Old Photos of the Old Wall

A few years back when Bruce Viger (Garage Bar & Grill) and his then-nextdoor neighbor, Phil Kellogg, were rehabbing the north wall of Phil's building, facing Bruce's restaurant, these old circus posters appeared. Fortunately, I was on hand with my camera before the old posters were scraped off and the new wall covering put up.

No Wonder People Love Northport

Part of my Thursday morning plan hit a little snag, but I took advantage of not being able to do what I’d planned by taking time for an unscheduled saunter around the harbor in Northport. NYSS (Northport Youth Sailing School) provided a colorful photography opportunity.

But really, opportunities were all around, close at hand (or foot) and looking off across Grand Traverse Bay to the horizon. I like this memorial to Chiefs Joseph and Peter Waukazoo, early Northport settlers who came from “downstate” before it was “downstate.”

These days influences from all over the world have arrived in Northport, as evidenced by this group of locals being led in morning tai chi exercises under the gazebo. We might be in Beijing or Paris, and people would be performing the same movements.

While some in Northport exercise, however, others relax on their boats or on the dock, enjoying sunshine and breeze. 

Whether you arrive and depart by land or by water, you will be charmed by the beauty and variety of the harbor scenes. My half-hour’s strolling felt like a vacation to me. 

Isadore Heights

Pioneer Cemetery at Dos Cabezas, Arizona

The old Pioneer Cemetery is on the west side of the ghost town on AZ 186, open to the sky. Although graves go back to the nineteenth century, there are new ones from the twenty-first century, also. Nevertheless, the overall feel is that of nature reclaiming its own.

The grass blows, the winds blow. 

There are large memorial stones, and there are others almost lost in the grass.

As in any cemetery, some markers are elaborate, but out here in the pioneer West, many are also touchingly primitive.

Mountain views from the cemetery are spectacular, but I also appreciated cattle grazing in the background.

I want to go back to the cemetery sometime in the early morning when the light is gentler and raking rather than direct.

Do You Recognize This Place?

This is a recent photograph of a little old snapshot given to me some years ago by Jean Dame. The trees, the cars, and the Pepsi sign tell you that you're not seeing the corner of Mill and Nagonaba this winter.