Author Archives: Jim Hejl

Andy’s Big Pencil

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
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Andy gave me this Big Pencil for Christmas a few years ago. I had a photo from Christmas morning but cannot find it. Since then it’s been in my office. Here I was working on the details of this web site when this photo was snapped. I like it when someone askes me for a pencil to write down a note!

pencil

Andy’s Big Pencil

York Barbell Company

By | | People, Sports
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A side trip landed us in York, Pennsylvania which was the seat of the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War while the British were busy occupying Philadelphia. The Articles of Confederation were drafted here. In addition, the Conway Cabal was hatched in York. If you’re not familiar with this historical fact, Mifflin, Lee and others wanted to oust Washington as head of the Continental Army and replace him with Horatio Gates, the so-called hero of Saratoga. These breakouts are what happens when you are married to an historian.

barbel

York Barbell Company

Haines Shoe House

By | | Other Big Objects
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The old lady that lived in a shoe could have lived here. However the Haines Shoe House was built by Col. Mahlon Haines, a big self promoter who had a string of shoe stores, go figure. Anyway we now enjoy his self-indulgence with this 25 ft high shoe house located coincidently on Shoe House Rd., off US Rte 30 in Hellam, PA., just East of historic York.

shoe house

Haines Shoe House

 

“New” New Jersey Muffler Man

By | | Muffler Men, People
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I lived in South Jersey for 13 years and never saw this Muffler Man or was tipped to him by my vast network of Bird Dogs. I don’t know where he came from or how I could have missed him. We did get this photo last year when we were visiting Ben and Annie. First I thought it was a Muffler Man that was moved from down the White Horse Pike (US-30) from another tire dealer in Berlin, but it’s not. I wish I had gone into the shop and asked how long he’s been there, maybe I will next time I’m out there.

muffman

“New” New Jersey Muffler Man

Christmas Chipmunks

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
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It was Christmas in New Jersey and we went to the movies to see Avatar in 3D, my first experience with 3D since Jaws 3D. I’ve stayed away from 3D ever since (if you saw Jaws 3D you understand.) We spotted these Chipmunks in the lobby and I had my photo taken with them. Naturally, after some children saw me climb over the roping they followed suit and had their parents take their photo as well. I guess I am not a good example of citizenship.

chipmunks

Christmas Chipmunks

 

Effingham Cross

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
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This is billed as the World’s Largest Cross and I can believe it. Standing 198 feet tall with a 113 foot cross bar it is larger than the cross in Indian River, Michigan which was one of my early Big Photos and can be seen very near the bottom of this page. This cross is between exits 157 and 159 on I-55 in Effingham, IL. There is a great restaurant in Effingham named the Firefly Grill. Highly recommended if you are passing through near lunch or dinner time.

cross

Effingham Cross

National Road Muffler

By | | Automotive, Objects
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This muffler was a “found” Big Object we ran across on our way out of Vandalia, IN. It’s on US-40 west of town near Exit 61 on I-70. We stopped in Vandalia to see the historic marker designating the terminus of the “National Road.” The National Road ran from Cumberland, MD and was planned to continue to St. Louis, however funding ran out in 1838 when the road reached Vandalia. The National Road was the first major road to use the new macadam road surface. The interesting things you know when married to an historian.

muffler

National Road Muffler

Antiques Mart Muffler Man

By | | Muffler Men, Other Big People, People
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Get this! At the “Pink Elephant Antiques Mart” in Livingston, IL (see Big Animals for the elephant) you can find the Bearded Lumberjack Muffler Man (left) inside and the Big Beachboy (right) outside. Somehow I think they got this backwards, the bathing suit boy should be inside and the lumberjack outside. After all it is cold in Illinois in winter. BTW, I have another Big Beach Boy below that I found more appropriately in a Water Park on the Jersey shore.

beach boy

Antiques Mart Beach Boy

muffler

Antiques Mat Muffler Man

Livingston, Illinois Pink Elephant

By | | Animals, Elephants
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This is the namesake for the “Pink Elephant Antique Mart” in Livingston, IL. We went there to get the Big Beach Boy and Muffler Man (see Big People) and got this pink elephant as well. I’ve run into more of these pink elephants around. A couple of them are in front of liquor stores and are holding a martini glass with their trunk, pretty clever eh?

elephant

Livingston, Illinois Elephant

Vandalia Fire Breathing Dragon

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
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Vandalia, Indiana gave us a couple of unexpected Big Things, a Big Muffler and then this Big Fire Breathing Dragon – no kidding! I saw the propane tank and all. It’s out in front of the Vandalia location of the Kaskaskia Supply and Rental store. It’s such a delight to run into these unexpected Big Things. There are lots of people out there with a good sense of  humor.

dragon

Fire Breathing Dragon

St. Louis Chairs

By | | Chairs, Objects
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On the same trip to St Louis for Thanksgiving we were in Kirkwood to hang out and do a little shopping when eagle-eyed Deb spotted this sculpture of chairs. Luckily she had her camera handy and we were able to capture this image.

chair

St. Louis Chairs

Fred the Giant Farmer

By | | Other Big People, People
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Meet Fred the Giant Farmer and his sidekick Clyde. They stand advertising the Sappington Farmers Market on Watson Road in St. Louis. We were visiting my sister and brother-in-law for Thanksgiving and decided to take some time for a Big Things hunt.

farmer

Fred the Giant Farmer

Laumeier Sculpture Park Eyeball

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
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The trip to Saint Louis was rich in Big Photo opportunities. Catherine and Dale took us to the Laumeier Sculpture Park to see this Big Object. Quite something. Created by the artist Tony Tasset this sculpture titled appropriately “Eye, 2007” is one of many of his artworks found in public areas. In fact, another eyeball like this can be found in Pritzker Park near the Loop in Chicago.

eyeball

Laumeier Sculpture Park Eyeball

Brown Shoe Company

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
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The Brown Shoe company in Saint Louis has this Big Shoe made up of shoes sculpture in front of their headquarters. The Big Shoe of Shoes, sounds like an Ed Sullivan introduction, of course you have to be a Baby Boomer to understand that.

 

shoe

Brown Shoe Company

Joe Louis Fist

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
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At the foot of Woodward Avenue in Detroit, shop my hometown by the way, is a tribute to one of the Great Boxers – Joe Louis. From Detroit. He became the most notable boxer of his time – the Golden Age of boxing. I ask you, who can name the current Heavyweight Boxing Champion? Can you?

fist

Joe Louis Fist

 

Detroit Stove

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
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If you grew up in Detroit like I did, this stove was one of the more memorable landmarks in Detroit. For years it stood at the corner of Jefferson and E. Grand Blvd. near the Belle Isle Bridge. It was relocated to the Michigan State Fairgrounds where we finally tracked it down. Lindsey (a newbie to this site) and Andy were with us when we grabbed this opportunity for a photo. The Fairgrounds were “closed” but we managed to get the photo anyway. Thanks to “you know who.”

stove

Detroit Stove

 

Indianapolis Gorilla

By | | Animals, Inflatables, The Rest of the Animals
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Halloween has gotten to be a bigger event then I remember as a kid. Oh, we dressed up, went begging, maybe even soaped a window or too, but I don’t rememeber all the temporary shops that spring up. So many in fact they look like Starbucks. On Keystone and Ruth Drive in Indianapolis there are two shops across the street from each other (one of them next to a Starbucks, by the way.) Anyway after getting a Grande Pumpkin Latte low fat, etc coffee we stopped to grap this inflatable.

Keystone Golilla

Keystone Golilla

 

Churubusco Park Turtle

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
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Well I had this turtle placed entirely in the wrong location.  I previously thought I found it on the way back from New Harmony in Southern Indiana.  Actually it stands at the entrance of the Churubusco Community Park, on Rte. 33, the Lincoln Hwy, near Churubusco, Indiana.  I’m not sure I could find this one again, but once is probably enough.

turtle

Churubusco Park Turtle

 

Toto Native American

By | | Native Americans, People
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It was really bugging me since I knew I had this image somewhere but not where I was looking – finally I found it. I liked this big guy a lot. He is in front of Richard’s Store next to the Toto Cafe in downtown Toto, Indiana. The Cafe looks like a great place to eat. Lot’s of people going in and out. It wasn’t lunch time yet, more like a late breakfast since Toto is in the Central Time Zone.

toto man

Toto Native American

Farm Market Corn

By | | Food and Drink, The Rest of the Food
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On the way to the Indiana Dunes during Fall Break we took a side trip to Toto, Indiana to get a photo of a Big Guy. Along US-31 we spotted this large ear of corn outside Rusty’s Farm Market on the side of the road. This was just before Halloween as you can probably guess.

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Farm Market Corn