mmmmmmmmmm...corn

Good corn.

Big corn.

I mean, BIG corn.

Inedible corn.

Concrete corn.

Ohio was the major producer of corn in the US for many years, which calls for a giant, concrete corn planted in a field in Dublin, OH.
And not just one giant ear of concrete corn - there are 109 of them.

It isn't in some far, out-of-the-way field; this awesome art installation is right next to an office park.
You are just driving through Dublin and there it is in all of its corny glory;

 Rea took me here for my birthday a couple of years ago knowing that i love both corn and giant objects.
Two for one joy! 
Plus another 101 item.

You can read her account of the adventure at the Cackleberry Hollow blog here







In case you don't forsee a trip to central Ohio in your future, enjoy some video of that gorgeous May day (2015) surrounded by an overwhelming amount of concrete corn.
You're welcome.

WARNING : GIANT CLOWN

No really, it is a giant clown.
How giant? you ask.
Can you spot me in this picture?

Okay yes, the clown in question is Ronald McDonald and he is not as scary as other clowns (at least not this mid-late 20th century version of him; some of the live ones i've seen have been highly questionable).

But this Ronald is BIG -

 big enough to hold me in his hand.

Located of I-71 in central-ish Ohio (exit 131, to be exact) this mega-Ron is welcoming everyone to share in a Happy Meal at the adjacent pavilion, which is probably the prettiest, most well-maintained McDonald's Birthday area i have ever seen.
Rea and i stopped specifically to collect this giant object for my 101 list when i was there for my birthday/Mother's Day in May.
She wanted a picture of me by the anthropomorphic food for another size reference:

though on closer examination,
does it look like
the hamburger is ironically trying to eat me?













A pleasant little stop in our day and another thing crossed from the list, but i do have to admit that when you are sitting under Ronald, looking straight up,

he is a little scary.

COMING SOON...

Perceptions

There was a brief break in the weather that felt like October around here.
After days of wind and rain and grey it was lovely.
I'm sure we will pay for it come February, but it was nice to see a last flare of autumn before winter settles in.
Sitting outside eating lunch made me consider how how perceptions are influenced by as many external forces as internal.
A 60 degree day in August would be met with sweaters, but in November people weren't even wearing coats.
Last month when we were in Ohio for my nephew's wedding i overheard my brother describing the foliage to his wife back home. They live in Virginia Beach where there are 4 distinct seasons, but few trees to mark the passage of summer to winter. He couldn't get over how beautiful it was out in the country, no matter where you looked.

He said Even the dead corn is beautiful here. 

When we talked about it later he insisted that the corn was a different shade of gold in Ohio than it was in Virginia.
 Though i think that might be true I can't help but wonder today if maybe he was just seeing the same thing in a different way because of the different setting and the festive mood of the day.

 

I wonder if we can will ourselves to see something different in our every day lives. 

(do you see the rainbow in that picture?) 

I wonder if simply wanting to see things
 differently
means that we can.