The Closet Reclamation Project - part 1

When Indiana Jones goes DIY

I knew it was there.

The "secret closet" was hidden behind mouthwash-blue paneling from an era of Mary Tyler Moore, Disco and Ford Mavericks.

I'd heard the rumors of the former storage space for years, and a closer look at the room showed there was a mystery wall space not accounted for.

My wife grew up in our circa 1917 Danish farmhouse, and remembers the lost cubby was "icky and dark" thirty years ago, back when it was her childhood room. That's when her Father decided to abandon the closet for a paneling job.

I had to see it. I had to be Indiana Jones for just a spell and peak into this time capsule, right down the hall.

Since our closet space was minimal, the "lost closet" could help our storage problems.

The paneling came off easily, and behind it was a spider web-laden broken plaster room about three feet deep and wide, with items on the floor and even a few hangers on the rod.

On the floor was a Milwaukee Brewer baseball card (pitcher Skip Lockwood) and a bright orange "tray" of sorts, dusty and textured.

"Hey, that's the piece for my 'Don't Spill the Beans' game!" My wife exclaimed, seeming to have really missed the item. "I wondered where that ended up."

The Closet Reclamation Project was successful all around: We gained much needed extra storage space in the Guest Room and it forced me to cover the wall in cool car siding wood, and even better, a mystery was finally solved.

She said there's another lost storage area above the stairs, this one larger and even "grosser," she warned.

I'm wondering if I'll need a whip and a fedora.

More Soothing Outdoor Photos for Conservatives

It's okay to feel a little odd, un-loved, ripped-off and distanced. These are tough times for Red Staters.
Look, it's not that they don't like you, it's just that their not IN LIKE with you, anymore.
It's not you, it's us.
Wait, it is you, kinda.
No, it's okay to feel a little upset, a little angry or mad at Ohio, or Michigan or any of the other several dozen states that voted against you.
We've been their, and I think at one time or another, we've all lost someone we loved.
Don't even think of ordering a "double," or taking up smokes again or getting all Baldwin on us and claim your going to go be a Canuck for four years.
No, just take a moment or two and remember the good old days: When houses sold for more much more than they were worth, and even more the second time around, and your relatives weren't unemployed, or when you were the only one on your block with health insurance, so they always made you clear the snow off the roof! Oh, man. Those were deceptive, but kinda good, times, weren't they?
Yeah, it's been a tough week, and a bad couple of months.
Let it out. Just let it out.
No, I agree, McCain is a nice guy, and yes, I know you're sorry you were so hard on him about Russ Feingold and all that South Carolina stuff a few years ago. We all say and do things we regret later.
Yeah, I know, the whole "Palin thing" was weird. Should've kept those troopers quiet, I know. Yeah, the baby names were kind of creepy, but who else should he have picked? Romney? The mayor guy? Huckabee? C'mon, you can laugh. It's fun to say, I agree. I think it's okay to laugh when your crying. Yeah, Condi would've been fun. So would Ted Nugent. Sure, no, I'm sure he's actually real smart inside. Chuck Norris, too. He would be real good as vice president. Sure! He'd get the attention of all those bad guys who attack people one at a time with numchucks, I agree.
It's okay to let it out.
Can I make you some soup? I've got some nice fruit.
Maybe you'd like to watch "Family Ties?" That always makes you feel better.






For Conservatives feeling a little down on their luck. Maybe uncomfortable, or out of place in a new world of Hope, Change and Economic Stimulation. I offer these soothing outdoor and barn photos, and a word of encouragement: Biden will say something ridiculous at least once a month. Now, he might not shoot anybody in the face or trump up exotic weaponry or slide from secret location to secret location in a jet-powered wheelchair, but he'll say something really screwy. You know it. Just be patient. Keep your chin up and smile when appropriate!

Vintage Camper showcase #13

I'm showering in the Forest! Imagine that! 

That's one slick, sleek piece of modern conveniences, Madge. The new Airstream was more than just a "camper," it was a mobile two-star hotel room. You could be in the jungle, forest, desert or prairie, and the modern world was just behind your bumper. 

"Oh, pass me the soap, cowboy, I'm felling very dirty after a big day outdoors." 

Oh-la-la! Or as the ad says, "...all the world is truly their home."

Photos courtesy the RV/MH Museum in Indiana, and also part of the C. Dickenson collection. Don't think they go together, but were in the same batch. I believe the Airstream exterior is a 1958, while the shower photo may be a different critter, since it says 1952. But still, imagine how revolutionary the shower was for RV campers. It was the last excuse for many people.  

"Took a Detour" (aka: Milltown Study # 1)

All photos by me, taken a few hours before a winter storm and all within about eight minutes of each other. Took a detour through nearby Milltown, Wisconsin. There's plenty of old wood and iron, much of it strangely historic: The little Polk County village served as an "internment town" during WWII, for German POWs. Many worked at a local Stokely Canning facility, and became an integral part of the area for a spell. Being a "detainee" was a little different then. I have a B/W photo study series of remaining Milltown military facilities, but not on the digital yet. That and about 16,000 other photos. Hmmm, biz opportunity or massive pain in the Blagojevich? Maybe a bit of both. ("Are you there, Santa? It's me, G Mars. I could really use a good negative film scanner for Christmas. I'd ask for a Senate seat, but I don't have the cash. I've been pretty good, this year. Sorry about the whole "power outtage thing," that won't happen again! Thanks! Help yourself to the cookies. Your friend, Greg [Who could really use a negative film scanner] Mars.)

:>)  

Frank Lloyd Wright Thanksgiving Photo Study

All photos taken Thanksgiving Day, 2006 at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed and built Seth Peterson Cottage, on Mirror Lake near the Wisconsin Dells. Owned by the State DNR, and up for rent by the weekend! 

(Thanks to Brother Brian and Cheryl Freeman, and the 'rents for footing the bill at this Amazing Piece of architectural history.) And yes, I'm including a rare, former smoker self-portrait (the last one, on the porch.)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Hope the last photo doesn't wreck your appetite!

Shameless Promotional Moment #1

I've been asked - well, after suggesting they ask - to include the link to my photo biz slide shows.
I have the non-traditional wedding gallery (less than three dozen shots, about 45-seconds) and the artsy-fartsy "Inanimate Series." Which is artsy inanimate shots, in a series, or "slide show" as the kids these days are calling them. Enjoy. and E-mail me for rates and shooting info.
It should work now. All comments, bad, good or indifferent welcomed!


(Above: Nate and Jolene revel in the splendor of wedded bliss by turning six-years-old again, briefly. Shot at a public landing near McKinley, in Polk County, WI. Left, a candle from a wedding reception and a rare halo moon from the winter of 2006)

Vintage Camper Showcase #6 - Hot and Not

Courtesy the C. Dickenson Collection and the RV/MH Museum. No info on either, but the home made version is a stretch for this quality site. The other Shasta and the classic Shoebox Chevy are what many folks try to achieve.

Esperant Pines

Watch here for a diatribe about the Esperant Pines. A 500-acre "lost" grove of untouched, 600-800-year-old Upper Peninsula magic.

Impromptu Mood Barn Study

This farm straddles the Polk and Barron County lines, between Luck and Cumberland. Long abandoned, I've noted it for nearly a decade and in the last few months, the roof and cupola have begun to fall in. It is dying in slow motion. This is the raw photo: