Feeder birds

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Scott Hovind

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged animal, bird, bird feeder, Female House Sparrow, hovind, Male House Sparrow, michigan, Sparrow, Starling, wildlife | 2 Comments

Pere Marquette 1225

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Scott Hovind

Pere Marquette 1225 is a 2-8-4 (Berkshire) steam locomotive built for Pere Marquette Railway (PM) by Lima Locomotive Worksin Lima, Ohio. 1225 is one of two surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 locomotives and. PM used 1225 in regular service from the locomotive’s construction in 1941 until the railroad merged into Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; it remained in use on C&O’s Michigan lines until 1951. Slated for scrapping, 1225 was acquired by Michigan State University in 1957 and placed on static display.

In 1971, work began to restore 1225 to operation, an effort that culminated in its first excursion run in 1988. The locomotive, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now used on excursion trains over the former Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, now Great Lakes Central Railroad.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The Pere Marquette 1225 is now owned and operated by the Steam Railroading Institute located in Owosso, Michigan. For more information on the SRI please click here.

Currently the Pere Marquette 1225 is undergoing repairs and preparing for her 15 year state and federal DOT inspections allowing us to see her in a rare disassembled state.

History

The locomotive was built in 1941 by Lima Locomotive Works for Pere Marquette Railway (PM). PM ordered this type of locomotive in three batches from Lima: class N in 1937 (PM road numbers 1201–1215), class N-1 in 1941 (numbers 1216–1227) and class N-2 in 1944 (numbers 1228–1239). 1225 cost $200,000 to build in 1941 ($3,160,181 in current dollars).

The locomotives remained on the roster through the PM’s merger into Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; class N locomotives were renumbered to 2685–2699, class N-1 to 2650–2661, and class N-2 to 2670–2681. Part of the merger agreement, however, included the stipulation that locomotives that were acquired and fully paid for by PM would remain painted for PM after the merger. Although all the Berkshires received new numbers, only class N engines were repainted into standard C&O livery and renumbered. The majority of the class N locomotives were scrapped between 1954 and 1957, but class N-1s1223 and 1225 were both preserved.

For the first part of its service life, 1225 was used to shuttle steel and wartime freight between Detroit, Saginaw, Flint and northern Indiana steel mills.

Polar Express

1225′s blueprints were the prototype for the locomotive image, and its sounds were used in the 2004 film The Polar Express. The film was based on the Caldecott Medal winning book of the same name. The children’s book was written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, who grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and as a child attended every home football game at Michigan State, next to which this engine was on static display. He recalls playing on this engine many times as a child saying, “I remember that train on campus,…I can’t believe it’s the same train! I climbed on that train. I actually stood on it.” Appropriately enough, the locomotive’s road number is the date of Christmas, 12/25.

Power type	Steam
Builder	Lima Locomotive Works
Serial number	7839
Build date	1941
Configuration	2-8-4
UIC classification	1′D2′ h2
Gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm)
Driver diameter	69 in (1,753 mm)
Length	101 ft 8 in (30.99 m)
Weight on drivers	277,600 lb (125,900 kg)
Locomotive weight	442,500 lb (200,700 kg)
Locomotive & tender combined weight	727,300 lb (329,900 kg)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	44,000 lb (20,000 kg)
Water capacity	22,000 US gal (83,000 l; 18,000 imp gal)
Fuel consumption	1 short ton of coal per 12 miles traveled (1 metric ton per 21 km)
Boiler pressure	245 psi (1.69 MPa)
Firegrate area	90.3 sq ft (8.4 m²)
Cylinders	Two
Cylinder size	26 × 34 in (660 × 864 mm)
Power output	At cylinders: 2,979 hp (2.22 MW)
Tractive effort	69,350 lbf (308.5 kN)
Career	PM, C&O
Class	PM N-1, C&O N-1
Number in class	10 of 12
Number	PM 1225, C&O 2659
Locale	Michigan
Retired	1951
Restored	1985
Current owner	Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation

Please visit the Steam Railroading Institute on the net by clicking the logo above

