Crows in Alton, IL

Today Darren and I road tripped to Alton.

I had been telling him about how the crows would gather in my yard at twilight when I lived on McPherson. It was a massive yard with dozens of huge mature trees and hundreds of crows came to roost every evening at the very tip top of the trees. Crows roost communally in the fall and winter.

As I was telling this tale I noticed we were under a flyway with thousands of crows overhead. I asked Darren to stop so I could get some photos of them:

Final application of the crows on my back by the exquisite Sean Baltzell of Tower Classic Tattoo. A reworking of an old Anasazi tattoo. It's still not finished. I'll be adding a colorful background in a few weeks.

Other sights: Brick paved streets, metal signage near the closed steel foundry, three chimneys, The intoxicating brick of The Milton School, the cat in the curtain at Milton School and the drive home after dusk.

Look closely. There's some interesting tuckpointing to the building. It's all vertical, very precise, and never extends into the horizontal joints.

Spooky.

Bronze sculpture in the bathroom of Milton:

Cat in the curtain:

Darren with a flying kid in the background. Darren had just said something to me that had me laughing so hard I fell on the passenger seat trying to get back into the car. I can't tell you what he said, I just can't.

Genuinely curious I asked Darren: Do you think this building is going up or coming down?

He just laughed.

The drive home.

Happy Halloween

4230 Gravois is the site of the former National Candy Co.
The daddy of spooky old Vincent Price once owned this business. Boo and boom. Now an abandoned building due to what happened in the 80s: Corporations VS Unions. You kids had better go out and vote Pres Obama back into office next week.

Our Visit to Jeff Co

I grabbed company and road tripped to Beaumont Antire in Jeff Co today to experience and document the landscape, the arcane, what's been discarded and left to deteriorate, and to take in the sights.
We were tourists. Snarky urbanites.

We confident posed as bitches on wheels.

I presented twisted narratives for the sites we visited because these places have movie set attributes. The mood was noir on an overcast day at times overtly baffling amidst a landscape drenched in October light. It was Jim Thompson-ish (author of The Killer inside Me and The Grifters) .

We encountered compelling sights like the old and salvaged STL City light poles on a single unpaved road that housed 10 trailers. And consider that David Lynchish street sign. The fire hydrant on the crest of the hill near a rusted trampoline with an alarming view of the valley.

Jump higher!

One of the trailers made me stop the car when I noticed a smaller trailer parked behind it. I was laughing so hard my road guest watched mystified until I could say: Look, they bought their trailer a little trailer!

Darren photographing Beau:

The Big Valley:

We speculated that this bucket tied to a branch was a trap but only because we wanted to scare ourselves.

In the floodplain. Darren is going in to inspect the water damaged and abandoned club house.

Seed pods:

Darren's work:

Darren's photo of Beau whose other name is Running Cloud:

Wearing a halo of reserve and squinting into the wind. Photo by Darren Snow.

Anchor Plate - TGS

An ornate anchor plate or wall washer next to the quoined masonry of Darren Snow's house:

Mediterranean Revival, Lawn Ave

We headed back to Lawn Ave today to gaze at this Mediterranean Revival duplex. Lush details: matching chimneys, barrel tile roof exciting brickwork, glazed bricks, that amazing column, and the downspout embedded in the brick.

That's a pond between the steps and that egg and dart terra cotta piece looks newer.

Stained glass window above glazed white bricks, twisted column with a robust Corinthian capital, and in the background a ceramic kitten lifting a paw.

That's the original exposed aggregate concrete sidewalk with matching mosaic sidewalks to the street.

The Michael

Michael, understanding the opportunity I opened the door to the building and entered. I was not shy but fascinated. I didn't close the door behind when I left in case you wanted to follow.

The Michael, located on Lawn in south city, has a welcoming and broad front patio.

The fleur-de-lis and fancy brickwork:

And another glazed terra cotta ornamental detail:

The side of the building faces the street and that's rare. Check out the faux bricked-in windows:

I so appreciate the address engraved into the limestone 'window' apron.

Deskey Lamps

Above photo of a Deskey in Potosi, MO by Darren Snow.

Conversation below via FB.

Darren: Potosi doesn't go for those fancy "retro" streetlights like the ones in DeSoto and Hillsboro. These will do just fine. Can you identify this one, Christian?

Christian: Yeah it's a Deskey lamp. I hate them. Very War of the World-ish. Which came first the invention of this lamp or the movie?

Christian Is there a prize?

Christian You know I love you, right?

Darren: I would actually like to know when this design originated, as it's so supa-modern up top but has little nouveau curlicues at the base. And of course you love me; I light up your life! :)

Andy: Clearly this is a product of the Bauhaus, around 1926.

Christian: These were designed by Deskey in the 50s and flooded the country, Darren. They ruined my life when Mayor Cervantes had them installed in STL. I recall sitting on my front porch at 3964 McDonald and scowling at the removal of the old street lamps and the installation of these. The original street lamps remain in TGS Park. I loved them for their small pools of tender light.

Christian: No Andy they were designed by Donald Deskey late 50s. He also did other lamps.

Andy: Yeah, I was just making random crap up. I do that sometimes to see if anybody believes me. Helpful in the technology industry.

Darren: Christian, we are not awfully far apart in age, but it looks like The Reasons We Feel The Way We Do About Particular Streetlights originates in that gap. The Deskeys were so ubiquitous by '66 that they've always been the Default Streetlight to me. But if you had to watch these electric mantises from space replace the old-fashioned lamps that are now being reproduced and installed in business districts everywhere, I can certainly understand your distaste for them.

Andy: However! Deskey DID attend the 1925 Exposition Internationale in Paris, which showcased many forms of Modernism, including the Bauhaus style. Hah!

Darren: That may even explain the incongruously swirly, kinda Nouveau motif at the base of the pole!