Category Darrell’s So-Called Creativity

Old Photographs: Mostly Cats, Plus Some Other Things

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I’m continuing to work my way through photos from the last few years, rediscovering some fun moments, attractive scenes, and my cats. Enjoy!

I would say that Wembley was surveying his domain, but he’s not really brave enough to hold territory.

Spice Girls lyrics always make me happy. Don’t judge.

Ursula works hard to keep up her appearance.

Gobo always has such a serious look about him.

When we lived in Marshall, Wembley loved that spot on the stairs.

Running in Lansing often offers wonderful views.

Road Trip: Cleveland, 2017

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My wife and I make what seems like an annual pilgrimage to Cleveland to run a 10k hosted by the A Christmas Story House and Museum. It’s a great cause — the proceeds from the race all go into the museum’s charitable work to help improve the surrounding neighborhood — and it’s a lot of fun. We had time to do a little bit of sightseeing, some of which included the house.

It’s a major award!

This is a great scene of “life” in the house. Also, the Look magazine reminded me of a rare stamp from the 1950s that was issued on a special paper and used on mail from Look.

The “Old Man” drove a 1938 Oldsmobile.

Not everything I photographed was in the house, though. I found a little bit of neon, and a couple of other things along the way. I found a few fun pieces of neon artwork, and we toured Great Lakes Brewing. I don’t drink beer, but touring the brewery was a very fun experience.

The Corner Alley has a great neon sign.

So does Mabel’s BBQ.

So does the West Side Market. Also, what a beautiful December day it was!

The remnants of the old Schlather brewery now reside at Great Lakes Brewing.

We enjoy our adventures in Cleveland, and we’ll definitely be back.

Road Trip: Stephen Kellogg in Spring Lake, 2017

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In October, my wife and I made a quick trek across the state to Spring Lake to see Stephen Kellogg in concert at Seven Steps Up, an amazing little music hall right downtown.

This is a lovely bit of neon; I regret not catching a photo after the sun went down.

There’s nothing better than walking up to a music hall and seeing Stephen Kellogg’s name on the sign.

The venue is a nifty site with amazing acoustics. The wood floors add to the ambience, and the staff who work there are amazing. As always, Stephen Kellogg put on a great show. Our seats weren’t conducive to getting great shots of the main show, but we did get to catch up with Stephen before the show during a meet-and-greet event. Here are a couple of photos of Stephen doing what he does best.

Look at that smile!

Seriously, Stephen Kellogg puts on a great show. It doesn’t matter if he has an opening act. It doesn’t matter if he has a band or plays by himself. He’s just great at what he does, and he sure enjoys doing it. Everyone should be so lucky.

Photos: Cats, a Squirrel, Tater Tots, and a Mailbox

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Our cats are particularly brave when they are protected from the outside world by a pane of glass. Here, they’re aggressively stalking a squirrel. The squirrel is completely unconcerned by the felines who are aggressively … ummm … “pursuing” him.

Cats: “We’re really aggressive!” Squirrel: “Yawn.”

Long out of service, this is the best mailbox ever produced. It is not the droid you’re looking for, though.

Minor League Baseball games are pretty much all great.

When you add cheesy tots to Minor League Baseball, it’s pretty much an unstoppable evening.

Wembley occasionally looks very regal.

Gobo is basically the only lap cat in the house.

Wembley lying on his back is the best Wembley.

The Month in Cats: March 2018

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My wife and I share the house with three cats. They’re great. They’re also perfectly defective, each in her/his own unique way. Here are some of their better (?) moments from March 2018.

It’s pretty obvious that Wembley was asleep until right before I got home. Note the ruffled fur atop his sleepy little head.

Hunger + anger = hanger

Ursula’s face is curious, sweet, and intimidating all at once. She can take care of herself. She also likes the nook she’s found in the cat tower.

I’m not sure who did this, or how, but the football ended up on top of the can of cat food with the closet door closed.

Ursula was curious about the box in my hand. Also, I love the way her whiskers go all over the place.

She can be so dignified sometimes … assuming you ignore her permanently rumpled whiskers.

I do have three cats. One of them, Gobo, spent most of the month curled up on a heat vent. I think he was responsible for the getting the football in the closet, though.

Road Trip: Port Huron, 2014 – Part 2

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Because Port Huron is right on the St. Clair River, the trip afforded me the opportunity to snag photos of a few freighters and ships that passed through. I didn’t capture all the names; in some cases, the zoom on my camera phone wasn’t quite enough to allow me to pick up the name here 3½ years later as I finally post these. Oh, well — that’s life.

The tug in the previous photo was pulling this barge.

The Mississagi

The Algoma Navigator

The John J. Boland

The Emilie

The Cason J. Callaway

I hope you enjoy these photos. If you want to see my other photos from this trip, please click here.

Road Trip: Port Huron, 2014 – Part 1

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I spent a couple of days in Port Huron back in 2014. Port Huron is a lovely town with so many great sights to see and photograph.

My hotel room offered a very nice view of the St. Clair River and the Blue Water Bridge.

The lightship Huron is part of the rich history on display in Port Huron.

The USCGC Hollyhock was in her Port Huron home during my visit.

The Port Huron Paint Company has a great sign.

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The view from the observation deck of the Fort Gratiot Light is magnificent.

For photos of the many boats and ships I saw on this trip, please click here.