Dave's Blog

Door on Lagoon

There's a lot of pretty hip architecture happening in Uptown right now. Maybe a tiny but on the ticky-tacky, mall-ish side, but fresh nevertheless. I love the design of this logo and the way it fits over this door, the red, green, black and silver. The design reminds me a little of Barcelona, which has got some amazing vintage deco stuff that's super curvy and organic.

Happy New Year!

...I hope. I made this sign for a promotional mailing we're doing. "Tough times demand fridge door rhymes!" I know most of our kits aren't made for rhyming poetry; I had to whip out my poetic license for this one.

Dogs In Wigs

I helped a friend shoot her boyfriend's dogs in this humorous manner, as a Christmas gift. Sweet dogs, but... Funny? Creepy? Feepy?

Human Flight

On this day in 1903, the Wright brothers made their first successful flight. Hard to believe my Grampa was alive when it happened. Here's the article that appeared in the New York Times. Oh, and since you've all seen the iconic photos of the first Wright flier, here's a shot of a Wright-built bike, one of only five in the world. Man, would that be a sweet ride to have for a downtown cruiser tour with the boys!

AIRSHIP AFTER BUYER

Inventors of North Carolina Box Kite Machine Want Government to Purchase It

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 -- The inventors of the airship which is said to have made several successful flights in North Carolina, near Kitty Hawk, are anxious to sell the use of their device to the Government. They claim that they have solved the problem of aerial navigation, and have never made a failure of any attempt to fly. Their machine is an adaptation of the box kite idea, with a propeller working on a perpendicular shaft to raise or lower the craft, and another working on a horizontal shaft to send it forward. The machine, it is said, can be raised or lowered with perfect control, and can carry a strong gasoline engine capable of making a speed of ten miles an hour. The test made in North Carolina will be fully reported to the Ordnance Board of the War Department, and if the machine commends itself sufficiently, further tests will be made in the vicinity of Washington, and an effort made to arrange a sale of the device to the Government. The use to which the Government would put it would be in scouting and signal work, and possibly torpedo warfare.

Electrical Box Art

Just a couple of days ago I noticed that alongside downtown Hennepin Avenue there are these usually drab electrical boxes (maybe they're stoplight control boxes?) at every intersection, that have been painted, each by a different artist. Apparently they've been this way for months... how is it that I missed them until now, and how is it that they haven't been defaced by taggers? It's a Christmas miracle! Bless us all, everyone!

Bailout

Though I think the auto bailout is a necessary evil, I still find this hilarious.

Camo

Did you happen to see the Army/Navy football game on Saturday? Army got some sweet new uniforms that feature camouflage pants and helmets... talk about awesome branding!

What does it say about our culture that I, and probably 90% of other viewers, recognize the uniform change as a re-branding effort?

Prop 8!

Funny Or Die is such a great website... Drunk History has become legend in my circles, and this star-studded production is pure genius. Enjoy!

Cozy

When it gets chilly it's good to have a couch, a fireplace, football on the teevee and some hairy little friends.

Another Tree Post

All of the green you see in the first photo is Buckthorn, which has infested pretty much all of the urban woodlands in the Twin Cities, choking out other species by taking over the underbrush. City crews, often made up of teens who've been naughty and need to do community service, are constantly working to control it, but it's a battle that will probably never be won unless some disease or pest (like Dutch Elm) infects the species.

The second photo is also buckthorn, in this case, an ornamental tree in one of my neighbors' yards. Ornamental bushes like this were the source of the scourge in the first place. Birds eat the berries and poop out the seeds all over the woods. Can't believe these people don't know what they've got growing in their yard, and haven't removed it. Can't believe the city hasn't asked them to remove it; it's not like it's hidden from view... this is the biggest buckthorn I've ever seen!