11/29/2015

Richard Haas Murals in Homewood, Illinois





In addition to a unique and quaint downtown area, Homewood now boasts the largest collection of Richard Haas murals anywhere in the world. Haas, a world-renowned painter specializing in large, illusion murals, was first invited to Homewood in the early 1980’s. Since that time, Hass has finished 14 murals and is scheduled to complete his final mural in the fall of 2014.

The time-lapse video above captures the magic of one of his recent murals being created. “Homewood has a special place in my 35 years of doing public work,” said Haas. “This project has allowed me to expand my work in many ways. In Homewood, I was given the freedom to design and execute a new series of works that tells an even larger story, not only about Homewood’s history but about the region in general. Homewood now has the largest concentration of my works in one area and I hope people will discover and enjoy these works for a long time to come.” “Homewood is a great home for the arts,” said Homewood Mayor Richard Hofeld. “We sought Richard out specifically for his realistic style as well as his artistic and history vision. Residents have given us very positive feedback about seeing the blank canvas of the side of a building become transformed into a work of art.”




These murals are very interesting.  I have viewed them and they really catch your attention.


3D Murals Painted on the Sides of Buildings

3D murals painted on the sides of buildings by trompe l'oeil (trick-of-the-eye) artist John Pugh:


cid:1.2784798984@web160406.mail.bf1.yahoo.com
Main Street, Los Gatos, California. Even the woman 

peering into the ruin is part of the mural.

cid:2.2784798984@web160406.mail.bf1.yahoo.com
Taylor Hall, California State University, Chico, California. 

The Doric-style columns are actually nothing but paint.

cid:4.2784798984@web160406.mail.bf1.yahoo.com

This mural at the Cafe Trompe L'oeil, San Jose, California, 
is entitled "Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life."
This customer doesn't leave at closing time. And, there 
is no doorway or stairs to go through or climb... and the statue never needs dusting.

cid:5.2784798984@web160406.mail.bf1.yahoo.com

Twenty-nine Palms, California. Valentine the bull and a patient buzzard are waiting for the artist to awake. No way... yep, way. This is all painting. Check along the base of the wall and you can see the seam between the vertical wall and the paved parking lot. How real can it get. Just outstanding.

Click to go to the web page:

artofjohnpugh.com/murals



High Property Taxes

Rate - Percent of Value
Interesting article of the impact of high property taxes in the southern suburbs of Chicago.


"The Average Rates:

“Confiscatory” is not an exaggeration of some of the rates common in many of these communities. Rates now average 5.23% per year of a the market value of homes in south suburban communities, far more than mortgage interest which today would typically be no more than four percent for a 20%-down, fixed 30-year mortgage. Those tax rates are about 3.3 times higher than the national average effective property tax rate for homes (about 1.5%, in urban areas), as reported in this year’s annual report of Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence. (Rural areas have lower rates.)"


Click to read the article.

http://www.wirepoints.com/suicidal-property-tax-rates-and-the-collapse-of-chicagos-south-suburbs-wp-original/



11/26/2015

Happy Thanksgiving

HappyThanksgiving



The video below from WKRP Cincinnati video on Thanksgiving.  No turkeys were harmed in this video.

WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg
Nov 24, 2011 - Uploaded by Epic Houston
WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly"Thanksgiving.

WKRP Thanksgiving Turkey Drop - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p00nBSNIPwg
Oct 13, 2014 - Uploaded by Cuchulainn's Picks
Les Nessman discovers that his station's Thanksgiving promotion just isn't going to fly. For more info ...

Watch WKRP in Cincinnati Online - Turkeys Away | Hulu

www.hulu.com/watch/322

Sep 20, 2007
Stream WKRP in Cincinnati season 1, episode 7 instantly. ... This one website, wetpaint, showed 12 Thanksgiving Day episodes, and the  ...

WKRP "Turkey's Away" - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeCGURWzjwE
Nov 24, 2011 - Uploaded by whoohaaa1000
WKRP "Turkey's Away" .... This was a great old Thanksgivingshow. .... WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Thanksgiving  ...

WKRP in Cincinnati Full Episode (Turkeys Away) - IMDb

www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi254935065/

Watch the latest WKRP in Cincinnati Full Episode (Turkeys Away) on IMDb.

