Some new photos from Fort Wayne

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

My parents' yard seems to attract praying mantises; I've photographed a lot of them there in the last couple years. A couple hours ago, my dad called to let me know that one was hanging on the side of an electric insect trap that they have in their backyard, so I went and photographed it.

 

[KoNickon]

Haven't seen any of these guys in my yard yet this year -- maybe getting a little late at this point. Always special to see them.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Finally got some good pics of the jumping spider that lives in my kitchen! He was chilling out under a Pepsi bottle on the counter a few minutes ago. This is a Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus Audax), a very common jumping spider.

 

[KoNickon]

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Finally got some good pics of the jumping spider that lives in my kitchen! He was chilling out under a Pepsi bottle on the counter a few minutes ago. This is a Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus Audax), a very common jumping spider.

Took me a while to figure out that that is in fact a soft drink bottle -- he's not a tiny fella. Never seen one of these before.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Took me a while to figure out that that is in fact a soft drink bottle -- he's not a tiny fella. Never seen one of these before.

This species is fairly large for a jumping spider, but still really small compared to something like a wolf spider.

 

[KoNickon]

I'm not sure we have these guys in CT.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

George Kranock is an 80 year old man from Florida who spends the warm months of the year traveling across the United States in his old motorhome, stopping for a day at a time in the cities he passes through, encouraging passing drivers to "Honk For Jesus."

I photographed him sitting with his little dog Phoebe on the southeast corner of Fairfield Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana.

9-25-24

 

[KoNickon]

I rather think faith in action means more than holding up a sign. Oh well.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I rather think faith in action means more than holding up a sign. Oh well.

In rural Indiana, people will often post big signs on their property along major highways with messages like "Trust Jesus," "Repent Now! Hell Is Forever!," etc. I've often wondered if stuff like that, or guys holding signs like Mr. Kranock, ever get anyone to become religious. I don't see it working, but people do it anyway.

 

[KoNickon]

Well, it's their version of proselytizing I guess. The spirit moves them to do it. Whether it convinces anyone is another matter.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Here is the RV that George Kranock is driving across America to encourage people to "Honk For Jesus." See my previous post for a photo of George.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Grandpa's old grey cat, Molly, asking to go outside. She liked to kill things outside, and would get angry if she wasn't allowed out every day to hunt. She killed more than 9000 mice, moles, chipmunks, rabbits, and snakes; and she is known to have killed two rattlesnakes!

11-23-04

Update: Molly died on April 23, 2010 at the age of 19. She had outlived Grandpa by one year and four months.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

A neon sign that says "God Is Love" on the front of Chester Center Church, a small non-denominational church on the corner of State Road 3 and County Road 900S in rural Wells County, Indiana.

5-14-24

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Grandpa tried to get Molly to jump up on the chair next to him. As cats usually do when asked to do something, she refused.

1995

Update: Molly died on April 23, 2010 at the age of 19. She had outlived Grandpa by one year and four months. Mice, Chipmunks, Rabbits, Snakes, and Dogs everywhere rejoiced.

 

[KoNickon]

Grandpa tried to get Molly to jump up on the chair next to him. As cats usually do when asked to do something, she refused.

1995

Update: Molly died on April 23, 2010 at the age of 19. She had outlived Grandpa by one year and four months. Mice, Chipmunks, Rabbits, Snakes, and Dogs everywhere rejoiced.

A great picture.

 

[Cascadilla]

Grandpa tried to get Molly to jump up on the chair next to him. As cats usually do when asked to do something, she refused.

1995

Update: Molly died on April 23, 2010 at the age of 19. She had outlived Grandpa by one year and four months. Mice, Chipmunks, Rabbits, Snakes, and Dogs everywhere rejoiced.

Any cat owner can relate to this picture...

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Any cat owner can relate to this picture...

Correction: Anyone owned by a cat.

 

[KoNickon]

A great picture.

Chris -- you must have taken some wonderful pictures of your grandfather. What a face! Let's see some more.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris -- you must have taken some wonderful pictures of your grandfather. What a face! Let's see some more.

I do. I have a couple more I'm getting ready to post. The pics of him are all on my website, but the images are too small. Grandpa died in 2008, and back then screens were a lot smaller and lower in resolution than today; so the photos I took and put online back then look too small on my website now. Unfortunately, I have a couple thousand such photos since my site is 20 years old now. I'm going through my archives and getting the fullres pics and making new web versions that are bigger and replacing the old ones. That's why I just posted this old one of Grandpa and Molly; and I have more on the way.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Rehoboth Community Missionary Church, located on County Road 275E, just south of County Road 125N, in rural Noble County, Indiana. The building was originally Rehoboth Evangelical Lutheran Church. It was built in 1907 to replace an earlier building that collapsed when workers were trying to dig a basement under it.

Rehoboth Church became a non-denominational Christian church in 1952; and in 1966 it joined the Missionary Church, a protestant denomination based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

5-17-23