redneck town or hippie town?

Redneck town evidence #1: All the trucks in town

Hippie town evidence #1: VW busses

Redneck town evidence #2: This house sign [TRESPASSERS: WE CALL .223 INSTEAD 911 RESPONSE IS A LOT FASTER] Needless to say, this sign isn't very clear because I was hesitant to trespass in order to take a picture.

Hippie town evidence #2: Another Neighbor for PEACE.

And all of the Buddhist prayer flags:

Redneck town evidence #3: McDonalds (with the prettiest flowers in the area -- is that french fry grease a natural fertilizer?) surrounded by Burger King, Taco John's, Dunkin' Donuts (opening in one week!!!!!!) and Taco Bell.

Hippie town evidence #3: Local Burger

Redneck town evidence #4 Dollar General (when I enter here, it takes days for the taint of quiet desperation to wash off).

Hippie town evidence #4: Love Garden used records store (when I enter here, I fail to acquire any hipness). It's located next to the Global Cafe.

Organic pet foods.

Redneck town evidence #5: Cigarettes

Hippie town evidence #5: Head shop (Sorry, I mean purveyor of natural herbs.)

What does the jury say?

Disturbing or chill?

Old cars around town

This one...

and this one....

and this one....

This one deserves two pictures:

Dad, does it make you feel old that the car you took to college now requires antique license plate tags? (Hello, kitty.)

Do these count?

A blue Buick:

How about a car from the 70's?

No straight lines in nature....

There are no straight lines in nature ... or in Lawrence sidewalks, it appears.

weather report

So, it was a little windy last night.

corner view: dream

My mom's bedroom was a tower room when she was a little girl, and I always dreamed of having one of my own. At first, I probably had visions of living in one like a princess who needed to be rescued.

Then, I had visions of living the life of an artist in a French garret (until I realized that I'm not artistic and je ne speak pas francais).

(I wish that I had (a) an i-phone and (b) the hipstamatic app to take these pictures with a long-ago, dreamy look.)

Now, I walk around town and see these great tower rooms and hope that the women of the house use them in a Virgina Woolf Room-of-Her-Own sort of way: as a place to breathe, create, and, yes, to dream.

Sweet dreams, everyone! For more dreams around the world, visit Francesca's site and follow the links in the comments section.

why it is good that I don't have a boss....

... I saw this joke sign and my knee-jerk reaction was: "Don't tell me what to think!" I may have a few issues with orders and authority figures.  (Anyway, I did think it, so what are you going to do about it?)

Dear trick-or-treaters,

Why don't you ever come to my door? I've got lots of candy for good boys and girls. Bwahahah!

corner view: exotic

Exotic is a matter of perception. When I lived in China, my colleagues couldn't believe that I was taking pictures of people buying cabbage, hair salon signs, and mah-jongg players -- all very ordinary things to them. Like most people, I guess, I don't think of my hometown as being that exotic either. However, when I have foreign guests visit me, I'm always fascinated by the exotic things they find on my streets:

(1) Squirrels....the bane of my existence; hours of delight for my friends:

 (2) Fire hydrants. "You really have them? They aren't just in the movies?"

(3) Why all the fire hydrants? Because our houses are made of WOOD!

(4) Drive-thrus. Yes, I've taken foreign guests through the fast-food drive-thrus and the bank drive-thrus so that they could go home and say that they had done it. Here's one you might not have expected: a dry cleaning drive-thru.

(5) Farms. When my friend from NYC visited, we had to find a field and a large grocery store for her -- two things they don't have in her Manhattan neighborhood.

(6) Antiques. My Chinese students are fascinated by these family hand-me-downs. Since their grandparents had to dispose of their old furniture or be persecuted for holding on to manifestations of traditional thinking during the Cultural Revolution, my 19-year-old students have never seen antiques in homes. (P.S. I just learned that the nickname of the houseplant in this picture is "Mother-in-Law's Tongue.")

I'm really looking forward to seeing other interpretations of exotic this week for Corner View. Why don't you hop on for a ride around the world?

Lawrence sheds

Lawrence: Where "I'm taking you to the woodshed" is a truly risky proposition.

The house with this shed is on sale. Who would want to deal with this structure in the backyard?

Help! I need an intervention! I can't stop taking pictures of scary-looking sheds.

 As long as the mice stay in these sheds and not in my basement, that's good enough for me.