Empire of Groovy

View Original

Travel Theme: Signs

The travel theme this week at Where's My Backpack? is a look at signs you encounter when you're out and about in the world.  While I've already blogged about and put most of the images I've taken of signs in a piece called WTF Caution Signs, I do have a few other sign photos I've been looking for a reason to post.First up: a cautionary sign. We were traveling during Halloween weekend last year and stopped at some convenience store along the way. When I neared the door I saw this......and then I doubled over laughing for about five minutes before I was able to pull myself together enough to immortalize it digitally. I understand the reason behind this. You want to be able to give a more detailed description of the person who robs your store besides, "It was Frankenstein", and I would imagine there's a decided uptick in robberies at Halloween-time when it's common to walk around masked. I'm sure it's really only successfully used against the opportunistic criminal--something tells me the guys from The Town wouldn't be all that deterred by the clever use of signage--but regardless of its rate of success or failure, I still loved the idea.Next:Annapolis, MD is a lovely city, and I enjoyed a day trip there with my boyfriend and his daughter. I have tons of pictures of colonial houses and quaint, cobblestoned streets and crisp sails on neatly-painted boats. We bought hard-to-find spices in the upscale spice shop. I bought a friend's toddler a gift in the inclusion-oriented, organic-sustainable-materials toy store. The things in this city are beautiful. Picturesque. Charming. And deadly.This was tucked into the garden of a serene and tidily trimmed public park. A grim reminder that no plant in Annapolis is safe.So.This summer, my boyfriend's band played at a benefit held at Knoebel's, a local amusement park. I've talked about Knoebel's before, and how it's quaint and kitschy and totally family-friendly. While wandering around the park I came across a few carts that merited a second look.  The first is one of the tram cars they use to ferry visitors back and forth from the tram stands in the parking lot.The other sign involves a utility cart. See for yourself. Question: If one may not sit on it, then how does one drive it? Seriously, Knoebel's people. Park this somewhere else.And finally, from Cleveland. If I were to trace the events of my misspent youth back to their origins, they would lead me here.Thank you, Alan Freed. You've contributed more fun (50 Bands) to my world than you could ever have imagined.