Friday My Town Shoot-Out : Red

I've read the My Town Shoot Out posts for a while now, and finally got up the wherewithal to join. This week's theme: Paint the Town Red.

Welcome to Metro Detroit. For this assignment we won't be in the big city, nor will we even get county-wide. Honestly? We're staying in a two-mile radius, but that's pretty much my life these days. So put on some comfortable walking shoes and let's get to it.

This lovely RED Maple is my neighbor's. Her yard is lovely. So lovely, in fact, that I decided to copy a bit of it last year for my own yard. I bought this same kind of tree and planted it in exactly the same spot in my yard where hers is in her yard. Her tree is thriving. Mine is dead. I choose to believe it died of natural causes.

Looking across the street, we can play a game of "I Spy." I spy with my brown eye, something RED that is hidden causing grave traffic dangers.

Do you see it? Look a little closer.

Please, people who take care of Michigan traffic signs: make this sign visible before someone  who lives in this house else does it and angers the tree owner.

Well, that was exhausting, how about a RED snack?

I bought those berries at the much-maligned Michigan-based Wal-Mart wannabe.

Friends always tell me how they would never buy meat or produce there. I counter with the concept that if I don't shop at the better produce/meat markets, I really don't know what I'm missing. A Meijer gal I am.

Michigan has been hit very hard by unemployment and foreclosures. I am not certain if we are #1 or 2 in foreclosures, but this scene is very, very common.

I've lost track of the number of dumpsters I've seen in my neighborhood in the last year. There does seem to be a pattern, however. First the house appears unkempt. Then, weeks or months later, it seems vacant. Eventually, a dumpster is brought in and we marvel at what people leave behind when they lose a house. Sometimes it takes more than one dumpster to clear it all out. Finally, an auction or for sale sign gets put up. While I sincerely hope not to see more of these, I truly believe with the automakers' woes, there will be many, many more of these.

That last picture was too sad, so let's end with a true Detroit RED image.

GO WINGS!!!