Signs gone bad, well nearly

If they have “things,” check it out, they might have a good supply of “stuff. ” Who knows? You might find a new supplier for your “stuff” needs.

Click the pic and check out the  analysis of the “VIOLATORS” parking sign. Hmm?

We’ve all seen signs that perhaps could have been salted with a few more shakes of forethought. Then, again on a day when you can let your mind wander, you might drill down a bit further. Such as: Things. What things already? Large things? Small things? Double-barreled things? Purple things? Pointy things? Dull things? Used things? Repossessed things? Slightly rusty things? It just boggles the mind.

Then add the possibility that they also have a nice inventory of “stuff.” Does that include Moon Pie and RC Colas. That’s some of the best stuff you could find. You will also find some more signs which should bring about a grin or two on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot com. Take a gander. We’ll wait here

Methinks one would park here only under extreme duress or realistic threats of serious bodily harm. Perhaps had they been more generous with parking spaces they might still be in business. Perhaps they should put a “For Sale” sign on the tire. Then someone would steal it and save one the trouble of disposing of it.

Must have been a short crop on ‘taters this year. Makes one wonder how they did on cor, collar, turn, carro, cabba, and rutaba.

Fortunately, this ain’t the only gas station in its town. Given the state of what is considered art in this day and time, the Tourism Commission might promote it as the “Great Leaning Stone Henge Gas Pumps of LA” (lower Arkansas). Stranger things have happened. Remember the “pet rock.”

I would be remiss if I did not include this late 60s tune:

I have high hopes that this investigation has added a grin to your day. Thanks for looking.

Joe Dempsey,
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind

http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

One of the roads less traveled and a bit more

On the advice of my iPhone GPS, I decided to drive the “walking” route it recommended for one to make the distance between Pine Bluff, and Arkadelphia, Arkansas for a college reunion event. Some of the route was old hat, but the western end of the trip was new to me. For a bit of fun, I made one shallow ford and had a couple of 4-wheel drive engagements.

On the way you go south of Sheridan, Arkansas to Leola on Arkansas Highway 46. On that route, you learn the true definition of the term “river-bottoms.” A few miles north of Leola highway 46 takes about a 30 foot-or-so-drop into the Saline River bottoms. The road remains more or less level until it makes a about a 30 foot climb out of the bottoms.

There are several east and west access roads leaving Highway 46 along the way. They are all either timber access roads or access roads to deer camps – or both and are secured by “pole-gates.” When the river is up, they are under water. Since most of our non-LA readers have never seen a pole gate under water, it is incumbent upon us to make that revelation.

This old access road shows some lingering signs of pavement. The water at the gate is at least two feet deep by my best guess

This well-constructed road leads to another semi-submerged pole gate. The gentle sloping crown of this road tells us that for whom-so-ever built it – it was not his first rodeo.

This nearly submerged pole gate made for an artsy-craftsy scene. A Freudian leaning psychologist might see it as something else.

I made a pit stop in Leola, Arkanss and found a friendly fillin’ station dog who appeared to be a Bassett-Redbone or Redbone-Basset mix. He was curious and friendly. Here he came by to bid me farewell as I departed the premises.

I found another dog several miles down the gravel road section of the trip. He was hanging around this abandoned house accompanied by and abandoned Ford F150 of several years back. You can see more of this old house and the nearby barn on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot-com along with other pictures from this trip.

Not quite as friendly but with a good streak of curious, this pooch who was babysitting the old house and truck came out to see me off.  He appears to have a .22 head mounted on a .357 magnum frame. Mayhaps his name is bullet?

As a parting shot, I’m showing you a couple of signs that gave me a grin. Hopefully you will react in the same way. Lord knows we need all the grins we can get.

And if you do happen to dump, this tree will eat you. Don’t say we did not warn you.

Noooooo problemo!

I have high hopes that this diversion into attempted levity has lighted your day.

Thanks for looking.

Joe Dempsey,
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind

http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

Back to the birds

Click on the Chinese Swan Goose to see more goose pix and read our original June 2013 story.

Back in June of 2013, our Weekly Grist and Corndancer combo was headlined by a couple of big birds, a big ol’ goose here on Weekly Grist and a big ol’ osprey at Corndancer. We are sending you back to take a second look at our fine feathered friends. In our Corndancer article you’ll see several pictures of the osprey. In our original Weekly Grist article you get several goose glimpses plus a look at a dragon fly, a squirrel, a dog and a small aggregation of curious Black Angus cattle.

Click on the osprey to see in-flight pictures and menacing osprey stares.

While all we had to do was show up and aim for our goose pictures, the images of the osprey we show on our Corndancer Photo of the Week page were pure luck. But then I always maintain that I would rather be lucky than good any day of the week.

Though we were in a boat, we wandered a tad closer to the osprey’s nest than the osprey thought was proper which spurred the big bird to action.

The bird’s answer to our unwelcome intrusion was to become airborne and give us nasty stares, a condition we relished. You can relish the same on our June 23, 2013 Corndancer Photo of the Week page.

Thanks for looking.

Joe Dempsey,
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind

http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html