A welcoming bonfire for me and a friend's dog that returned home. It's good to be back.

I've been back in North Carolina for a few days now and it almost seems unreal that I went on a trip with a bunch of chairs (6 to be exact). Set them up in numerous cities as I ventured throughout the U.S.
Lets see North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland. That's not too bad for my first solo road trip.

I commend the Park Police for their remarkable response. In less than one minute of installing the chairs, they greet me. The difference here was they were actually nice and let me take a few pictures before making me take it down. (And they also rode in on horses!) There seems to be a weird force field around public areas. The access key, a permit. I still don't have a clear understanding of why one needs a permit for a temporary installation of art. Especially in a public area. I feel like everyone is so afraid of getting sued or legalities, that we've helped to eliminate freedoms that should exist. I figure next time I go on a trip like this maybe I should take Flat Stanley instead.

This was taken in Detroit, MI.
I have realized that what people often say about certain areas or places should be heard but not lived by. There tends to be bad areas throughout the world. If one has these prejudices prevent them from exploring, then how much of the world have you not seen because of rumors or fears.

I stand in the middle of the street taking photos. Darkness fell 30 minutes ago, the damp cold grasps me as I see a figure walking closer. Not much taller than me 5'4. This man is caring a sack of clothes, a sack of cans and a beaten down rocking horse (propped on his left shoulder) We nod and continue on with our business. A great man I'm sure, could be a king from a distant place or the world's #1 dad. I'll never know. His image is forever branded when I think about that night. The man with the rocking horse, someone I wish I knew.

An old machine shop in Elkhart, Indiana. The safety memos on the door were dated back in 2001.

My friend Seth and I went to the south side of Chicago. An abandoned building sat at the end of a road, piercing the skies with its height. To be inside of this calm textured palace I escape into a truth that within years will be demolished and replaced with a dull lifeless cage. There's an irreplaceable beauty within abandoned buildings.
They have so much to say and yet few will venture in their midst to hear their spoken words.

This is one of the coolest people I met in Chicago, Billy Bob! I wish you well man and a good life.