Some new photos from Fort Wayne

Very nice series, Chris. I can remember as a teenager making and launching a large 9' tall plastic balloon from a friend's driveway on a windy morning. No fire carried aloft, just heated from the ground with a white gasoline burner we made from coffee cans and a stove pipe. The balloon flew over five miles and landed in the foothills of the Sandias to the north of town. Thanks for rekindling those memories, keep up the good work.

~Joe
 
JoeV said:
Very nice series, Chris. I can remember as a teenager making and launching a large 9' tall plastic balloon from a friend's driveway on a windy morning. No fire carried aloft, just heated from the ground with a white gasoline burner we made from coffee cans and a stove pipe. The balloon flew over five miles and landed in the foothills of the Sandias to the north of town. Thanks for rekindling those memories, keep up the good work.

~Joe
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Joe,

I'm glad you liked the photos. I lived in Santa Fe for a while, so I know the area you're talking about in Albuquerque. I can't believe your balloon went so far! I was afraid the ones these kids were flying would hit one of the tall buildings and catch fire, lol. Fort Wayne is half the size of ABQ, but we have more tall buildings downtown.
 
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This is the side door of Sunny Schick Camera Shop at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Ewing Street in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. The sticker in the window says:​

"We Will Be Closed For Independence Day, Saturday, July 4. Thank You."​

In a world where many retailers insist on staying open on every major holiday, including days like Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is nice to see one willing to buck the trend and close to honor our country's founding.

Here's a close crop of the window so you can see the sign clearly:
​

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On the evening of the Fourth of July in 2015, the pavement in Fort Wayne's Freimann Square was covered in sidewalk chalk drawings and religious messages written by Mormon missionaries. The website address for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, mormon.org, was included in several of the drawings and blocks of writings.​

This one, showing the progression of life from birth, to life, to death, was part of a larger block of images and text about the two possibilities for the afterlife (Heaven or Hell).​

This isn't the first time that I have seen sidewalk chalk used to spread religion. I've always wondered if stuff like this actually wins converts, or does it just make the people doing it feel like they're "Doing Something" for God?​
 
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The open door at the end of the aisle is the restroom at the back of Hyde Brothers Books in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The sign on the door, visible from the toilet when the door is shut, says: "We're on Facebook!"​

Hyde Brothers is a locally owned used book store on Wells Street. Two adjoining old storefronts and the basement are filled to the ceiling with books, while a couple of cats keep an eye on the customers. I bought a couple of history books from them after I took this picture.
​
 
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Here's another of the photos I made on the evening of June 26, during a lull in the rain that had fallen all day.

I photographed this railroad crossing before sunset, looking north on Sampson Road, just north of Dawkins Road, in the rural eastern part of Allen County, Indiana.
 
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I found this patriotically decorated rowboat sitting in front of a vacant house on the east side of Wayne Street, just south of Landess Street, in the small town of Van Buren, Indiana.
 
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This house is on the north side of High Street, just west of Degroff Street, in a working-class neighborhood on the northwest side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I photographed it the day before the Fourth of July.
 
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I don't usually have much interest in photographing fireworks, but this year they looked interesting exploding next to the tall buildings in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. The building in this photograph is the Lincoln Tower, which was the first skyscraper built in Indiana.

In the past, the July 4 fireworks had been fired from the Indiana - Purdue Fort Wayne campus on the northeast side of the city. Starting in 2014, they were moved downtown. They're now shot off from atop One Summit Square, Fort Wayne's tallest building.​
 
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This house is on Huron Street, in the working class West Main Street area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I stopped to photograph it because of the large American flag that covers the side of the house's front porch.​

The owner, an old man with a big beard, was sleeping in a chair on the porch when I arrived. I had a hard time waking him to ask permission to photograph as he was a very sound sleeper, despite having loud rock music playing!​

When he woke, he invited me to sit and talk, and told me that his name was Bill. The flag belonged to his father, a World War II veteran. The object on the pedestal on the table in front of the flag is a life-size plastic skull.​

I photographed this place last month, and earlier posted a photo of the tire swing on the tree next to the house.
 
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I photographed this house while walking from my car to the area downtown where the fireworks were held on the evening of the Fourth of July. It is on Spy Run Avenue, just north of downtown in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

This door is on the side of the house. The bumper sticker stuck on the door says; "God Bless America." There is also a small magnet to the right of the flag that says; "Don't Mess With Texas!"​
 
So many beautiful photos Chris! Each time I look at them is for me like a journey in your country. Please keep them coming, I like your style. And think of a book...I'll buy one!
robert
PS: all are good but being myself a book lover you can imagine which one I prefer :)
 
robert blu said:
So many beautiful photos Chris! Each time I look at them is for me like a journey in your country. Please keep them coming, I like your style. And think of a book...I'll buy one!
robert
PS: all are good but being myself a book lover you can imagine which one I prefer :)
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Thanks, Robert. I've got many more on the way!

Here's another photograph of the American Flag boat in the small town of Van Buren, Indiana.

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Here's the last photograph I made last month of Bill, an old man with a giant American flag on the front porch of his house on Fort Wayne's working-class west side.
 
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