The back still had mortar attached when I received it, so I got out the Dremel and put a little cone bit on it. Gently I removed the mortar. The tile is hard and the mortar is fairly soft in comparison so it came off the tile fairly easy. But surprise!!!! Once all the mortar was removed I could read the incised stamp that said Flint Faience Tile Co. Flint Mich.
I also found the tile in the book Flint Faience Tiles A to Z. The tile came in a variety of sizes. Mine is 3 inches by 3 inches.
I'm hoping to have it framed in a dark wood frame to hang on the wall. I already know where.....right between the vestibule door and the door to the broom closet in the foyer. There is an area about 10 inches wide there and I think it would work perfect in that small area along with giving a nod to my Flint area and automotive roots.
Speaking of roots. Recently Flint Michigan was featured in an online story written by Laura Dimon, the daughter of JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon. Well, that story went over like a lead balloon. Not only did it have an attention grabbing National Enquirer style headline (since changed) but it also included two photos (since removed and not mentioned) that were not shot in Flint. I noticed and suspected right away that two of the four photos were unfamiliar, especially the photo of the building which had Mideastern styling. I guess Ms. Dimon confused her Mideastern with her Midwestern. Ultimately it was revealed that one of the photos was of a spot in Israel and the other photo was taken in Detroit.
Also, when asked if she visited Flint to research the article she stated "I wish I could have but I did not. Next time I have the means, Flint...here I come." Really? Means? Your father was part of the reason this country went into recession and only added to Flint's misery despite his 19M a year salary. Your family sent out an outrageously ostentatious Christmas card emblazoned with tennis balls flying and nearly bouncing off of a wall size Jackson Pollack painting AND you say you didn't have the means?
What really ticks me off is that whenever anyone writes an article about Flint, they never show photos of our revived and still improving downtown. Instead they show areas that in some cases are not of Flint proper but on the border and actually either Burton or Beecher areas. These stories never mention the annual world class road race called The Crim nor do they mention the hugely successful auto show called Back to the Bricks which brings over 500K people to downtown Flint.
Yes, Flint has seen better days but it's worst are behind it. Our Farmer's Market is world class and award winning and will be moving to the center of downtown. Our Second Friday of the Month Art Walks are growing every summer. Did you know that Flint has several churches with original Tiffany windows and by the way, they are beyond gorgeous. We have a planetarium and how many cities that are bigger and more prosperous than Flint, have a planetarium?
BUT unfortunately we have a group of young punks that are unhappy with their lot in life and have chosen to make everyone else pay the price for their unhappiness. What is the answer? I don't know. For every unhappy punk there are multiple examples of fine young people who started out in the same neighborhood as the unhappy punks and they have done well for themselves and Flint but they do not get any recognition. I know their lives are not great but how do you stop that cycle of hate and anger? The gangs have all the power and even those that want to get out can't. I know when they increase police coverage during all the big events that they pretty much stop any problems. Ironically during the polar vortex Flint did not have one murder. It was just the other day when the temperature reached 30 degrees that Flint had it's first murder of the year. Maybe that's the answer more police and more polar vortexs.
Just like the Don Henley song Dirty Laundry, it is much easier to get people to read your article if it depicts something that is bad. Yup...Crap is King.
I make my living off the Evening News
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry
Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around
We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who
Comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash with a gleam
In her eye
It's interesting when people die-
Give us dirty laundry
Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry
You don't really need to find out what's going on
You don't really want to know just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're stiff
Kick 'em all around
Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry
We can do "The Innuendo"
We can dance and sing
When it's said and done we haven't told you a thing
We all know that Crap is King
Give us dirty laundry!
Like any of us that are involved in making our communities a better place to live, I hate, hate, hate when folks only see the bad and miss all the good. I think Giuliani had it right when he changed New York by practicing the Broken Window philosophy. You have to start with fixing the basics and not walking by issues or accepting them as being tolerable. We don’t do it in our homes and we shouldn’t accept it where live.
ReplyDeleteHow about some “good” pics of Flint?
And that tile is very cool. I had never heard of them.