I thought we might make it through St. Louis and be halfway through Missouri by now.  But some very nice people got in the way.  You’ll see.  Tomorrow, we gotta lay down tracks!

Started out with some stops in Illinois.  Oh, perfect weather all day — and HOT.  90s.  Gave in and got a chance to test out Sparkle’s A/C in the afternoon.  So far so good!

Firstly, a couple shots of the kids in Livingston, IL at the Pink Elephant Antiques Mall.  I had to revisit since they have repainted the Futuro green recently.  If you’re not familiar with Futuros, here’s my page:
http://www.agilitynut.com/modarch/futuro.html

 

From Collinsville, IL:

 

Also, Collinsville — sorry to report that not only has their swell a-frame building been demolished — but the sign has been reduced to being displayed in the window like this at their new location.
Here’s a shot of the previous location when the sign was installed on the pole:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrensnow/2538278537/

Also Collinsville:

 

When in Collinsville, I always stop to shoot the Eck gas station.  Bob Eck, who I’m guessing is well past 60, wanted to take some photos of me but had never used a digital camera before.  I showed him how and grabbed a couple dogs.  Unfortunately, I had goofy or angry looking expressions in all the the shots taken in the sun.  So this will have to do.

 

Moving on to East St. Louis.  For the rusty crusty fans out there — this should provide a savory alternative to all those overly sweet neon signs I’ve been posting.  I can’t make out the wording but it looks like there’s a crown in the circle.  No building there at all now.

 

And into St. Louis we go.  A random Art Deco detail:

 

Social visit #1:  Ars Populi gallery exhhibit ” Art of the Sign”
http://www.arspopulisaintlouis.org/main/

Bill Christman, a sign designer himself, is “hosting” this assemblage of signs from various collectors.  I don’t know how much longer the show will run — but if you live near St. Louis or are planning a trip there soon — I highly recommend checking it out.

Some stuff from there — including all the incredible neon signs, there’s this piece which features moving vehicles.  It was displayed in a window in Waltham, MA — and local businesses would pay for the little adverts inside:

 

Bill Christman has collected a lot of signs, statues, and other stuff that decorate his bistro (next to the gallery) and his work space (here):

 

More of his collection — this Pizza Inn statue:

Social visit #2:  up to St. Charles, MO (just outside St. Louis) to meet Dave Hutson, owner of Neon Time.  He restores signs and produces new ones as well.  Many of the signs he has collected are appearing in the “Art of the Sign” exhibit (see above).  But there are still some other gems in his shop:

 

Social Visit #3 — Greg Rhomberg who has a huge sign collection – in the hundreds – just a sampling here:

 

This one was a heartbreaker since I just shot this sign less than two years ago.  The owners were going to trash the sign — luckily, Rhomberg got there in time:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/4915177364/ 

 

Oh, and while we’re on a sad note, Rhomberg told me that Saint Louis University started tearing down the Pevely Dairy Building today.  Bye-bye to the big brick building, the scaffold sign, and the little milk bottles.

http://www.agilitynut.com/10/9/pevely.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/10/9/pevely2.jpg

 

But it’s not just signs that Rhomberg collects — he’s got toys, vehicles, pinball machines, fire trucks, travel trailers, on and on.  Warehouses full of stuff, all tidy and organized.  He had plans to open his own museum at one point — but has no ambition for it now.  He does lend stuff out to other museums.

 

So, although it set my schedule back at least half a day — and it was painful to be inside instead of outside shooting and driving — it was well worth the time hooking up with these guys.  Next trip to town, I’ll have to set aside an extra day to check up on their doings.  

Now, nearly 1am and I’ve got sleeping to do.

 

A very productive day — got all the way to Effingham, IL tonight.  I’m stopping at a reasonable time (10pm) so I can crank out some photos and shoot off a blog post after all.  But I just set the alarm for 6am and it’s midnight now — so let’s get to it.

The day started in Dayton, OH — at one of my favorite dog parks.  Which is right off the interstate.  Not that my guys need dog parks much as they are mostly good (not perfect!) off-leash.  I think there are seven acres.  Three separate sections.  Some pseudo-agility equipment in one of them.  I’m told the dog park was built on a landfill — which is not very romantic.  But it’s quite wonderful and we were the only ones there this morning. 

I went back to get the camera & this is the look I got.  Hey, don’t leave us here!

 

Quite the place, no?  That’s Nik in the middle with orange ball:

 

More doggie photos another day — no action shots because Mama forgot to set the camera up right.  Uh-hem.

 

From Hamilton, OH:

 

Moving on to Cincinnati — only to get a sneak peek at the American Sign Museum before the mobs descend for the Grand Reopening.  I hope you’ll be there!!  June 2 — book your flight — whatever it takes.  And spread the word.

Tod and crew have been hard at work readying the new space.  Recently, sign painters from around the country came to help create the Main Street theme — just fantastic — and a great story of the gathering here:
http://signmuseum.blogspot.com/

Here’s a sampling of the signs you’ll see.  All eras & types.   It’s dizzying, overwhelming — in a good way– trust me!  You’ll need more than one visit.

 

And I’m sure there will be an opportunity for seeing the backstage stuff — the signs not ready for primetime.  I think these two are new arrivals — I don’t remember seeing them before:

 

A neat one — and not just because my last name is Seltzer:

 

Back out into the real world.  And it was not pretty.  I had sun in the morning — but then en route to Indiana, things got ugly.  Rain like I don’t think I’ve seen before.  Just POURING.  Here was a quickie out the window shot in Cumberland, IN:

 

On to Indianapolis — where the weather alternated every few minutes between pleasant and nasty.  An unidentified liquor store (no sign other than this one):

 

And lastly (gotta keep it short tonight) — the perfect final photo stop of the day at the Pyramids (still Indianapolis).  You either love them or hate them.  I love them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pyramids_(Indianapolis) 

The familiar view from the interstate:

The backside:

 

What I love about them most is the amount of grass and water behind them.  Though it’s illegal I suppose, everybody heads home at 5 or 6pm and there it is all for the dogs and me.  Still too cold right now for swimming — but, boy, the dogs had a great time tonight!

Onward to St. Louis tomorrow & hopefully a decent dent in Missouri after that.  G’night!