes, to totally appreciate the the curtains, the wrapping, the movement of the fabric.   Once the fabric is removed, you understand that the return of the previous landscape is part of the art, a gift that makes you appreciate what you have.  Though Christo’s name is the one that is known, Jeanne Claude was truly a partner and collaborator.   It is the end of a very important and wonderful union.

Saturday Mark and I went down to the Detroit Science Center to see the Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato.  These mummies are only about one hundred years old, only one in a hundred naturally mummified.  They were discovered when bodies were dug up to be discarded because families were not keeping up on the burial payments.  Nice, huh?  The exhibit includes information on how these people probably lived and what probably killed them.  I was a little disturbed to see them refer to the ones that made it to 50 or 60 as very old.  Unfortunately, photography was not allowed, so I can’t show you pictures, but you can find some here.  There is also a mock up of the cemetery, and some information on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).  They show a lot the scientific work on the mummies, including x-rays and scans.  One mummy had cloth inside, that they first thought might be bandaging, but later concluded some varmint moved a nest inside.  The most interesting and creepiest part are the five baby mummies, dressed in finery, one holding a doll, another a stuffed sacred heart, obviously dressed carefully and very loved, now just shells with empty eye sockets, home for worms and weevils.  Never forget:

Don't ever laugh as the hearse goes by
For you may be the next to die.
They put you in a big black box
then cover you up with dirt and rocks.

All goes well for about a week
and then your coffin begins to leak.
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
The worms play Pinochle on your snout.

They eat your eyes, they eat your nose
They eat the jelly between your toes.
A big green worm with rolling eyes
crawls in your stomach and out your eyes.

Your stomach turns a slimy green
and puss pours out like whipping creme.
Spread it on a slice of bread,
that's what you eat when you are dead.

The other day I watched a show about Ardipithecus on the Discovery channel, and I am smitten.  Ardi, as she is called, was a woman who lived more than a million years before Lucy.  I call her a woman because right now scientist seem to mostly agree that the definition of human is bipedal mammal.  Old definitions, like ability to use tools and ability to communicate, were applying to too many animals for our taste.  So Ardi was most certainly bipedal on the ground, but she was quadrupedal in trees, using her grasping toes to maneuver.  Judging from Ardi’s teeth, she and her ancestors were not choosing their mates on their ability to beat up other males, but instead perhaps on their ability to carry food long distances, thus getting better quality food.  The canine teeth are not huge and sharp like a chimpanzee, so their society probably didn’t have the males battling it out, but worked together to survive.  At four feet tall and 110 pounds, can’t you just imagine her swinging from tree branch to tree branch, then climbing down and walking off into the wilderness?  Wonderful Ardi, she has surprised us all!