STL DPB ON THE ROAD - OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Wandering down the same art walk alley in Clare, a visitor will see some puzzling signs. (I could say arresting signs but I will not, for reasons that will become clear quickly.)  The city morgue? It looks like a small refrigerated building jutting into the alley containing . . . what? Not the bodies of unfortunates who could not survive a central Michigan winter, but rather everything you need to make sweet, fried pastries.

This is at the back of Clare's renowned Cops & Doughnuts. It was the town bakery, dating back to the late 19th Century. When it was about to go under in the 1980s, all the members of the small police force pooled their money, bought it and rebranded the business. This blog has visited there before - see https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=88921809%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&text=Cops%20%26%20Doughnuts&view_all=1 The place serves many kinds of yummies and is full of small-town police jokes.

I bought a dozen for the family. Nothing went to waste.       

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY - YELLOW

Well, pretty close. It's what I got. From the art walk alley in Clare, Michigan.

The clock doesn't work, which feels right. Time doesn't stand still in small Midwestern towns but it sure can creep in its petty pace from day to day.         

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - ART ALLEY

Clare, Michigan, isn't a very big town, about 3,000. It has some nice features, though (except there is nowhere to buy a decent bottle of wine). One cool thing is found in a alley off the main drag where there is a little art walk. I love this whimsical mural. Hard to tell from this photo but the figure on the left is holding an umbrella, half of which sticks out from the wall.

The water tower is iconic, drawing on Clare's Irish connection mentioned yesterday. It rises with these metal birds found along the walk.          

STL DPB On The Road - The Giant Chicken Of Clare

We're in Clare, Michigan, right about the center of the state (not counting the vast, proto-tundra Upper Peninsula). My son, Andy, and his family have lived here about three years since leaving the mean streets of Chicago when their first child was born. His wife, Claire (note the spelling) grew up here. Her parents are still in town and in good health. If I remember correctly, the town got its name from someone who passed through from County Clare, Ireland. That's where my father's family came from.

Many small towns have their interesting quirks and Clare is certainly one. This giant chicken stands outside of a bar and grill - been here as long as I've been visiting. Looks like it has a new paint job. I don't know anything about its origins. I should go into the bar and ask.

Off to the side is an alley called the Clare Art Walk, which we will explore in more detail. The first thing you see might make you want to go down to Detroit in a hurry.