Small Houses


Small houses are very popular now. They are environmentally friendly, sustainable, and affordable. 

The house below was purchased by the son of a friend of mine. Very nice and sustainable. On a large lot where it can be expanded if needed.

Of course today most of our zoning codes would not permit a small home of this size.


    Tumbleweed Tiny House Company - Welcome to our website !

    www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
    Tumbleweed Tiny House RVs range from 117 to 180 square feet. It's unlike any RV you've ever seen before. 100's of options to customize your Tumbleweed.

    Impressive Tiny Houses - Small House Plans

    www.countryliving.com/home-design/g1887/tiny-house/
    44 of the Most Impressive Tiny Houses You've Ever Seen. ... Growing in popularity over the last decade, tiny houses are popping up around the country as more people decide to downsize their lives. While the structures often measure less than 300 square feet, thetiny house movement isn ...

    5 Impressive Tiny Houses You Can Order Right Now - Curbed

    curbed.com/archives/2015/08/18/where-to-buy-tiny-houses.php
    Curbed
    Aug 18, 2015 - Photo via Toy Box Tiny Home Lately, we've seen heaps upon heaps of micro homes crop up with all sorts of eye-popping attributes, whether ...

    Skip the Trailer: 13 Tiny Houses Built on Foundations - The ...

    www.thetinyhouse.net/skip-the-trailer-13-tiny-houses-built-on-foundatio...
    Jul 13, 2015 - Not all tiny houses are built on trailers. In this article, I highlight 13 tiny houses built on foundations and skids to show you how creative you can ...

    tiny houses – small dwellings of every shape and size

    www.designboom.com/contemporary/tiny_houses.html
    tiny houses the size of a home varies around the world; while some families live in one room huts, others have gigantic homes which seem to never end.

    Tennessee Tiny Homes | Quality TinyHomes on Wheels

    tinyhappyhomes.com/
    Tinyhousegiantjourney.com takes a look inside the Music City tiny home in Nashville, TN. ... Tiny house shells, ready to live in homes, and everything in between.

    Pictures of 10 Extreme Tiny Homes From HGTV Remodels ...

    www.hgtv.com › Remodel › Interior Remodel
    HGTV
    Browse pictures of homes less than 200-square-feet and get design tips from smallspace homeowners on HGTV.com.

    In the news
    Image for the news result
    Tiny homes are creating a big buzz around the Pacific Northwest. With home prices out of ...

What Did I Forget and When Did I Forget It?



I admired this box with a pistol and the US Grant photo and flag in Dave Dorgan's home.  Very nice.

"You gave it to me", Dave said.  "No I did not", I said, "I have never seen it before."

Dave showed me on the back of the box my signature where I gave it to Dave 12 years ago.


___________________

Oh, well, think positive.  Today is Thanksgiving and I have much to be grateful for today. Soon I will always meet new people and never hear anyone retell an old story.




11/16/2015

Nice Cartoon of Me Back in The Day




This cartoon was published in the Kankakee, Illinois newspaper around 1990. It showed up just now on my Facebook page from a much earlier post. I had forgotten it, so it is fun to see again.

I was consulting for the Kankakee Metropolitan Planning Organization. Our plan had long called for an additional crossing of the Kankakee River.

The Perry Farm was donated by Mrs. Perry to the State of Illinois. The State was going to give it to a local government. This led to the voters creating two governments - a Forest Preserve District and a Park District. The two governments were competing for the land. I consulted for the Forest Preserve District and prepared a plan for the use of the property. We could kill two birds with one stone, providing access with an attractive parkway through the park while providing a much needed additional River crossing.

But as you can see from the cartoon, there was substantial opposition, mostly from pro park and anti road people. So the Perry Farm is now a nice park and Kankakee is without the additional River crossing, with the attendant longer driving times, gasoline consumption, and air pollution attendant to the long drive to the existing crossing.


Oh, well. You don't win them all. In fact, you lose many for every few that succeed.

Grace Bazylewski too funny.... bradley?
Craig Harlan Hullinger Kankakee. An oldy but a goody. We were proposing a forest preserve with an access road. The newspaper took exception
Bill Whited Yes, when in doubt, libel the planner.
15 hrsLike1
Craig Harlan Hullinger I look pretty good, don't you think? An excellent likeness.