Bullet Elephant

This is a "political/enivornmental" scultpture located at the Detroit Zoo. It's purpose is to make us aware how many elephants are poached for their ivory and the possible fate of elephants if this is not curtailed.

I am leaving today, shortly, for Jackson Michigan and then California. I will probably be unable to access a computer while I am away so my next post will be maybe Tuesday September 4. Have a good week.

Butterfly House at the Detroit Zoo

The Butterfly House at the Detroit Zoo is a wonderful place to visit. It is filled with flocks of lovely butterflies, a photographer's heaven. Behind a bush I also found a pail full of dead butterflies that struck me as strange.

I am leaving tomorrow for California via Jackson, Michigan. See you next week.

The Buddha, the Nails and the Spider

The top photo was taken through the window of a nail salon at Eastland Mall in Detroit, I loved the juxtaposition of the nails with the Buddha. The bottom photo was taken in our yard yesterday! BIG spider. Click images to view larger.

I'll be gone all week next week. Have a fun week!

SUVs

No view of Detroit would be complete without motor vehicles, since Detroit is the center and hub of automobile manufacturing. People here are rabid about cars, the bigger the better. Most parking lots are full of gigantic SUVs. Most (many) people here have NO CONCERN about the environment, pollution or the rampant use of rapidly depleting resources, I'm sorry to say. This is one of the things that makes me sad about living here. This picture was taken at one of the many car dealerships that line Mack in Detroit. (Now I'll probably have a burning cross in front of my house for dissing big Detroit -made cars. I appreciate the car industry, I do--Biker Buddy works at GM. I just wish they'd make a larger percentage of smaller, more energy efficient cars and that Detroit people and everyone else would drive smaller cars.)[In Europe, when I was there, almost 99% of the cars were small and tiny.]

PS: don't forget I'll be away and incommunicado all next week.

At the Coney on Mack

At the Coney on Mack. Click image to view larger.
Remember, I'll be away and incommunicado all next week.

Away next week

I will be away next week and prolly off-line the entire time, so I will be unable to post. I may forward post (or back post) some pix, but of course, they won't show up in the normal fashion and I'll probably be removed if I haven't already been. Can't be helped. I am going to assist Leaf Lady move her cats to California and her old house will be disconnected and her new house not connected yet..

I think helping friends is important and hope not to be penealized for it

Abandoned!

There are lots of abandoned houses in Detroit. These are in various stages of disrepair.

Echincea at Sunset, very low light. I thought the color combination was interesting.

I had a visitor object to my showing negative aspects of Detroit. I was trying to show the real Detroit, with good and bad. So here are two views.

Detroit Un-unique

The most interesting things to post of course are those things about Detroit that are different or unique. But Detroit has much in common with other cities in the US. Guess where and what these are and then if you are brave and honest, register your guess in the comments section BEFORE you you click here to see if you are right. (photos by Mary Stebbins Taitt, click images to view larger).

Animal House, Red Hibiscus

Animal House, Heidelberg Project. The Heidelberg Project is mostly on Heidelberg Street in Detroit, but this is around the corner.

The Red Hibiscuses are in flower! YAY!

Sunflowers in the Center of Detroit

Sunflowers in the center of Detroit, right next to a shopping center. I was away yesterday and will be away tomorrow so I am posting this ahead and I back-posted Friday's. I'm not sure I can really be a member of Cityblog, because I travel so much.

Elmwood Angel

Elmwood Angel, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Elmwood is an old cemetery in Detroit. The dark stains are from coal burning.

On the Casino Bridge, Belle Isle

On the Casino Bridge, Belle Isle, to commemorate a fire. (Belle Isle is part of Detroit.)

Self-Portrait of the Artist as a Scream (for Mick Mather)

Self-Portrait of the Artist as a Scream (for Mick Mather). The original photos for this collage were taken (by me) on I94 in Detroit during a two-plus-hour traffic jam. See 4 other versions same size and 4 other versions close-up.

Insomnia in Detroit

OK, OK, I'll go back to posting pictures of statues etc. Just thought I'd let you know how I'm doing. This is Detroit at night seen through the eyes of an insomniac. Lake St. Clair.

Frogbit

Frogbit is an invasive alien species. It clogs waterways and chokes out native species. But it's sort of pretty. The really tiny stuff is duckweed. It is the smallest flowering plant. This is at Detroit Metrobeach. Photo by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Click image to view larger.

Folk Art Murals

Folk Art Murals (unfinished?) at the corner of Mack and Manistique.

Detroit Zoo Water Tower

Detroit Zoo Water Tower. You can tell when you're approaching the Zoo from a long ways off!

Crossroads

This old building is the annex of St. Columbo and is located at the corner of Mack and Manistique. Detroit has some lovely old architechture, though not all in great condition.

St. Columba Episcopal Church

St. Columba Episcopal Church is located on Manistique in Detroit and is a lovely old Church. I know we are only supposed to post one picture a day, but some sites really require more than one shot to do them justice. Even three is not enough.

I applied for membership in Cityblog, but I never heard back from them so either I got rejected or I did something wrong.

Razor Wire

This is only a block from my house. There's enough crime in Detroit that people are paranoid about it. We had a theft ourselves a few days ago, so I am upset about it myself.

Don't worry, I have lots of other really cool and good things to post, but I wanted to give a balanced look at my community.

On the point at Belle Isle

One of the very sad things about Detroit is the amount of garbage and trash the residents and municipality allow to collect--everywhere.