Robert Pence

Nice Rapid Station. That has to be one of the most attractive on the system.

I'd hate to see that village hall demolished. Folks in farm country often don't have a strong sense of historic value and preservation. They'll inherit the house that great-grandpa built in the 1880s on the family homestead, strip all the decorative features inside and out, replace the tall, graceful two-over-two windows with tiny double-glazed ones, maybe a few with arches if they're feeling extravagant, and run the vinyl siding right up to the edges with j-channel and no trim. A dash of faux brick or stone veneer here and there will add character. Then they'll gut the interior and replace the quarter-sawn oak woodwork with mouldings from Menard's and bury the random-width locally-milled hardwood floors with wall-to-wall deep-pile earth-tone carpet and furnish it with faux colonial stuff and get a full-page write-up in the local paper and maybe even a photo feature in a regional farm publication, about how they honored great-grandpa and brought a family heirloom into the 21st century, inspiring others to follow suit. Welcome to the 1960s.

Nice. I've always liked this style, but I don't think I've seen it with a clay tile roof, before:

Neat shots. I question the historical authenticity of some of those house colors, though. :| I thought that was you, Randy! :wink:

Sad. It looks like that was still a structurally-solid house, not a derelict, fallen-down one.

Good tour. Paulding does indeed have potential, and it looks like some of it is being realized. If only Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot and Menards would die and not be replaced by even bigger, more parasitic evil monsters, little towns like this would come back to life. In that area, almost no one is more than a half hour from a Super Wal Mart.

I was only there for a few days as part of a longer driving tour through several states in the Northeast, so I don't have an intimate knowledge of the area's hiking opportunities. I know that the area is dense with outdoor experiences, though. You might want to check out the Road Trip 2000 section on my web site for some of the other nearby interesting places; I know there are trails on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, site of the cog railway, and in New York State's Adirondack Park.

Along Highway 35 on the east side of Michigan City The coal-fired NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Co.) power plant and its cooling tower dominate the Michigan City skyline. 22-story hotel under construction at the Blue Chip Casino. Washington Memorial Bridge leads to Washington Park. The 1858 Lighthouse once stood nearer the lakeshore. The museum displays artifacts from Michigan City's history, including its hey-day as a port for the elegant passenger steamers that once plied the Great Lakes. Civil War Monument There were numerous fire trucks in and out of the park while I was there. The zoo looks very well kept and was quite busy with families with children while I was there. Its layout running up the side of a dune gives some wonderful views from the top. Regal pose Emu Reindeer aren't very pretty, this time of year. Ostrich with a head at each end. People often compare zebras with horses. To me, they more closely resemble donkeys. After a couple of long days on my feet, I wasn't up to climbing the observation tower. It looks like a must-do for another visit, though. The tower was built as a Works Progress Administration project in the 1930s. This lamppost isn't very old, but blowing sand has stripped the coating to bare metal on the windward side. The beach area has benefited from substantial recent investment; the walk slabs were askew and the concrete bollards were badly eroded, and the catwalk to the 1904 East Pierhead Light was slated for demolition. Everything has been updated and renewed, and the old character-rich but run-down property is once again a safe, beautiful attraction. Chicago Skyline

Wow! Fabulous photos.

Good tour. South Side is best at night, especially on weekends; lots of activity, lots of neon. My impression is that it's typical of the city's blue-collar housing, not pretty, but the people who live there take care of their properties and are decent folks. The siding and awnings were all the latest back when there were lots of industrial jobs that paid good money; now, the people who live there are doing what they can to get by, and they take care of their neighborhoods despite that they can't afford expensive restorations.

Good photos. Erie looks like a decent town. The "pollution" looks to me like plain ol' steam. Power plants and other places that use boilers vent steam occasionally for various reasons, like "blowing down" boilers. As water is boiled away, dissolved minerals accumulate as sludge in the bottom of the boiler. Periodically a valve is opened that causes the sediment to be forced out by the pressure; with a big boiler, it's a noisy, spectacular activity. Older coal-fired plants transfer ash from pits beneath the boilers to an outside storage bin with conveyors or augers powered by steam turbines, too. The turbines blow a huge plume of steam when they're running. The blur looks like a pigeon in flight at close range, or more likely a gull, the maritime version of a pigeon.

Nice! On balmy summer nights, the overlooks draw a lot of people of all ages. It's a pleasant feeling to be in the midst of such a mixed crowd just enjoying the evening.

Neat shots, nicely urban.

Pretty neat place, excellent photos! Buffalo looks like it has a lot of character and some outstanding buildings.

Chicago, June 17, 2008 Waiting for my train, South Shore #12, scheduled to depart Carroll Avenue at Michigan City at 6:20am. On the right, #12 arrives from South Bend as a two-car train. Six more cars headed by car 3, on the left, will be coupled to the rear, and the whole train will be pretty well filled by the time the last passengers board at Hegewisch, an hour and five minutes later. Random shots taken while walking from the 57th Street Metra Station to the University of Chicago's Center for Advanced Medicine. Downtown at the El station at Adams & Wabash "But what about parking?" queried the car-dependent Hoosier in a quavering voice. "Oh, there's plenty of parking," I replied. "Just be prepared to pay for it!" "Didn't you notice all the public transportation?" Silly Hoosier. My time is at hand. To catch my train, that is. People were dropping bills in this guy's bucket, and he was doing his best to give them their money's worth. Pretty good. Back at Carroll Avenue, Michigan City. On time. Cost from Millennium Park Station, one way, senior fare: $3.90

I've heard Columbus got hit pretty hard, but I don't know what areas were affected. I hope their architectural treasures are all on high enough ground to have escaped.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is still very much alive, with chapters in quite a few cities and towns. Their long-standing goal is To Elevate and Improve the Character of Man. I'm sure they'd welcome you.

