Toledo

When I started the car this morning, instead of a temperature reading, the digital readout just said ICE. Outside you have your choice of blizzard or ice storm, but it’s really a six of one, half dozen of another kind of situation. All the citizens are walking with mincing baby steps as every inch of Toledo is encased in ice, and a stiff wind will send you flying. In addition, the whole city looks like a convention of the silly hats club. I myself am wearing something that looks like a dead animal on my head.

Toledo is a pretty depressed little blue collar town. The best blues player is white and middle aged, though great to drink with. The best band is also white and middle aged and does covers in a club that could easily be a strip bar if only they would install a pole. All the people are as nice as can be, and why not? How pretentious can you be when your skyline only contains two buildings?

Although the triple A baseball team, the incredible Mud Hens, were on hiatus, I did get to photograph their mascot - named obscurely Muddy - with a stretch of frozen tundra in the background that will apparently morph into a baseball field in a few months. I also watched the Super Bowl without the sound. The half time show was especially confusing, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Britney Spears is actually a human. It occurs to me that she could easily be computer generated these days.

Today, I went and documented the first day of the Pro-Am Bowling Tournament, which is very big here. It might be the only competitive televised sport where smoking and drinking while in play seems not only not detrimental, but actually helpful. Toledo does have an opera company, a ballet, and a pretty good visual art program for kids. And did I say how nice everybody is? This week I look forward to photographing a man ice fishing on Lake Erie, for which I had to purchase an entire set of undergarments which hopefully I’ll never have to use again