Andy Chase

Dunwich, Massachusetts

Dana, Massachusetts

Although Dana Center was not among the settlements flooded during the creation of the Quabbin reservoir, it was close enough to the watershed that it too was disincorporated. All of the buildings and houses were either dismantled or burned, but the town common remains, surrounded by cellar holes. It's a sad place, especially late in the afternoon as the sun sets.

Dana, Massachusetts

A road branches off from Dana common and dips through a dark stand of trees before emerging in a large pasture on the other side. You can see the crumbling pavement on the other side of the hollow.

Dana, Massachusetts

It's hard to imagine horses and automobiles travelling along the silent, empty road to Dana Common.

Somewhere East of Flagstaff, Arizona

No cross-country trip would be complete without seeing the world's largest something or other.

02/09/2002 - San Fernando Road (Near Sheldon) ? Sun Valley, California

The Pink Motel 'motor court'.

02/09/2002 - Pink Motel

San Fernando Road (Near Sheldon) • Sun Valley, California

As you drive north into the San Fernando Valley, the grimy suburban sprawl gives way to an industrial wasteland... instead of tract housing the streets are lined with small businesses; foundries, auto shops, special effects shops.

It's a peculiar place, and when I went back there for the first time in a couple of years I was reminded of why I used to hate the Valley so much; I used to work up there, and I grew to hate the drive from the relatively green and shady Sherman Oaks to the sun-baked, dusty Sun Valley.

Even more peculiar is the Pink Motel, which sits on the edge of the most industrial zone. There's nothing up there worth staying in a hotel for (I mean, a hotel that doesn't have hourly rates :P), yet the Pink Motel looks clean and well-maintained, and by the looks of all the cars in the parking lot, well-occupied.

02/09/2002 - Heart's Coffee Shop

16918 Saticoy St (at Balboa) • Van Nuys, California

An even sadder place than Johnie's was before it closed, Heart's looks as though it hasn't seen any maintenance at all to its exterior or sign since it opened.

Photographing the sign in its entirety was made difficult due to a couple of factors:

1. A fast food chain who shall remain nameless has erected a sign at the corner of the adjacent lot, blocking half of the Heart's sign to the east.
2. Although it's clear that the rusty heart at the very top of the sign used to rotate, in 2002 it only sways back and forth about 10 degrees in the wind.

16918 Saticoy St (at Balboa)
Van Nuys, California

12/31/2001 - I was walking the dog last night when I noticed the moon positioned perfectly among a cluster of palm trees - exactly the sort of tableau that Matthew Sweet's song Smog Moon has always conjured up in my mind. Smog Moon is on the 100% Fun album.

I've found that my Olympus D450-Zoom performs admirably in low light, as long as I use a tripod or some other stabilizing device. Still, the moon was shrouded by some light clouds and pretty much the only light source; I had to do some heavy tweaking and the overall image is still pretty grainy. But I like the mood it captures, and it seemed a fitting sort of a photo to take at the end of the year.

From the song:

There's a smog moon coming I can always feel it

The cartoon trees cannot conceal it

When it's high up in the sky, it almost looks like it is white

When it's high up in the sky, it almost looks like...

Lyrics are of course © copyright Matthew Sweet's publishing company, whatever it is. Please don't sue me.