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged C Amp, Central Railroad, Chesapeake And Ohio, Dot Inspections, education, engine, Excursion Trains, First Excursion, history, hovind, Lima Locomotive Works, Lima Ohio, locomotive, Merger Agreement, michigan, Michigan State University, National Register Of Historic Places, Ohio Railway, owosso, Owosso Michigan, Pere Marquette 1225, Pere Marquette Railway, railroad, Road Numbers, steam, Steam Locomotive, Steam Railroading Institute, train, Type Of Locomotive, Wikipedia | Leave a comment

Crack Zombie Apocalypse 1 and 2

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Scott Hovind

I know you’ve all heard the term “crack head” before however I’ve taken to calling them crack zombies. I coined this term because of the way they seem to walk around Flint in a lifeless, mindless state and often have a lot of open sores. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t just refer to people who smoke crack as a crack zombie, it pretty much encompasses all junkies mindlessly searching for their next fix. Like all zombies, crack zombies used to be people too but due to a bad decision to take up the junk, they’ve pretty much died on the inside and are decomposing on the outside.

On Easter morning I decided to go downtown Flint to take pictures of the historic buildings. Almost every building downtown was built around 1910 or before. I figured on Easter morning most of downtown would be a ghost town and I was mostly right. There were very few people downtown as most of the business men and women, doctors, lawyers and shop owners were off for the holiday. However, the lifeless corpses of crack zombies were working over time. They wandered around downtown and yet seemed as though they had nowhere to go. They just seemed to wander, slowly, mindlessly. And like any zombie movie, I had to keep moving for any time I stopped, the zombies off in the distance started gravitating toward me. I even had a brief confrontation with one crack zombie who ceased his very loud conversation with himself long enough to attempt to provoke me to fight him when I was standing on the sidewalk taking a picture for too long.

These images are an artistic recreation of what downtown Flint, Michigan felt like on the Easter morning in 2012.

Crack Zombie Apocalypse 1

Crack Zombie Apocalypse 2

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged art, Bad Decision, Business Lawyers, Business Men, Confrontation, Crack Head, crime, Digital Fine Art, Easter Morning, fine art, Flint, Flint Mi, Flint Michigan, Ghost Town, Historic Buildings, hovind, Junkies, Lifeless Corpses, Loud Conversation, Men And Women, Mindless State, People, photography, sidewalk, Women Doctors, Women Lawyers, Working Over Time, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies | 2 Comments

Clark School in Flint, Michigan – Part 2

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Scott Hovind

Last week I visited the Clark School in Flint, Michigan for the first time and posted 35 pictures of the inside and outside. Since then I was somewhat curious about it’s history so I went to the Flint Public Library and poured through their records and microfilm for specific information and possibly a picture or two of the school when it was built. I found no pictures and very little information on the school itself. I wasn’t looking to make a full time job out of it so I only looked through the 1912-1913 years when it was built and opened for the first time.

Since last weekend I went back and shot pictures of the parts of the building I hadn’t gotten to explore the first time I went so I figured I’d also tell you what I learned about the school. For starters, I found it interesting that the school is exactly 100 years old the same year I got the idea to be interested.

Back in 1909-1910 Flint was still relatively small and had wrapped things up as a lumber city. Along came a man in 1910 named Mr Durant. Mr Durant had this hair brained scheme to start a few factories building this new machine called an automobile. Among several of the factories that gave Flint the name of “Vehicle City” were three companies you may have heard of, General Motors, Chevrolet and Buick.

With the opening of these three factories and many others that Mr Durant started that year the population naturally exploded as people from around the world flocked to Flint in search of factory jobs. Durant called for 5000 new houses to be built around his factories in order to house all of his new employees. With the explosion of Flint’s population Flint’s minimal school system would no longer support the population and so several of it’s schools needed upgrading, additions and would need a few more schools built. The old Clark School was just too small to be upgraded or added onto so there was a new Clark School built. These images are of the new Clark School. As this school was built as a result of what quickly became the biggest industry in the United States, this school isn’t just a piece of Flint or Michigan history but also a small piece of American history. And here it rots and will soon be gone.

