– Brief stopover at this northern Illinois town yesterday for a coffee and seat outside the old bank building watching the world go by. The late 19thC Main Street architecture is still part of the towns character.
August 30, 2020
Owld Shed
– late summer weather is spot-on today. So a new loop added to the local repertoire. Out along Ogden Ave to Oswego then north along art 25 which follows the Fox River through the historic towns of Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St Charles, Elgin and Algonquin. Finally turning for home back down the leafy swoops of Gilmer Road from McHenry. This building is a hint of the various levels of decrepit industry that supported the River corridor in the past.
August 16, 2020
Fox River
– standing proudly on the east bank of the Fox River near Geneva IL a mid Nineteenth Century Dutch mill offers an historic backdrop to my early morning ride along the Tri-City region between Elgin and Aurora. The all wood structure is fully functional driven from its fabric covered sails. This pre-industrial age technology was a stark contrast to the particle accelerator at nearby Fermilab with its circular Tevatron which runs its circular path around a prairie grassland.
August 1, 2020
Coach House
Near my garage where the bikes are kept is this old garage and loft. The old doors, siding and shingle are great time worn vintage features that are only seen along this Evanstonian alley.
June 9, 2020
Seven Years
Two of Us
– we recreated the classic photo of designers Charles and Ray Eames a while back. All I needed was a pipe to complete the look.
May 24, 2020
Blue Sky
Marvelous day on the road today. 250 miles on a route around the bottom of the Lake into Michigan on lanes lined with trees leafing out. Lilac fragrance wafted from farm hedges laden with bloom and rolling fields being watched over by soaring hawks. This old barn was seen in the small town of Eau Claire MI.
April 19, 2020
Stargazing
On a bluff overlooking Lake Geneva sits the 1893 building that houses the largest refracting telescope, a 40” light capturing behemoth. It is currently closed to the public right now but I always like to stop by whenever I ride the loop around this lake.
March 23, 2020
A Room with a View
– greenery in oils on the walls, wainscoting curtains the walls and an angry red alligator grins on. Gravel trail tool sitting under the daylight beaming through a window. It’s like a cover of Architectural Digest.
January 27, 2020
Contrast
Wall Art | this would make a nice graphic for a cool warehouse apartment wall. High ceilings and brickwork with concrete floors. Indeed you could probably roll the Bonnie into the flat up on the freight elevator..
August 3, 2019
Pure Design
Usonian | On our weeklong trip around Wisconsin we have visited a number of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Today we stopped by the Herbert Jacobs house which was built in 1937. A very early version of his ‘everyman’ Usonian home its carport was complete with a classic 60’s Swedish sports-tourer Volvo P1800. The red car works superbly with the red brick and Cherokee red paving.
June 15, 2019
Everyday guy
SoCal Villa | Summer is upon us here in the Midwest, though the cooler days with a foggy fret off the Lake would make you think otherwise. Here’s Steve McQueen maintaining a cool look, as always, in the courtyard of his Beverly Hills home on a Triumph Matisse runabout’. His ’57 Jaguar XKSS which he called The Green Rat is parked in the background. He makes that faded denim shirt and jeans ensemble with Turkish slippers look stylish.
May 9, 2019
Under a Blue Sky
Capital Capitol | Punctuating the isthmus between Lakes Mendota & Monona the White granite domed State capitol building stands proudly with the gilt Wisconsin statue atop it. The morning sun glints of it splendidly. As the Wisconsin mottos says: “Forward!”
May 8, 2019
Shakea
Red Wing MN | With a name derived from the Dakota chiefs use of a red dyed swan feather to denote rank, this North Star State town on the banks of the Mississippi is a pleasant place to visit. Classic red brick architecture line a couple of very walkable streets. It is known for rugged work boots and clay pottery; as well as one of the earliest ski clubs in the US due to the Scandinavian population who settled there.
May 4, 2019
Under a Blue Sky
Red Barn | One of the things I do when passing through the American Heartland is look out for old barns. Their vernacular spirit intrigues me as they always seem to complement the rural scene. During yesterday’s jaunt through Wisconsin and Minnesota I could have stopped at least a dozen times; however this structure stood out for a photo-op. The grassy ramp of this ‘bank’ or ‘basement’ barn gives access to the hayloft itself supported on the stone built livestock stable. A cupola is supported on the classic gambrel roof.
