Author Archives: Jim Hejl

Motor Time Native American

By | | Native Americans, People
Comments Off on Motor Time Native American

After eating lunch at a Gold Star Chili restaurant we followed Vine down to Motor Time Auto Sales hoping to get an image of this Big Indian (Native American, First People) sign out front. Unfortunately it wasn’t a great shot due to the scaffolding. However on the bright side, at least some care is being taken for his well being.

indian

Motor Time Native American

“Big” Big Boy

By | | Other Big People, People
Comments Off on “Big” Big Boy

During our visit to Cincinnati we were on our way to Jungle Jim’s International Market (if you haven’t been there, go!) The chief photographer spotted this big Big Boy dressed up for Halloween and we circled back to grab this image.

big boy

“Big” Big Boy

Big Duct Man

By | | Other Big People, People
Comments Off on Big Duct Man

There are so many people that have fun with their business. In this case it is Jacobs Mechanical on Hopple St. in Cincinnati. They must be in heating and cooling, thus the Big Duct Man. One warning, Hopple Street is pretty dangerous to cross, traffic moves fast and there are hills and curves that hides traffic until it is on top of you. No standing in the street to get this image, the Chief Photographer actually had to go to the end of the block to cross with the light.

duct man

Big Duct Man

Cincinnati KFC

By | | Food and Drink, The Rest of the Food
Comments Off on Cincinnati KFC

Will that be Original or Extra Crispy? Nothing like a good bucket from the Colonel. It’s kind of amazing seeing these advertising signs at ground level. This bucket is at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. We visited during a Fall Break jaunt. There were other Big Signs out in front of the entrance. Looks like a good place to visit if you are in to neon.

kfc

Cincinnati KFC

Sign Museum Genie

By | | Other Big People, People
Comments Off on Sign Museum Genie

A Big Genie greets visitors to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. I wonder where this Big Beauty stood before relocating to Cincinnati. Anyway, he is one of several Big Things outside the museum. We were in Cincinnati for Fall Break from school (actually only 1 night, big deal) planning to have some chili and visit the Underground History Museum. In my opinion the museum was much better than the chili. Sorry Cincinnati, I like the Coney Dog chili in Detroit better.

genie

Sign Museum Genie

Sign Museum in Cincinnati

By | | Objects, Sports
Comments Off on Sign Museum in Cincinnati

The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati opened recently and has many interesting items. Visiting Cincinnati during fall break we stopped by and found a foursome of Big Things, this Big Bowling Pin and the Hammer below. The other two are in the Food and Drink and Big People sections. I have a couple of other Big Bowling Pins on the site below. There are two bowling alleys here in Indy, however for some reason I don’t have the images from Woodland Bowl a mile or so from my house. I’ll have to correct that.

sign museum

Sign Museum in Cincinnati

Sign Museum Hammer

By | | Objects, Tools
Comments Off on Sign Museum Hammer

This Big Hammer sign was also outside the American Sign Museum. I think the museum could have yielded some other interesting objects but it cost $15 for admission. We didn’t think it was worth the time of money to enter so we left in search of other planned Big Things.

hammer

Sign Museum Hammer

Wedding Egg

By | | Food and Drink, The Rest of the Food
Comments Off on Wedding Egg

Matt and Erin’s wedding reception was at the American Visionary Art Museum. In the courtyard outside the entrance was this “Artsy Egg” which we spotted on the way into the museum. After a night of food and dance the celebration ended and I posed with this fancy egg.

egg

Wedding Egg

Fell’s Point Arrow

By | | Objects, Sports
Comments Off on Fell’s Point Arrow

Andy and Lindsey joined us for a few relaxing days in Ocean City, Maryland. A great time together. Saturday we left the ocean for Baltimore to attend Matt and Erin’s wedding on the Inner Harbor. After checking into our hotel we decided to have lunch together. Andy had scoped this out and led us to historic Fells Point and to Max’s Taphouse. What a place. From their website – “With 140 rotating drafts, 5 Hand-Pumped Cask Ales, and a world-spanning collection of approximately 1200 bottled beers in stock, Max’s is legendary for having Maryland’s largest selection of local and imported beer.” I don’t think you go there for the food, which was OK. Andy studied the beer menu for a while. If I lived nearby I would be a regular. They even have a “Monday sucks Happy Hour.” How cool! Oh, and they had this Big Arrow hanging from the ceiling. The bartender didn’t know the story behind this.

arrow

Fell’s Point Arrow

Maryland Strawberry

By | | Food and Drink, Fruit
Comments Off on Maryland Strawberry

I really like strawberries. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry jam, the list goes on. We spotted this at a roadside farm market on the way to Baltimore from our time in Ocean City. The strawberry here was once a tilt-a-whirl car, transported to this roadside location, not the best looking Big Thing, but Big none-the-less.

strawberry

Maryland Strawberry

Maryland Donut

By | | Food and Drink, The Rest of the Food
Comments Off on Maryland Donut

On Saturday morning we were driving from Ocean City to Baltimore and spotted this Big Donut. Making a quick turn back we just had to get this this donut. It was hard to find a parking spot by this small bakery. It must be a family tradition to stop in and get a treat on the way back to Baltimore or DC. I’ve been off donuts for a while but maybe this would have been a place to get a good Boston Cream.