Just a couple of quick notes on history of this period to add perspective. The school was commissioned to be built the very same year that the (then) world’s largest ship crashed into an ice burg. That ship was the Titanic. When this school was built, Mark Twain had only been gone for two years, the first breakfast cereal called the corn flake by Dr. Kellogg had only been invented six years earlier that started a mad rush in Battle Creek, Michigan to invent several other brands and types of cereals. That battle was still raging in battle creek between Dr. Kellogg and a company called Post. And when this school was built, neither world war had happened yet.

Among all the decay, apple blossoms add a little life and color.

Click on the images below to see how the scene originally looked in person

An HDR closeup of the architecture of the school

Another classroom in the school whose floor has caved in

North stairs leading to the top floor

Another image of the north stairs leading to the top floor

Top floor hallway with the sun shining through the ceiling

Top floor hallway

Another view of the top floor hall with sunlight shining through the rotten ceiling

A nice mosaic view of the ceiling on the top floor

Looking up through the rotted ceiling and roof

In the basement, this is a dark hallway leading from the south end to the north. Behind me is the classroom depicted in Clark School 34. To my left is a room that I'm confused about. It's a very large room which has a floor about 6-8 feet lower than the floor I'm currently standing on. I have no idea of it's purpose but it could almost be a basement gymnasium.

In the basement near the north entrance looking into the basement under the gym floor.

In the basement under the gymnasium. This room is also 6-8 feet deeper for some reason.

A storage closet in the basement near the north entrance. My guess is probably for maintenance and cleaning supplies.

Click Here
If you missed the Clark School Part 1 photos

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged 100 Years, abandoned, Additions, automobile, blight, Buick, Chevrolet, Clark School, Explosion, Factories, Flint, flint history, Flint Michigan, Full Time Job, General Motors, historic historical, hovind, Jobs, Lumber City, michigan, michigan history, Microfilm, New Houses, Population, Public Library, school, School Images, school urbex, Starters, Urban Decay, urbex, World Search | 3 Comments

The Golden Leaf Club

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Scott Hovind

Last weekend I headed over to the abandoned Clark School here in Flint, Michigan to do some photography. When I arrived in front of the school I noticed the block only had three buildings on it, the school, an abandoned house and a green building which I thought was also abandoned. The school had nowhere to park and parking in the driveway of the house might draw the wrong kind of attention so I opted to park next to the green building.

After walking around the outside of the school taking pictures I decided to go in but first I’d need my tripod from my truck. As I was approaching my truck a black suburban pulled up in front of the building and the occupant got out and started to walk over to my truck to investigate the suspicious truck parked next to his building. This is why I always leave my business card in both windows and under my wiper blade whenever I have to leave it somewhere that may cause suspicion.

Not wanting the man to panic (after all, we’re across the street from a haven for junkies and homeless in a neighborhood that doesn’t have the greatest reputation) I hailed the man and told him it was my truck and raise my camera in the air to show him it was just a camera. The man was a well dressed middle aged black man. I approached him and explained it was my truck and that I was just there to take pictures of the school. I told him I thought the building (his building) was also abandoned but I would be more than happy to move my truck if he didn’t want it there.

He didn’t mind my truck and told me to be careful at the school as there are often junkies and bad people over there. I talked to him a little while longer about his building. Actually, it’s not his building and it’s not abandoned. This is the Golden Leaf Club.

The Golden Leaf Club is the oldest black owned night club in Flint. Currently owned by Miss Lottie Reid, the club started in 1921 as a members only club and still operates as a members only club with member’s ages ranging from 21 to 80 years of age. I don’t know there reason for keeping it a members only club but it does have the added effect of keeping trouble out so it doesn’t get the reputation of other night clubs in Flint. Although the club still has its original dirt floor basement (often referred to as a Michigan basement) it still managed to attract such famous patrons as Sammy Davis Jr. and Malcom X.

I shook the man’s hand, thanked him and walked back across the street. Quietly reflecting to myself, what I thought was an abandoned building held a lot more history than I thought and was still creating more history. I was humbled.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my photo shoot at Clark School. They should be posted on Saturday, April 7th.

