20 May, 2007 – miriland

The Flower Man

Posted by miri On 20 May, 2007

Next up, was Cleveland Turner – a.k.a. the Flower Man – folk artist (or junk collector – depends on who you talk to) in Houston, TX. Mr. Turner was kind enough to take me on a tour of his house. A true character, he’s in his 70s and rides his bike for miles around the city hunting for flotsam and seeds/plants for his yard.

The Flower Man has only lived at this house a few years, so he hasn’t fully established its gardens, but he was quick to point out his banana trees, canna lilies, cotton plants and more. He also told about the struggles he had in buying the house – he put up half of the money and a “friend” the other half. Turns out, his name wasn’t put on the deed. He finally got things sorted out, though.

[photo set]

Files show postwar woes of Nazi victims

Posted by miri On 20 May, 2007

Interesting article about the opening of post-WWII files that document the lives of Displaced Persons in camps in Europe.

A bleak picture springs with stark immediacy from typewritten reports by the Allied officers, found in the massive archive of the International Tracing Service in the central German town of Bad Arolsen. The Associated Press has been given extensive access to the archive on condition that identities of victims and refugees are protected.

People still died at the rate of 1,000 to 1,500 a day. Corpses were stacked in front of barracks, to be carted away by captured SS guards. “Bodies frequently remained for several days in the huts, the other inmates being too weak to carry them out,” Francois-Poncet wrote in a report for the Allied Military Government.

The Orange Show

Posted by miri On 20 May, 2007

Yesterday, I drove to Houston to see a few folk art places. First up, was The Orange Show – created by Jeff McKissack. He worked on the place from 1956 until his death in 1980. More information can be found here and here. [photo set]