Kroger's Aerial Advertising

I'm a big fan of aerial advertising, in which a message banner is dragged behind a low-flying plane over a high-population area. I see it all the time in Florida, but it's something not usually done in Kentucky except during major events like Thunder Over Louisville.


So I was a bit surprised to see this plane circling over St.Matthews yesterday with a banner bearing the Kroger logo. It was way too high up in the sky to be clearly seen by anyone - there aren't even many pedestrians in St.Matthews at that time of day, and the vast majority of people in cars would never have noticed it. Hope Kroger didn't spend much cash on this.

Wacky Wonder in the Woods

I love the odd architecture of this kiosk nestled in the nature trail area of St. Matthews Community Park - it's like Bauhaus meets New-wave 1980s style, or an post-Expressionist outpost Dr. Caligari might build on another planet.

As an enclosure from the elements, though, it isn't terribly functional - half the ceiling is open. Don't get caught in the rain out here.

Sports Hearse

Play it Again Sports in St. Matthews, KY has a hearse as their official car. I don't know why. Doesn't seem the right message to send for a fitness-themed place. The slogan on the door reads "killing our competitors prices", but I think they just came up with that to fit the hearse, not the other way around.

Xavier Nally Barbershop

The Xavier Nally Barbershop in St. Matthews is still operating after 6,000 years in business, and still has this wonderful old neon sign on its roof that looks more like a candy cane or a twisty-cone than a barber pole. Alas, the neon no longer works.

Storm, 6-11-09

A few hours ago I was stuck in a very bad storm in St. Matthews, surrounded by extremely low-hanging dark clouds with little pendulous whatchamacallits that wobbled threateningly, looking as if they could form into tornadoes at any moment. The winds at several points seemed near-tornadic, whipping rain and debris around into spirals, and shaking my car violently.



And of course, like some dopey Weather Channel storm-chaser, I'm following 'em and taking pictures, hoping to catch some cool funnel cloud photos.

No such luck.