Author Archives: Jim Hejl

Jungle Jim Snail

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
Comments Off on Jungle Jim Snail

No trip to Cincinnati, like the one we made for the Brain Tumor Walk, would be complete without a stop at Jungle Jim’s.  I have a number of Big Things shot at Jungle Jim’s, however this time we spotted this Big Snail next door.  Almost drove by since we wanted to get back home but stopped long enough to grab this image.  Jungle Jim’s is unlike any grocery store you’ve been in, a must see.

snail

Jungle Jim Snail

 

Sugar and Spice Pig

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
Comments Off on Sugar and Spice Pig

We went down to Cincinnati to support a friend by walking in a Brain Tumor Walk.  While we’ve been to Cincinnati before I’m always looking for new Big Things.  I found this Big Pig on Roadside America. The pig stands out front of the Sugar and Spice Restaurant on Reading Road.  I wish we would have been there for breakfast, it looks like my kind of place.

pig

Sugar and Spice Pig

 

Keyer Pipe Shop Sign

By | | Other Big Objects
Comments Off on Keyer Pipe Shop Sign

While we were in Cincinnati for the Brain Tumor walk we visited the Cincinnati Art Museum.  While walking through some of the galleries we spotted this Big Pipe.  Turns out it was a sign in front of the Keyer Pipe House Shop which was on Main Street between 12 and 13th.  The sign was installed in 1917 and lasted thee until 1983 when the shop closed.

pipe

Keyer Pipe Shop Sign

Family Leisure Chair

By | | Chairs, Objects
Comments Off on Family Leisure Chair

Deb and I and our friend Jerry were downtown to see the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.  Jerry is an accomplished photographer and we wanted to get his comments on Ansel Adams, who has long been a favorite of mine.  On the way to dropping Jerry off at his house we were passing by Family Leisure and wanted to look a new fire pit.  Well, lo and behold, here was this Big Chair.

chair

Family Leisure Chair

Andy T’s Radio Flyer

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
Comments Off on Andy T’s Radio Flyer

My Uncle Ed lives in St. Johns, Michigan and when we stop to see him we generally stop at Andy T’s market.  They have a lot of landscaping plants, (we purchased some) and a small market with a lot of home made goods like pastries, jelly, etc.  Always a good stop.  In the past there was a Big Chair in the field nearby.  This time, well hello!  This big Radio Flyer was next to the parking lot.  Wow, what an unexpected find.

wagon

Andy T’s Radio Flyer

State College Bull

By | | Animals, Cows and Bulls
Comments Off on State College Bull

On our way out of State College, look PA after spending the night and having breakfast at Ye Old College Diner (leaving with Sticky Buns in hand of course) we took Business 322 to get on US-322.  Right before we got there, we spotted this bull atop Kelly Steak and Seafood.  A restaurant in Boalsburg, PA.  Another nice find!

bull

State College Bull

 

A Blizzard in Pennsylvania

By | | Food and Drink, Ice Cream
Comments Off on A Blizzard in Pennsylvania

We were crossing Pennsylvania going from Pittsburgh to State College to spend the night before getting to Nancy and Tony’s cabin the next day.  Along the way, I’m not quite sure where it was, maybe along US-22 the Chief Photographer spotted this Big Blizzard.  A quick turn around and we grabbed this image.

blizzard

Pennsylvania Blizzard

National Pike Chicken

By | | Animals, Chickens
Comments Off on National Pike Chicken

We were cruising down the National Pike (US-40) near Uniontown, pilule PA on the way to get a Muffler Man image when the Chief Photographer spotted this “Chicken on a Stick” outside Twin Oaks Home Care in Hopwood, salve PA.  Nice unplanned find.

chicken

National Pike Chicken

Indy Zoo Butterflies

By | | Animals, The Rest of the Animals
Comments Off on Indy Zoo Butterflies

Ben, Annie and Nate were in town and a trip to the zoo was in order.  Just inside the entrance are these artful butterflies.  Naturally I had to grab an image with them.  The zoo has been upgraded and is quite a bit nicer than when we first moved here.

butterfly

Indy Zoo Butterflies

Midas Hand

By | | Inflatables, Other Big People, People
Comments Off on Midas Hand

Here’s an inflatable I spotted in front of the Midas shop in Glendale on my way downtown.  I had to get with the Chief Photographer and get back to get the image.  I’m not big on inflatables but I haven’t seen this one before.