Saw this on one of my walks around Dayton. It looked closed, and looked like it had been for a while, from the debris in the entryway: Back in the day (late 60s - early 70s) all Fort Wayne had for gay bars was the shadowy hotel cocktail lounge scene where out-of-town married businessmen went looking for a little action. The lounge at the Van Orman Hotel was probably the best-known place, and the hotel's Java Shop was where all the hustlers and underage flaming sissies hung out. There was some spillover to Johnny's Nitecap, a rather nice, cozy jazz bar next door with a genuine good-guy bartender. When I was new in town, I could always count on him for a heads-up if someone was to be avoided. Henry's was always pretty much as it is now, very mixed with a visible gay presence (theatre crowd, you know :wink: :wink:). It's bigger and busier and more crowded now, with live music some nights, and less cruisy than it used to be. The food is good, and it's more a place to go with friends for dinner and drinks. For lack of a real gay bar back then, with dancing 'n everything, it was common for a carload or two of Fort Wayne folks to head for Toledo on a Saturday night; the Scenic Bar (Monroe and Erie, if I remember correctly) was the usual destination. It was a fun, friendly place back then. The Club Baths were in the basement of the Milner Hotel, not far away. The cops used to watch the Scenic in hopes of busting anybody they could for any reason they could think of, and they used to put underage hustler decoys on the street for entrapment. Those were the good old days. :|

Too bad they don't make those red, white and blue plastic streamers that went in the end of the handlebars, any more! :-D Sounds like the right bike for the job, KJP. Seven speeds is plenty for city riding, and the Schwinn frames are solid and trouble-free. Don't forget to get a bell, to warn pedestrians who wander around on the path in a blissful daze. A Nathan five-chime locomotive horn would be more fun, but the air tank and compressor would be unwieldy.

The first time I saw those was in a flower bed in a downtown park, on my lunch break a few years ago. I fell in love with them, but it took a while to find out what they were; apparently they're not planted often around here. The closer you look at the tiny flowerets, the more there is to see. That's splendid country. I remember driving across Pennsylvania years ago, following the Susquehanna River in spring when the orchards were in bloom. My offering for the day. Take heed.

Interesting! I didn't examine it closely, and didn't realize it was textured stucco over brick. Some houses were built with cement block that had that facing on it -- I think they called it ashlar block -- and I just assumed this was one of those. It's older than I guessed, though. Most of the cement-block houses were built in the era leading up to World War I, and this must have been an attempt to update the old brick house to a "modern" style. I'd enjoy seeing some interior photos. Aren't there any historic preservation grants or exemptions that your dad could get, to avoid getting reamed on property taxes if he restores the outside? The house would be a credit to Decatur's downtown. Niblick is a familar name to me. I grew up near Bluffton, and remember a few people by that name. One cut my hair when I was a teenager.

Aggressive behavior only perpetuates the stigma of pt being unpleasant.....If you want to sit down, a simple "may I sit here" usually does the trick. Judging by the most recent articles posted, a lot of people riding pt as of late are newbies and may not know the unspoken rules....esp in a city like Cleveland (or most US cities) where cars and personal space dominate. In highly public transit cultured cities, people generally know to not take up seats with bags or block seats.... as well as to move to the back of a crowded bus, to not block exit doors, to stand to the right on escalators, to take off a backpack, to fold a stroller or grocery cart, to give up your seat for someone who really needs it....etc. If the current gas price trend continues, this is only one more indication of how people in the US need to re-learn how to be courteous to one another in a public forum. I slightly disagree about other transit systems I ride regularly in, Cleveland, NYC, Philly, & Boston people and I find people are as far more inconsiderate, blocking the doors; sitting down and opening their legs extra wide, putting their bags on the seat, bringing strollers or bikes on during rush hour, etc. I 100% agree folks need to be reconditioned when riding Public Transportation for everyday purposes. As a consequence of last fall's medical adventure, I spent a good part of the winter with leg brace and a cane. Quite often I'd board a bus and all the seats would be full, with teenaged girls sitting in the priority seats. They'd sit there and look at me with a slack-jawed stupid stare, like I was some kind of freak (yeah, but how would they know). I'd fulfill their expectations by whacking the seat stand with my cane and grownling, "I need to sit down." They'd yield a seat and avoid eye contact the rest of the ride. Only time I've ever enjoyed riding the bus. Same thing worked on South Shore trains, where people would fill the seat beside them with bags and crap, even when there were people standing. Aside from an announcement over the PA to put all bags in the overhead racks, the conductors never enforce the rules. Enter mean ol' bastard with a cane. Worked every time. I'm headed for Chicago for a couple of days. Now, where'd I put that cane? :whip:

Nice shots, especially the fountain details.

There's this place on W25th: and this one on W6th: I don't know that they read tarot cards, but most psychics probably will tell you whatever you want to hear.

A fabulous skyline viewed by a boatload o' fabulousness! It don't get no better'n dat! :clap: