She does Pokemon, I do photography, cute meet in downtown Albion

Apparently they do this periodic special thing in the Pokemon Go world where you can catch these very special, extra-shiny Pokemon, shove them into tiny prisons, then force them to battle each other to the death. Or something like that.

I don't do Pokemon, because I'd rather be writing about tiny beings fighting to the death in tiny prisons, which come to think of it I just came up with a great story idea. But Sunday I walked up to the Noble County Courthouse square to join Emily, who'd already been up there for awhile catchin' 'em all. I could have spent the time with her making fun of Pokemon, but Emily kicks really hard. So instead, I took pictures. (As usual, you can click on these to make them bigger. I think.)

 

Yeah, okay, I took more photos of the courthouse. Someday I'll do a Noble County Courthouse calender, and you'll all want one.

 

This is the geographical center of Noble County, give or take some concrete and asphalt. It's also the location of the tiny police booth, which has become something of an icon, and the "liar's bench", which perhaps ironically is right by the police booth.

 

Volunteers keep downtown Albion flowered and flagged all summer long.

 

Just as the District of Columbia was originally formed from pieces of two states, Albion was built at the border of two townships, so they took half a square mile of each and made Albion Township--the smallest township in the USA. The streetlight on the left is a reproduction of the original from the 1800s. Lighting it by striking two rocks together is a pain.

 

I've often mentioned the Black Building, which is green, and the third building there built by the Black family. (The first two were wood, and thus highly flammable.) The art gallery there is the only place where you can buy all my books right off the shelf, which is appropriate considering it's mentioned in two of them.