hand

Midas Hand

Andy T’s Big Chair

By | | Chairs, Objects
Comments Off on Andy T’s Big Chair

When we were up in Michigan to see my Uncle Ed we stopped at Andy T’s Farm Market as we always do.  It’s always a treat to stop in for one reason or another.  When we stopped this time we spotted this Big Chair.

chair

Andy T’s Big Chair

Hammer in Hand Custom Cycles Anvil

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
Comments Off on Hammer in Hand Custom Cycles Anvil

Well, we were up in Michigan to visit my Uncle Ed. While there we spent some time and drove through St. Johns, and we noticed this Big Anvil atop the Hammer in Hand Custom Cycles building.  I visited briefly but it’s taken me some time to get this image up on the site.  This is my first Big Anvil, who knew it would be in St. Johns.

anvil

Hammer in Hand Anvil

 

Minneapolis Airport Bookstore

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
Comments Off on Minneapolis Airport Bookstore

On the way home from the LA trip we changed planes in the Minneapolis airport. On the way to the commuter terminal I found this bookstore with a couple big pile of books and some oversize newspapers decorating the front of the store.  Now, I traveled through MSP for years and never spotted these big things.

bookstore

Minneapolis Airport Bookstore

Santa Monica Scallop

By | | Animals, Fish
Comments Off on Santa Monica Scallop

It may be a stretch to put this in the Animal/Fish category but where would you put it?  We were in Santa Monica while visiting Julia and Dan who were living in Eagle Rock, an area in Los Angeles.  One day we visited Santa Monica, my how it has changed from my visits in the ’90’s.  Less local and more national chain stores.  Shouldn’t have been surprised but I was and disappointed for some reason.  Anyway we were walking along Ocean Avenue and ran across this Big Scallop sculpture.  I believe it was next to the Chez Jay restaurant.  Nice find.

scallop

Santa Monica Scallop

Santa Monica Fork in the Road

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
Comments Off on Santa Monica Fork in the Road

On the way from Ventura we spotted this Big Fork on Main Street in Santa Monica.  Grabbed a parking spot around the corner (not the easiest thing to do in Santa Monica) to get this image.  This, I found out is the symbol/logo for the Fork in the Road Restaurant, a “New American Restaurant.” What ever that means.  It was mid-afternoon and were headed for a great dinner at “The Lobster,” at the base of the Santa Monica Pier so we didn’t stop in for a nosh.

fork

Santa Monica Fork in the Road

Venice Binoculars

By | | Objects, Sports
Comments Off on Venice Binoculars

This is billed as the “World’s Largest Binoculars,” and they very well could be.  Located on Main Street in Venice, California they were designed by Claus Oldenberg and Coosje vanBruggen.  Quite the find, only negative is that I was there during a work protest.  Fortunately for me there was no picket line.  Not sure I could have crossed, I did grow up in Detroit.

binocs

Venice Binoculars

California Science Center Gyroscope

By | | Objects, Other Big Objects
Comments Off on California Science Center Gyroscope

We had a visitor’s choice day according to Julia’s trip schedule during our Spring Break Trip to Los Angeles.  It was a fine Tuesday morning and after visiting the magnificent rose garden in the park out front we visited the California Science Center.  What a great museum!  Lot’s of school groups present and the museum has lots of interactive displays which keep their attention.  The museum is also the home to the retired Space Shuttle Endeavor.  A good presentation on space travel and videos of the arrival of the space shuttle, both the fly-overs as well as the surface movement of the shuttle onto the museum grounds.  I was even happier when we spotted this big gyroscope mounted outside the ExploraStore.

gyro

California Science Center Gyroscope

Santa Monica Ice Cream

By | | Food and Drink, Ice Cream
Comments Off on Santa Monica Ice Cream

I’ve visited Santa Monica, CA over the years and seen it change from a campy artistic, interesting area to what it is now, another area of upscale shops just like the shops at the Fashion Square Mall a mile away from my home.  How disappointing, but expected.  Before a great dinner with Julia and Dan at The Lobster on Ocean Ave. & The Pier we walked over to the 3rd street mall.  While there I spotted this ice cream cone and had to get a photo.

cone

Santa Monica Ice Cream