Traffic Light Signal Box Art - roadside Art Gallery

Art is not to be taught in Academies. It is what one looks at, not what one listens to, that makes the artist. The real schools should be the streets. Oscar Wilde


Queensland Colours by Debra Hood

On our Brisbane house sit, (thank you to Aussie House Sitters) I've been delighted with the traffic light signal box art we have discovered, while out and about on our travels. It's like visiting an art gallery on the roadside each day. I find myself regularly calling out, 'stop there's another one', so Kev obligingly pulls over and I hop out to take yet another photo.

Hippie Flowers by Charlotte Bakker Myers at Sandgate

Traffic boxes like electricity boxes, can be dull and green not to mention a magnet for graffiti vandalism. 'In 1999 Brisbane council realised that the boxes were their most graffitied asset'.... (~ Cath Ovenden)

ABC Stateline Feature - Brisbane's Painted Traffic Boxes

To combat the graffiti problem, Brisbane council has embraced a community art project called Artforce, and in the process has brought a sense of fun and vibrant colour to the local streets.

Love Life and Life will Love you Back - by Laura Hughes

Local artists in Brisbane are invited to showcase their artwork on traffic signal boxes, artists of all ages are invited to contribute their designs, and if selected to paint a box.

Boof on the job by Trevor Proud

Venus in a hat - by Frag Spawn

Cats of the outback - by Jo Fairweather at Enoggera

Tango Tango - by Lydia Commins

Paint tubes

Artforce provides residents of all ages and artistic backgrounds an opportunity to design and paint an artwork on a traffic signal box. You can help decorate Brisbane's busy streets and be part of Brisbane's "drive-through gallery" click here to participate. Brisbane council even supplies the artists with paint.

Many cities are now turning to artists to combat their once graffitied boxes and if you like this type of art, or are interested in how it can combat graffiti, google traffic box art, you'll be able to amuse yourself for quite a while. I would love to see them appearing in our town. Hhhhmmm... how to do that? Do you think this could be one of the solutions to graffiti problems - to give kids a space for their art?

Dogs in the city
  • Links:

    Traffic Signal Boxes Art Force - Brisbane

  • Traffic Box art and maps of where to find them... Urban Smart Projects.com
  • Debra Hood Art
  • Laura Hughes Art
  • Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day - Sept 19

    A bit of fun from the ABC news team this morning...

    What was the pirate's favourite subject at school?
    Aaarrrt.

    'What once was a goofy idea celebrated by a handful of friends, International Talk Like a Pirate Day has turned into an international phenomenon that shows no sign of letting up'. The day has turned into a fun way to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.

    So drag out those dubloons and pirate outfits - it's not everyday we can practice our pirate talk me hearties, and do some good fer the kiddies at Make a Wish at the same time.

    And after we practice talking like a pirate, it's sing along time.

    Links:

    Talk Like a Pirate.com
    Make a Wish Foundation.

    An armchair visit to... Stiltsville, Miami

    "No one who chances upon the phenomenon of Stiltsville for the first time will ever forget the sight of homes that hover above the waters, miles from any shore, like structures from a dream." ~ Les Standiford

    Jimmy Ellenburg House - Image from Wikipedia

    I chanced upon the Stiltsville houses when I saw images of quirky houses, hovering high above the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay, Miami Florida, while on the search for a houseboat stay online. I quickly forgot the search for the houseboat, and found myself captivated by these enchanting houses. Have a look at Matt Stock's stunning images of Stiltsville...

    Stiltsville Illuminated documentary from matt stock on Vimeo.

    Houses have always held a fascination for me, especially houses on the water (probably explains why I am a house sitter) and could you get any more on the water than the ones at Stiltsville? Looking at them I started to wonder, what sort of person would think to build houses in the middle of all that water... and 'how?'

    Bay Chateau House - image courtesy of Miamism.com

    So I did a little bit of investigation and met some lovely folks that assist in the running and care of Stiltsville, as well as the great folks from Miami Beach Real Estate, who were happy to share information and their photos. As it turns out, the houses are as colourful as their history...