Another small article on the Golden Leaf Club

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged Black Man, buildings, Business Card, Clark School, flint history, Flint Mi, Flint Michigan, Golden Leaf, golden leaf club, Historical Buildings, history, Junkies, Lottie, Members, Neighborhood, Night Club, Occupant, photography, Reputation, School Pictures, Suburban, Suspicion, Suspicious Truck, Tripod, Wiper Blade | Leave a comment

The Abandoned Clark School in Flint, Michigan

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Scott Hovind

Clark school was built in 1912 to facilitate the ever growing population of Flint, Michigan at the time. Outdated, Clark School was closed in the early 1970s. Though the interior had been neglected for quite some time, the grounds had been maintained until around 2008. It’s a sad demise for such a beautiful piece of history. If you look closely, you can still see some of the beautiful antiquated details such as leather clad interior doors.

Rear of building

South side and front of building

Front of building

A lone chair stands in the middle of the gym floor

I'm not exactly sure what this is. Is it a bench? Maybe a trough? What would a school need a trough for? Anyway, it makes art so enjoy it.

Broken red window frame

Details at the rear of the building

An HDR image of the gym as seen from the gym door.

An unwelcoming red door

More details at the rear of the building

One of the very few remaining school desks in the building. As you can see, this desk is very old.

HDR image just inside one of the front entrances of the school

A bit of graffiti at the rear of the building that stood out to me and I found amusing.

Front entrance of the building and the only opening to the building that's still boarded up. As you can see the school was built in 1912. As you can't see, the school has been abandoned since the early 1970s.

One of the side entrances of the school and one of two sets of stairs. There is a set of stairs at both the north and south ends of the building.

Colorful graffiti on the back side of the building

Service elevator pulley

Service elevator leading from ground level outside to the basement

Boarded up window on the back of the building

HDR image of the stairs at the main entrance

Gymnasium.

School entrance from the gymnasium

Possibly a office but if I were to guess, based on the coffee table, I think this might have been a teacher's lounge. Located in the front of the school next to the main entrance.

Main lobby - hall Located on the main floor. Due to extensive water damage (and the sounds of still dripping water) crossing the floor here would have been very dangerous and so I didn't even try.

HDR image of the gymnasium floor. The gym was so dark I had to use long exposure and HDR in order for you to see it.

Another angle of the main hall. The ceiling used to be plaster covered clay tile. Due to extensive water damage the plaster has all fallen from the ceiling and can be seen as plaster mud on the floor. The ceiling above is soaked, sagging and dripping and can barely support the weight of the wet wood and tile. Ready to give out at any moment.

One of the classrooms off the main lobby hall next to the south entrance on the main floor. As you can see, the floor has already given out on one end making this image a nice optical illusion.

Another angle of the main lobby. Covered in plaster mud, the wood of the floor is completely soaked and rotten with many large holes where someone or some thing had fallen through. Along with the sagging clay tile ceiling, crossing this floor would have been very dangerous and so I didn't.

A classroom where both floors have crashed to the basement.

And HDR image taken in the basement. Taken in total darkness, this image was lit only with a small pen sized flashlight, HDR and long exposure.

Last HDR image of the main lobby

A post apocalyptic image taken in total darkness while light washes in from the outside.

Looking up at one of the stairway exits from the pitch dark basement. Again, an HDR image with long exposure. The corners of the room lit with a pen light.

I'm not sure what this room used to be. As you can see the floor to both this level and upper level have collapsed. This room stands on the south end of the main floor lobby.

A classroom located in the basement. With no windows in or anywhere near this room, this classroom was in total darkness. So dark in fact that I hit my head on that low pipe sending a shutter through the whole building. Ouch!

The storage closet for the dark basement classroom. The glass still has labels on it for chalk, erasures etc.

