Bismarck porkulus project comes with sign for Our Hopey-Changey™ Leader

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A week or more ago I noticed that this sign had been put up in fron of the William Guy Federal Building on 3rd and Rosser. To the average citizen, even one who spends a LOT of time in this building like me, you’d never guess that there is anything going on inside aside from a new coat of that government-blue paint. But rest assured, this sign indicates that money (yours) is being spent.

Actually, I think this sign may have been required by the Obama regime, as this directive from America’s Dictator (PDF format) states very clearly. If you don’t want to load the PDF, I’ll just quote the relevant section:

“All projects which are funded by the Recovery Act shall display signage that features the Primary Emblem throughout the construction phase. The signage should be displayed in a prominent location on site. Some exclusions may apply. The Primary Emblem should not be displayed at a size less than 6 inches in diameter.”

Lest you neglect to turn all Hopey-Changey™ at the thought of your childrens’ future being squandered, the name of Our Esteemed Leader features prominently at the top of the sign. According to this PDF from the government,

“Projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will bear a newly-designed emblem. The emblem is a symbol of President Obama’s commitment to the American People to invest their tax dollars wisely to put Americans back to work.” (emphasis is mine.)

Heaven forbid that federal dollars get shoveled at anything without credit being focused on Barack Hussein Obama! Well, Mister President, I have a suggestion for your sign, a few words it’s missing (and they even left room for):

I think this says more about the project than all the rest of that sign, including the cutesy little logo at the top. The entire “stimulus” program has been a sham from the get-go, and most of that money that absolutely had to be printed at the time still hasn’t been spent yet. I imagine that will be ramping up as we approach election season, so the Democrats can use it to buy votes. Well, I don’t think too many Americans are buying that. By the way, I think I do know what part of this money was spent for:

Remember this photo of a “government fix” in the very same Federal Building? Well, the shipping tape has been removed, making this photo obsolete. There are still some nasty smears on the wall from where the adhesive was, so by no means is it completely repaired…but then again, would you expect any better?

I’d like to point out that Earl Pomeroy, Kent “Countrywide Mortgage” Conrad, and Byron “Skybox” Dorgan all voted for this stuff and think it’s pretty keen. Remember that each and every November until they’re all three civilians.

For you “birthers” out there, you might get a kick out of the fact that this sign was made using a commercial font called “Kenyan Coffee.” Maybe someone out there has a sense of humor about this tragedy…

Appropriate use of space

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I had to chuckle the other day when I spotted this gem, since it thumbs its nose at an intrusive federal and state government. Apparently this space is off limits for advertising, so the owner decided to make it serve a good purpose. Declaring a Constitutionally protected right ranks right up there in my book!

Here’s a closeup of the sign along with an explanation of why the declaration is being made. Overspray issues aside, I think this is a fantastic landmark and that there should be more of this sort of thing all over North Dakota. How ’bout that Bill of Rights, eh? I think people need to be reacquainted with it and our other founding documents. You’d be surprised how many rights the state and citizens have and how few the federal government does…

Streaking at Fort Lincoln

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The stars you see streaking in a cloudy stream above this blockhouse at Fort Lincoln are a part of the Milky Way Galaxy, as are we. Last night’s crisp air made for some very clear skies and brilliant stars, so some friends and I ventured off to take advantage of them in the wee hours of the morning. For them, it was the end of their day. For me, it was the end of a long photography journey which began Friday.

As you can see here, I clocked a LOT of miles collecting photos from all over eastern North Dakota. I’ve got too many to even allude to here, but you can bet they’re going to trickle out from time to time in a constant stream. Hint: the friend who accompanied me called this a Cold War Vacation. I’ll let your imagination take over from there.

Good talk, Rusty

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Just think…at one time this fella probably sat in a showroom or on a lot with a shiny coat of paint, just waiting to get out in the field and dig in (pun intented). Now it’s more of an ornament, but a testament to labor done. I’m not sure about the green hub on the axle, though.

Fallen Farm Friday

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Half barn, half house? The very distinctive shape (shapes?) of this house had me jamming on the breaks and whipping around for a quick photo. The part of the house on the left looks like a barn, yet the front makes it look like it collided with a house at some point. The peaks of the roof are like an architectural cherry on top.

This building sits stoically along the road to Fort Ransom, boarded up and tucked into the trees. Spotting such a Fallen Farm building was like stumbling on a hidden photographic treasure!