    Leshaw House - image courtesy of Miamism.com

    "Crawfish" Eddie Walker built a shack on stilts above the water in 1933, toward the end of the prohibition era, allegedly to facilitate gambling, which was legal at one mile offshore.

    The Shaw, Sessions, Baldwin House - Image courtesy of Miamism.com

    Crawfish Eddie sold bait and beer from his shack and was known for a dish he called chilau, a crawfish chowder made with crawfish he caught under his shack. Thomas Grady and Leo Edward, two of Eddie's fishing buddies, built their own shack in 1937. Shipwrecking and channel dredging brought many people to the area and more shacks were constructed, some by boating and fishing clubs. Local newspapers called the area "the shacks" and "shack colony". Crawfish Eddie's original shack was destroyed by the late season Hurricane King of 1950.

    The Hardin House - A frame house - Image courtesy of Miamism.com. The Hardin House was used by Lloyd Bridges in one of his movies and is used in a lot of commercials. ~ Dr Paul George

    Image courtesy of Miamism.com

    At one time there were 27 houses in Stiltsville, but hurricanes that hit the area over some years, fires and the exposed nature of the area, over time have taken their toll. In 1992 Hurricane Andrew hit and left only seven of the houses remaining.

    If the phenomenon of the Stiltsville houses have fascinated you too, come along and take an armchair cruise to see the houses and learn some more about them with Dr Paul George ...


    If you happen to be in the Biscayne Bay area, you can join the cruise and
    view Stilstville for yourself - visit Miami Beach Visitors Center

    And in case the thought of 'Crawfish Eddy's Crawfish Chowder has got your taste buds fired up... I stumbled across the recipe... true story...

    Crawfish Eddy Chilau

  • 12 crawfish cleaned
  • 1 lb. bacon, fried
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. oregano
  • garlic to suit your taste
  • 2 cans tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp. ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper

    Cook it all up and serve to friends with a couple of cold ones. Cheers.

    Credits and to find out more:

  • Help save Stiltsville Stiltsville.org
  • Our National Parks.US - Stiltsville
  • To stay at Stiltsville: Visit the Stiltsville Trust
  • Cruise and view Stiltsville: Miami Beach Visitors Center
  • Information on 'Crawfish Eddie" from Wikipedia
  • Thank you to Miami Beach Real Estate Miamism.com
  • Beach This Way ☞

    If there is a HEAVEN for me, I'm sure that it'll have a BEACH attached to it. ~ Jimmy Buffett.

    We adore the beach, and high on our list for where we take a housesitting job, is that the area we house sit in, is near the beach. So when we were out driving the other day and spotted a sign that said 'beach, this way →' we (a tad excitedly) drove out of our way for awhile in search of said beach.

    Past a rather immense trash collection station, that had a fairly major circling radar on the top of the roof. We wondered why it was so large, and why a trash recycling station needed a radar anyway, and, why our Navman stopped working in that area. So we made up stories about Men In Black, and entrance/exit facilities, (much more fun than the local airport approach radar version) and had a bit of a giggle while following the roadway that promised us a new walking place.

    Hmmm... a little disappointed, but nothing like the poor little two year old we spotted, shovel and spade in hand ready for some big time sandcastling. Poor little guy. Oh well - we had a good giggle on the way and after all - thems the breaks with travel.

    Coffee Garden Coffee, almost describes our mornings here on this housesit. Gosh the time has flown by here, and the seven or so weeks is almost up and time for us to go home. The weather has been just gorgeous here in Queensland, sunny days with chilly nights to snuggle down and read. Spring is definitely here. The garden that we are minding is starting to bloom with early spring flowers, lemony yellow blossoms on the clivias, the gardenias are starting to bud and bloom. The trees out on the verge have little green shoots appearing, on their sleepy winter branches - signs that they are beginning to wake up. Even the butcher birds were having a bit of a romantic snuggle on the barbeque today - too cute.

    Life is a Gift

    So love those moments when I am out walking and look up,
    to see something out of the ordinary in my ordinary day.

    There are no ordinary moments. ~ Dan Millman