Thursday, May 14, 2009

Clowns on the Cascade

Who's the biggest clown on the Cascade River?

Me, with the dog who just does not know how to smile for the camera? The worlds' biggest cedar tree meets the worlds's most stubborn poodle. Note my iron grasp of her collar. The poodle wins. It's not like I was going to toss her into the torrent.




Or is the biggest clown me, all alone and crossing this nearly flooded and frozen bit of Superior Hiking Trail? I took the picture thinking, in part, "If I fall through and die, and if they find the camera, at least they'll know where the accident occurred."



No, the biggest clown on the Cascade River is this dude, painted on the County Road 45 bridge. Cook County really does have artists! This clown captures the lassitude of youth along with the vibrance of hydrology. Its lack of humor, combined with classic clown colors, is a statement about the clash of expectations and reality in rural communities.



Or something like that.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lack of humor? I must strenuously demur.

This is the epitome of the tongue-and-snoose-in-cheek rural PoMo sensibility.

Andrew Slade said...

"PoMo"? That sent me running to the online dictionary. Polar Momma? Positive Motivation? Porch Monkey?

Don't you have to be modern first before you can be post modern?

Apparently the new Star Trek movie delves into these very questions.

Anonymous said...

But does the new Star Trek have clowns?

Ovidia said...

You know that a dog is happy, well-adjusted and well cared for if she 1) can lie on her back and have her tummy rubbed and 2) can pose for photographs. Think about it; how many abused dogs get their pictures taken?

Ship Chloe off to us for a while. If you don't have a sense of humor around her, you perish in days.

Andrew Slade said...

I can lie on my back and have my tummy rubbed. I can even pose for pictures. But the only time I feel well-adjusted is after a visit to the chiropractor...