donut

Maryland Donut

Matt’s Wedding Poodle

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
Comments Off on Matt’s Wedding Poodle

We were in Baltimore for Matt and Erin’s wedding. This gave us the rationale to spend the prior week at the Maryland Shore. A week well spent, Sun, Surf and Seafood. The wedding was at the Old Otterbein Church downtown with the reception at the American Visionary Art Museum. What a great place for a reception. This poodle was on the ground floor. This is a mixed marriage, Erin is a Redskins fan while Matt roots for the Eagles. Dan almost started a riot by referring to this arch rivarly in his Best Man’s toast. I thought he looked familiar, I have a photo of him at the Baltimore Visitors Center, you can see it below.

poodle

Matt’s Wedding Poodle

Ocean City Muffler Man

By | | Muffler Men, People
Comments Off on Ocean City Muffler Man

This is a really cool Muffler Man in a Pirate form. When we were in Ocean City, Maryland we drove past a couple times before really spotting him at the Jolly Roger Amusement parton the Coastal Highway. One morning we stopped by to get this image, the place was vacant, we took this image and one Big Aminal image before realizing that the park wasn’t open for the day. I guess we could have wandered around but we didn’t feel comfortable doing that.

pirate

Ocean City Pirate

MD Shore Monkey

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
Comments Off on MD Shore Monkey

Ah, the Shore. In this case the Maryland shore at Ocean City. As a veteran of Ocean City, New Jersey it was good to make a comparison. Lot more high rises, probably since they draw a lot more people here from Baltimore and Washington, DC. As expected the minature golf courses and small amusement parks cry out for Big Things. In this case it was a tilt-a-whirl type ride on the OC boardwalk at Jolly Roger on the Boardwalk. If you’re daring try the “slingshot ride!”

monkey

Boardwalk Monkey

Bethany Beach Pirate

By | | Other Big People, People
Comments Off on Bethany Beach Pirate

This was a great surprise. One morning when we traveled up from Ocean City, Maryland we stopped in Bethany Beach to walk around. Bethany looks like a real nice place to spend some time, stop by if you get in the area. On the way out of town we took some side streets and spotted this Big Skelton Pirate, as you guessed, in a minature golf course.

pirate

Bethany Beach Pirate

Bethany Beach Chair

By | | Chairs, Objects
Comments Off on Bethany Beach Chair

After moving into our condo in Ocean City, Maryland and getting some beach time, we decided to have lunch at Harpoon Hannah’s in Fenwick Island, Delaware. We had a couple terrific recommendations about this place and wanted to eat there. Before lunch we drove even farther north to get a feel for Bethany Beach and Rehoboth, Delaware. We’d passed through Rehoboth a few years ago when we took the Lewes-Cape May ferry. I liked both Rehoboth and thought Bethany Beach was a place that we might stay in the future. More likely we’ll be at the New Jersey shore in Avalon or Stone Harbor. Anyway, back to the Big Picture, which was this set of Big Chairs outside of Perfect Furnishings in Bethany Beach. Nice chairs. Good food on the deck at Harpoon Hannah’s, crab, crab, crab. Love it!

chair

Bethany Beach Chair

 

Ocean City Bear

By | | Animals, Bears
Leave a comment

At the Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland on the Coastal Highway at 32nd Street, where it becomes N. Philadelphia Avenue we spotted a Big Pirate and stopped to grab an image. You can see him on the Big People page. While we were getting a shot of the pirate we spotted this Bear Car on a tilt-a-whirl (like the monkey on the image right below) and knew we had gotten one of the rate two-fers. We wandered around this part of the park before realizing they weren’t open for business. We beat a hasty retreat.

Ocean City Bear

Ocean City Bear

Boardwalk Lemons

By | | Food and Drink, Fruit
Comments Off on Boardwalk Lemons

When we were in Ocean City, Maryland for a week of R&R before Matt and Erin’s wedding in Baltimore, we checked out the boardwalk. In one of the guide magazines this booth was rated the top Lemon Shakeup stand in Ocean City, and also cited these Big Lemons. What a treat to get this and also the Big Pretzel. Note the amused gal in the background. she probably has seen most everything on the boardwalk in her time.

lemons

Boardwalk Lemons

Tony’s Pizza

By | | Food and Drink, The Rest of the Food
Comments Off on Tony’s Pizza

Tony’s Pizza is on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. This is not a small boardwalk pizza place, more of a pizza palace. I didn’t have time to take in a slice but I felt it would have pretty good. It was early and I made my way up to the deck on the second floor for this image. I would like any feedback on Tony’s Pizza if you have been here.

pizza

Tony’s Pizza

All About Hearing

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
Comments Off on All About Hearing

One of the interesting things about being married to an historian is that you make stops that normal people don’t. In this case, we were on our way to a week at the Maryland shore before attending Matt’s wedding in Baltimore. Interstates I-70 and I-68 follow much of the old National Road (now US-40 for the most part.) Anyway, we were about to pass through Cumberland, Maryland where the eastern end of the National Road originated at the Potomac River. Since we stopped previously in Vandalia, Indiana where the Road terminated we had to stop to see the beginning point. Traveling into Cumberland on US-40 we spotted this Big Ear, outside the “All About Hearing” shop. We circled back, got the shot and had a nice chat with the proprietors of the shop. (BTW, the National Road was the first major road to use the new macadam road surface.)

ear

All About Hearing