Juxtaposition: a Photo Essay

Have you seen this man?



We went back to the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) yesterday so we could take John's mom before she went back home. It is just so amazingly cool there. The lovely lady at the front desk slipped John 2 more freebies to the Rodin exhibit so he could take his mom through there. Meanwhile, the kids and I headed off to find "Skinny Girl." (not her real name) We had seen her on our last visit and then she showed up in a cool Usborne art book we got from Scholastic. We brought our book with us and voila:




The one in our book is #IV and the one at the DIA is #II.

We waited here to meet up with John and MIL:



The girls were enjoying the artwork, but I suspect Fishy was mostly staring at the lightbulbs:



Then it was on the European section. We like to visit the Rembrandt first (it's much darker IRL)



I was forced to visit my favourite Mary several times (you might remember me talking about her here):



After that, it was on to visit this man:



who painted these:

Not far away, you'll find a "nice little Renoir." (--Thomas Crown)



The DIA's obviously not "baroque" since it's not out of Monet:




And here's the one I liked best last time:



Degas, anyone?



I didn't take pics of the Cezannes or Picassos, or oh so many other things, but I did get this of one of the Diego Rivera murals:



Now we come to the reason for my title -- some of the sights on the way home:


Notice the loan amounts. And this next building was probably quite something in its day. That would have been before the fire, I'm guessing.




Legal advice and Chinese food. I was too slow on the draw to get the front with the bars and broken windows.






There are plenty of places that make you just want to do SOMETHING:



But in spite of it all, there are still a lot of people in this city with hope. This is just one of many similar churches:



Today, at home, 40 minutes away, it's a different world altogether. Gorgeous, fat flakes of snow have been drifting gently down and blanketing everything with a fresh covering of pure white. Birds have been at the feeder all day.





The house was cold only because I forgot to turn up the heat. The children are done with their work and playing contentedly. I look at those pictures of the city and I remind myself not to stress out quite so much that the taxes are due and that we're slowly slipping further into the hole, financially. I remind myself that my family is intact, my children are healthy, I have a home, good friends, a safe neighbourhood, beautiful woods and wildlife right behind my house -- that I am Blessed, so very Blessed.