Just in time

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This is the first year that I’ve been able to enjoy a State Parks vehicle pass in my truck. Don’t ask me why it’s taken this long…I can’t explain it. In any case, I’ve got one now, and plan on putting it to good use yet this year! For instance, this recent bolt up to the blockhouses at Fort Abraham Lincoln. I got there just in time to catch the fleeting sunset.

Some of the tourists there looked amused as I rolled up in the Monster Truck™, grabbed my tripod and camera bag, and ran out into the middle of the forts to get the right angle. Later, as I was wrapping up, a couple walked by and asked how the sunset turned out. Thankfully, as you can see for yourself, it turned out just fine.

A shot of the twins

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I took a ride on the Fort Lincoln Trolley this weekend with my lovely bride, and the trolley operator told us about a pair of twin fawns that have been spotted (pun intended) around the tracks from time to time. I was out at Fort Lincoln since then and saw them for myself around dusk, playing around and walking with their mom. They didn’t seem to be alarmed by my presence and gave me plenty of opportunities to photograph them before bounding off into the trees.

Meet the star of the show (UPDATED)

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This is the magnum opus that created such a buzz during this year’s Capital A’fair: a 3D chalk drawing by Shawn McCann. His illusion took many hours of work and thankfully didn’t encounter any rain this year!

The effect of this chalk-drawn illusion becomes far more dramatic when an element of realism is introduced. In this case, we’re talking about the artist himself. Once we have a real person perched atop the faux protrusion of the drawing, the effect is complete.

Pretty cool, huh? This is the effect Shawn was shooting for. It looks really neat with the capitol in the shot for added perspective. Some days I’m really happy I have such a wide angle lens, and this is one of them.

As Shawn will point out, this is drawn to work from a very specific perspective. While this is a really neat angle to fit the capitol into the shot, it blows the illusion because of the way things are drawn.

Update: I took my boys to take part in the fun this afternoon (for about four minutes, given the blazing heat) and the chalk is weathering fast. In the afternoon the sun casts a shadow across this piece, so I stuck with a tight shot. Around noon would be better. You probably have another day or so to check it out, even less if the rumors of rain I hear are true!

This is one bear with a splitting headache

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I’m old enough to remember Clyde, the former star of the Dakota Zoo. If I remember correctly, I think he was the world’s largest Kodiak bear. A life-size wood carving of Clyde has been placed inside the zoo’s Discovery Center in his honor…that’s one tremendous bear!

A friend of mine once told me that there are three things that concrete does: it gets hard, it turns gray, and it cracks. Well, wood carvings do a couple of those things. As the wood ages it often develops cracks in inconvenient places. This carving of Clyde appears to have done so. I don’t think it detracts from the statue or its tribute at all, but it did make an opportunity for a “splitting headache” joke!

This statue really is quite large, as was the real Clyde. To get this shot I had my camera on a monopod, with the foot wedged into my collarbone, and the camera fired by remote as I held it aloft. Oh yeah…I was standing on a stump at the time, too. Here’s to you, Clyde!

This isn’t the only remarkable tribute to Clyde, although it’s far more permanent than my other favorite. Right after Clyde’s passing, someone made an enormous sand sculpture of Clyde lying on his back on the sandbar beneath the original Liberty Memorial Bridge. It was quite plainly visible while driving over the bridge until nature took its course and slowly whittled away at it. I wish I had been a photographer back then! I’m sure pictures of it are floating around somewhere…just not in my collection.

Butterfly surprise

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I was out roaming this weekend when a friend called to tell me that butterflies and caterpillars were having a heyday in her flower beds, especially around the milkweed. Since milkweed is poisonous, Monarch Butterflies eat it to prevent birds from eating them. Amazing how God’s creation works out, isn’t it?

Naturally I bolted over. I lamented the fact that I sold my razor-sharp 100mm Canon macro lens this spring to buy more accessories for my new 7D camera. Then I had an epiphany: during some free time at work last week I stumbled upon the fact that my 10-22 wide angle lens will focus to around four inches! That’s very close, and means I still have a “macro lens” in my arsenal. That’s what I used on the butterflies.

As you can see, it works just fine. That really made my day, since I’d really been missing that 100mm lens! Now I’ll have to try more situations with my wide angle at short distances, and see what kind of ideas it gives me…