March 2017
statues
West Carson Street, Pittsburgh
Stuck in detour traffic before even getting out of town. Sitting still on the road, we are watched by these “religious figures inspired by the statues of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.”
Mortality
Beckley, West Virginia
Sculpted by Bill Hopen, on the front lawn of Tamarack, the “cultural center with artisans and food.”
Mortality is modeled for a dying tunnel worker. It represents at least 500 unacknowledged workmen who became mortally ill from inhaling silica dust during construction of the nearby Hawk’s Nest Tunnel, sometimes called the worst industrial disaster this country has ever seen.
Why a guy sniffing his own armpit symbolizes this tragedy is puzzling to me.
Peace Totem
New River City Park, Beckley, West Virginia
Sculpted by Mark Blumenstein from recycled materials, in the front yard of the Youth Museum. Was Blumenstein goofy too? Rather, the artist uses descriptions like “kinetic” and “whimsical” and “hidden magic.”
West Virginia Coal Miners statue
also in New River City Park, Beckley, West Virginia
Homeless Jesus
Saint Alban’s Episcopal Church, Davidson, North Carolina
A metal sculpture by Timothy P Schmalz of a homeless man covered in a blanket. He’s lying on a bench before the church. Look at his feet. There are holes in his feet. Holy heck! It’s Jesus! “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40, reminding us to take care of each other. Okay?
Lisa: you can look right over it without noticing…
Busted Plug Plaza
Columbia, South Carolina
Created by artist Blue Sky, this is the largest hydrant in the world. Signs around the fence display the silhouette of a dog with the circle and diagonal slash: Don’t let the largest dog in the world pee on the largest hydrant in the world.
Tunnelvision
Columbia, South Carolina
also created by Blue Sky
Neverbust
Columbia, South Carolina
and yet one more by Blue Sky
Boyd Plaza
Columbia, South Carolina
sculpture of…
AT-AT Walker
Cayce, South Carolina
The real AT-AT walkers — All Terrain Armored Transport machines — are 74 feet tall, heavily armored, four-legged combat fighting machines. They are destructive, and remarkably awkward. You can take one down by tying a string around its legs. Formerly found only on Tatooine.
Our AT-AT was created by artist John Sharpe in back of his studio in the northern section of Cayce. He tours his AT-AT to Comic-Con gatherings. As you can see, it’s a bit smaller than the real thing.
John and his wife Venetia make other smaller things, like beautiful pottery and paintings.
UFO Welcome Center
Bowman, South Carolina
I don’t know but the guy who built this welcome center and lives here in his trailer, Jody Pendarvis, might be the town kook. I may be wrong; I hear he’s a nice guy. If the aliens do land here, Jody will be their go-to contact.
great hooters
actually, just one hooter
Jacksonville, Florida
Perched within the corner of the Jacksonville Public Library with a live street preacher beneath is a 25-foot tall bronze sculpture of an owl.
Owls are supposed to be smart. Where else would you find someone smart than at the library! In Greek mythology, the owl represents Athena, goddess of wisdom.
The owl stands on two books, and holds a golden lock plate with keyhole. Above the owl’s right shoulder hangs a golden key. I’d be surprised if the key didn’t fit the lock. Wisdom abounds!
Hemming Plaza
Jacksonville, Florida, across the street from the library
We choose not to go into the park. It is very crowded and both Lisa and I get a negative vibe from the place. Could it be the people rooting through trash cans? Or some of the ragged folks staggering up the sidewalk? Maybe it is the mangy dog scratching and licking his own balls. Or even the puke on the sidewalk.
Bongoland
Sugar Mill Gardens. Port Orange, Florida
Very pretty trails through the woods with an occasional random dinosaur.
Bongoland itself has gone out of business, doesn’t exist any more. Bongo was a baboon who once lived here. Bongo doesn’t exist any more either.
Frisbee’s Ice Cream
Mims, Florida
If you see the building, which looks like a gigantic ice cream cone, and you don’t know what they serve here, you must go to bed without any ice cream.
Frisbee is the name of the company, ice cream is their specialty.
Ponce de Leon Lighthouse
Ponce Inlet, Florida
I walked all the way around the lighthouse, snapping photographs. It looks pretty much the same from every angle. It’s round.
This lighthouse is the tallest in Florida and the third tallest in the United States. You can climb up to the lantern by scaling its 203 steps. Shine on.
mermaid
Ponce Inlet, Florida
A babe catches my eye. A babe with beads is even more alluring.
White Sands Buddhist Center
Mims, Florida
Blink and you miss the turnoff from the main, two-lane highway. This might be intentional. Heck, blink and you can probably miss Mims where, back a ways if you do make the turn, you will first see a 35-foot tall Buddha in Nirvana. This is the Vietnamese sacred place where you can find the three largest Buddha statues in the state of Florida. Come here and chant, or just hang around. Buddha rocks.
Lisa is pictured with, as she calls it, the “Lying Buddha.” Most of the rest of us call it the “Reclining Buddha.”
Mom
Olympic Torch
Atlanta, Georgia
Driving north through midtown takes us right past the 120-foot tall Olympic Torch, built for the 1996 Olympic games. Beware. This is not the torch lit by Muhammad Ali. That one was in Olympic Stadium.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Atlanta, Georgia
Concerts, orchids, rain forest, Chihuly sculptures, architectural suspended walkways, yoga, swimming, an edible garden and a giant Earth Goddess head.
bison
Atlanta, Georgia
Stuck in detour traffic again, this time in Atlanta.
peaches
We’re in Georgia. It’s almost like <peaches> and <Georgia> are the same word. We see peach stands, Peach World, peach bread, peach cider and Peachtree Street. Georgia produces over 65 000 tons of peaches every year.
Clarmont, North Carolina
We see signs for Howie in the Hole but due to time restraints, we do not investigate. I’m sure there is a story here. I’m not sure I want to know what it is.
New River Gorge/Tunney
Fayetteville, West Virginia
In the old days, if you wanted to get from over here to over there, crossing the river to get to there, you would drive the hairpin two-lane WV Route 82 down the side of the mountain, across the river on the Fayette Station Bridge and climb up the mountain on the other side on another hairpin two-lane road. It would take half an hour or more to get there, less than two miles away.
These days, you can still take this slow route although when you cross the river, it will be on the Tunney Hunsaker bridge, the rebuilt and renamed Fayette Station Bridge.
876 feet above the river is the new bridge, or more specifically the New River Gorge Bridge.
Tunney Hunsaker is worth talking about. Tunney was the police chief of Fayetteville and was later inducted into the Law Enforcement Hall Of Fame. That’s cool, but cooler still is that Hansaker was a professional boxer before becoming a cop. But wait… Most cool is that in 1960, he fought Cassius Clay in Clay’s first professional fight. Tunney, who was a pretty decent fighter, said that he tried everything he knew to win but Clay “was just too good.” Tunney (named after champion fighter Gene Tunney) lost to Clay by unanimous decision in the sixth round because both his eyes were swollen shut. The two became great friends; the only fight they ever had was in the ring.
When Tunney retired after 38 years as chief, Muhammed Ali, as he was now called, made a surprise appearance at the retirement dinner.
And then we drove home.