what about the plastic animals?

Little Trees

Since the horse racing season is starting in Saratoga I thought I should return to a few pictures I took there a couple of months ago.  Hearing that the Saratoga Automobile Museum had a small exhibit on the history of the "Little Tree" air freshener made me take the long way home from my father's place.

The Little Tree freshener company started about 60 years ago in Watertown, New York.  The exhibit was great for several reasons.  First, the gallery smelled very nice.  Second, see the little tree that looks like a rasta man on the car hood?  It says "Jamaican Herb, Mon" and the museum staff had yet to remove it.  Finally, and my favorite reason, collector's edition air fresheners were for sale from a proper air freshener dispenser.

The museum also has a good exhibit of mid-century cars on loan from some rich dude who apparently has dozens of cars that he likes to take out for weekend drives around town.

Shifting Sands

While I enjoyed the many motel signs in southern Utah, I had much ground to cover before settling down for the evening.  The settling down took place at the Sands Motel in St. George.

The room was only $29.95!

You get what you pay for!

The room was quiet and clean.  WiFi was free!  The dresser was a good 40-50 years old, missing a drawer, and had LA gang graffiti carved into its side.  More importantly, it gets cold at night in the desert.  The bed had sheets and a very thin blanket.

The heat came from an enormous, loud, and ancient forced air heat/AC unit stuck in the window of the odd walk-in closet area.  The heater had two settings:  Off, and 100 miles/hour, 100 degree Santa Ana winds.  I couldn't decide which was the worse alternative, freezing or becoming dessicated, so I alternated between the two that night.  Still, $29.95 can't be beat.

Southern Utah Motel Signs

A sampling of the motel signs east and south of Zion Canyon. 

Not a Black Panther

For late last winter there have been unsubstantiated reports of a black panther wandering near our campus.  No physical or photographic evidence has confirmed the panther's presence.  There was a New Yorker article last month and a story in the New York Times today.  The biggest beast I saw on a recent walk was this woodchuck.  In the best tradition of cryptozoology, I took a slightly fuzzy picture of the beast.

In much more exciting news, He-Man spoke to me!  Yes, He-Man of the 50-inch chest.  I was waiting with a friend for the train at 8th Street when He-Man walked through the turnstile and asked if the train would go to 42nd Street.  I replied that, yes, the train would go to Times Square.  He got on the train but got off at 14th Street/Union Square.

Checkerboard Mesa

Classic geology!  Checkerboard Mesa is on the eastern end of Zion Canyon National Park.  The mesa is essentially a calcified sand dune.  The horizontal layers show how the sand was laid down some 200 million years ago before calcium carbonate solidified the whole thing.  The vertical joints are caused by freezing and thawing of water.

The Corner?

Okay, why would a restaurant in the middle of the block be named Corner cafe & bakery?

Speaking of food, Bronx Flavor with Baron Ambrosia is almost too awesome for words.  Do not delay in watching all the episodes.

Into the Dark

A five-second view of the tunnel as I headed east through Zion Canyon National Park.

A Visit to Hunts Point

They wanted their picture taken

The Bronx River

A redbird

Radicchio King

Bee and Flower

Having an open Saturday and a hankering for barbecue, Greg and I headed to Hunts Point in the Bronx to take a few pictures.  It was a beautiful day.  We each had the beef brisket at Mo Gridder's BBQ, whose seating area is in between the two repair bays of the Hunts Point Auto Repair.  There was lots of warehouses and graffiti and we were only yelled at once (by a bored MTA security guard who didn't want us taking pictures).

Zion Canyon Squirrel

I met a very friendly squirrel who knew how to work an audience on the Riverwalk Trail in Zion Canyon.  Despite its charm, the squirrel did not get any of my granola bar.

Three Gargoyles

More hints to answer yesterday's quiz question.  Surely someone can name at least one newsworthy person who, over the course of three years, might have often walked by these themed gargoyles.