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I’ve lived in and around Detroit since arriving in the 1960s to attend Wayne State University. I married fellow student David Welsh in 1967 and we moved into an apartment building on West Chicago Blvd at Linwood St in Detroit. Because we had had a simple marriage by a judge downtown, I invited my family (who live in Flint) to a “meet my husband” party at our apartment on Sunday, July 23, and that was the day the riot started. It began very close to where we were living, and I watched as looters took over the streets, and buildings burned all around us. I’ve had a keen interest in what’s happening in Detroit ever since.

I’ve always been a writer, with a career behnd me in business and technical writing, and I’ve also authored a few books. David and I have roots in the early software business. In the 1970s, we sold a word processor that David programmed for the Radio Shack TRS-80 computer, and in 2007 we published a book about it ("Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolution," available on amazon.com). I’ve also done professional editing for other authors, and I operate a book review website at www.theseekerbooks.com. I’m also a top reviewer on amazon.com.

Since retiring from full-time work in 2009, I’ve been adding photos and essays about Detroit to my website. For examples, see my photos and essay on abandoned neighborhoods at www.theseekerbooks.com/detroit/neighborhoods.html

What's happening in Detroit is difficult to believe unless you see it. Whole neighborhoods have simply vanished, replaced by empty fields and the cracked remains of sidewalks, with weeds popping up where people used to walk... whole blocks going back to nature, with pheasants and rabbits taking over, and the few standing houses falling down, moldy household items spilling out onto deserted streets. David and I are trying to document this abandonment before it's all simply gone. I’ve put some of my photos here on Flickr for other to see.