Click Here
To got to Clark School Part 2

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged 1970s, art, Beautiful, Bench, canon, Canon EOS rebel T3, canvas prints, Clark School, corporate decorative art, decorative art, decorative photography, Desk, facebook, fine art, Fine art america, Fine Art Photography, Flickr, Flint Michigan, Front Entrances, graffiti, Gym Floor, Hdr Image, hovind, Interior Doors, natural, nature, outdoors, photography, Photography Prints, Population, Quite Some Time, Sad Demise, School Desks, Scott Hovind, scott hovind fine art, scott hovind photography, Trough, twitter, Window Frame | 11 Comments

My Beautiful Nemesis

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Scott Hovind

My Beautiful Nemesis - Northern Flicker

The creature in the upper right highlighted area of this image is called a Northern Flicker. It is a species of wood pecker however it doesn’t peck wood. It prefers to get it’s insects from the ground instead. It is, in my opinion, one of the two most beautiful birds in Michigan, second only to the wood duck. It is almost completely covered with black spots that look as though they were dabbed on by a wet paint brush, Black on his chin and bright red on the back of his head but overall his plumage is grey. The real beauty and the reason for the name “flicker” is in his flight as the underside of his wings is painted in brilliant yellow which shows as a flicker of yellow with his flight pattern of flap flap flap glide, flap flap flap glide.
For all this birds glory and beauty, he is also my arch nemesis as I’ve been trying for nearly 10 years to get a good picture of one. Although they will frequent feeders when suet, nuts and raisins are present, I just don’t seem to have the best of luck in capturing him, especially in flight. They aren’t an increasingly rare bird as it is but when I do have one in the area it is difficult to get close. It seems they know when a camera is present and won’t come around or, they know just how far away to stay depending what lens you’re using.
I tried my very best to sit perfectly still and make sounds like raisin but just couldn’t coax him any closer. The highlighted area in the lower left is where I wanted him. Closer would have been even better but I wasn’t being greedy and my raisin sounds are a bit too rusty for his liking. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten with a camera, although without a camera I’ve seen them much closer.

For better images of a Norther Flicker check out this link

All About Birds – Northern Flicker

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged 10 Years, Arch Nemesis, Beautiful Birds, Best Of Luck, Brilliant Yellow, Flap, Flight Pattern, hovind, Insects, Liking, michigan, Northern Flicker, Nuts, Paint Brush, Plumage, Raisin, Rare Bird, Real Beauty, scott hovind photography, Species Of Wood, Wet Paint, Wings, Wood Duck | Leave a comment

For The Birds

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Scott Hovind

A collection of images from my bird gallery.

American Bald Eagle 1 by Scott Hovind

Alcona Marina Seagulls 13 by Scott Hovind

Plover by Scott Hovind

Alcona Marina Seagulls 5 by Scott Hovind

Cute and Fuzzy – Take 6 by Scott Hovind

Red-bellied Woodpecker by Scott Hovind

Winter Bluebird by Scott Hovind

Wild Geese by Scott Hovind

Birds Eye by Scott Hovind

Just being with you by Scott Hovind

2 Red Macaws by Scott Hovind

Click the images above to purchase a print

Also available at Deviant Art as

All Products Fine Art Prints Greeting Cards Wrapped Canvas Photo Prints Jigsaw Puzzles Mouse Pads Ceramic Mugs Coasters Postcards Fridge Magnets

Posted in My Blogroll | Tagged Alcona, American Bald Eagle, art, Bald Eagle, bird, Bird Gallery, Birds Eye, Bluebird, canon, Canon EOS rebel T3, canvas prints, Ceramic Mugs, corporate decorative art, decorative art, decorative photography, Deviant Art, duck, eagle, facebook, fine art, Fine art america, Fine Art Photography, fine art prints, Flickr, Flint, Fridge Magnets, goose, hovind, Jigsaw Puzzles, Macaws, michigan, Mouse Pads, natural, nature, outdoors, Photo Prints, photography, Photography Prints, Plover, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Scott Hovind, scott hovind fine art, scott hovind photography, Seagull, seagulls, twitter, Wild Geese, wildlife, Woodpecker | 2 Comments

Fine Art Photography of Michigan

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Scott Hovind

Fine Art Photography of Michigan

A book of images by Scott Hovind

Some time ago a few friends suggested that it might be a good idea to create a book of my photography. I rolled the idea around in my head for quite some time and this past weekend I finally decided to do it.

I present to you Fine Art Photography of Michigan. 120 pages packed full of 143 images of my best work over the years. All images in this book were taken in Michigan and are printed on very high quality paper so as to be presented as fine art like I intended them to be. Please feel free to have a look at the preview below.