Eye of the Beholder

I've been driving by this sign on my way to and from work five days a week for more than two years, and today I stopped to take a few pictures.

 

 

 

I think it's the coolest place in the neighborhood, which now consists of places like this one, directly across the street: 

 

It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Uplifting Boulders

I went to see the famous (in Eastern Massachusetts, anyway) Babson Boulders this weekend.
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2008-11/travel/dogtown/all



https://www.google.com/search?q=dogtown+ma&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=rpCyUJCzFNK_0QHbo4DgDg&sqi=2&ved=0CAQQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=558

and was impressed by the words carved into huge granite boulders scattered about the woods in this wild 5-mile-wide area of  Gloucester.

Even more than the words themselves, though, I liked the story of how they got there.
Roger Babson was a philanthropist who donated a reservoir and the nearby land of Dogtown to the City of Gloucester. He also hired out-of-work stonecutters during the Depression to do the work of carving 26 boulders.  A one-man WPA!

Anyone looking for guidance, inspiration, or a dope-slap could find it among the sayings.

There are the advice boulders:
GET A JOB
STAY OUT OF DEBT
HELP MOTHER
BE ON TIME
THINK
SAVE
STUDY
BE TRUE
BE CLEAN

and the values boulders:
LOYALTY
INTELLIGENCE
COURAGE
INITIATIVE
INDUSTRY
SPIRITUAL POWER
KINDNESS
INTEGRITY
TRUTH
WORK
IDEAS
IDEALS

and the inspiring phrases boulders:

IF WORK STOPS VALUES DECAY
NEVER TRY NEVER WIN
USE YOUR HEAD
PROSPERITY FOLLOWS SERVICE

and my favorite:

WALK THE WORDS

Scrambling around in the woods, up and down the narrow paths, discovering each monument, was a nice way for me to absorb the messages over a couple of hours.

If I could suggest another boulder to be carved, it would say, simply:
HAVE FUN

 

The Lure of the Post Office- Again!

I could not have asked for a better weekend to visit mid-coast Maine.
Camden Hills State Park was lovely, with several nice hikes right from the campground.

The "summit" of Mt Battie (800 ft!) was a gentle 45-min walk from my tentsite. It had a postcard-worthy view of the town of Camden, and a nice stone tower.

 

Two lighthouses- open for tours- within a few miles.

(Owl's Head and Rockland Point)

 

 

And even an art museum nearby (The Farnsworth Museum of Art, Rockland.)

 

 

 

But most of all, I found myself drawn to the small Post Office at Owl's Head, chatting it up with friendly clerk, Marilyn.

 

 

who was kind enough to hand-cancel the card I mailed to myself.

 

 

And that's my idea of a fun weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

Postal Nerd Goes Camping

It was fun to find a water-side campsite...

where I could shove my boat right into the lake...

and have the whole place to myself early on a Monday morning...

well, almost to myself!

And then to find a fire tower hike nearby...

with a great view...

and then to find a delightful spot to eat lunch and read for awhile.

But honestly, finding this little Post Office was the high point of my camping trip!

Under and over bridges

Sometimes it's nice to stop on a bridge and enjoy the view...or a cool breeze.

But it's really fun to go UNDER a bridge.

Lawn Canvas

The back yard at 8 am and again at 3 pm.

All I had to do was wait, and I got a whole new composition

on the same canvas.

Licensed for fun

I took a ride down a  road I usually pass by and, as a reward, got to enjoy this mailbox.

You never know......

I went out for a walk with no destination in mind, and, about a mile from home, decided to turn down this road and go see the Spencer-Peirce-Little farm, which has been there for 322 years (!)

Then I followed a trail beyond the farmhouse,

which led to the back edge of the Plum Island airport.

I walk on the road that runs by the other side of this little air strip all the time, watching small planes take off and land, but I never knew they called  that structure an AERODROME. 

Neon Gone By

Downtown Newburyport, MA

No use waiting for nightfall to get a shot of this old neon sign, because it's not working, so it's never lit anyway.  When I inquired about it inside the car parts shop, the owner told me he was thinking of getting it fixed, and of course I encouraged him.
This is a unique sign.
Not only is it rare to see original neon, some people don't even know what a carburetor is anymore.

Time-travelling with neon

I saw this unique clock in Rowley, MA, at a Sunoco station on Route 1-A, where they still pump your gas and wash your windshield.