Category Archives: photos

Misc photographs of absurd things.

The place to run out of gas…

Posted on by under blog snax, photos

A BlogSnax© post

No time for a full length post but here’s a picture worth checking out. If you ever run out of gas on a quiet country road, this is the one you want to be on.

What’s this pump doing in the middle of nowhere? Good question. If you figure it out, tell me. Also, if you can identify the location, put it in the comments. I’ll try to come up with a prize for the first person who comes close. General or specific is fine. Hint: It truly is in the middle of nowhere… or at least on the outskirts of it.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs…

Posted on by under photos

Last time it was a “thot dump”; today it’s a photo dump. (I suppose I should call this a “foto dump” to be consistent with my previous lazy Madison Ave. spelling style.) As with my post ideas, which occasionally back up like a bad plumbing job, my photo bin overfloweth. This will clean out a bunch of the backlog, but without the nasty sewage odor.

The topic today, as evidenced by the post title*, is “signs”. These are signs I’ve seen over time that have caught my attention as interesting for various unrelated reasons. Maybe it’s just me. You be the judge.

I’ve never seen such a blatant disregard for beach hygiene! We all know it’s gonna happen, but why encourage it?
I’m not a beer drinker but even I can appreciate this little bit of restaurant humor.
It’s hard to read with the reflection where it is, but right above the message to “come on in”, there’s a sign saying the place is closed. An invitation to thieves, perhaps?
Sure, but I bet they won’t tell me which I am!
I’ve seen a lot of motorcycles on the road and this blanket statement is patently untrue of many.
The worst of both worlds in this post-Covid work environment. You have to drive to work, but you can’t get out of your car. Or maybe they want you to sit in the empty space.
All your flooring needs maybe, but don’t count on any spelling help. Last I checked, “carpet” and “care” start with the same letter anyway. Why this nonsense?
This is just plain cruel. The fish are in the water, for Pete’s sake, but you aren’t allowed anywhere near it! I suppose if you had long enough fishing line…

* For the non-Boomers in the crowd, this is a reference to an absolutely fantastic song from 1971 by a sadly underappreciated Canadian group, The Five Man Electrical Band. Then again, maybe latter day musical aficionados will recognize it. Not long ago, I saw a photo of yet another sign saying “Hiring is so bad, long haired freaky people are encouraged to apply.” Gotta love that!

Weird photos addendum

Posted on by under photos

As mentioned in the comments to the previous “weird photos” post, a FOAF (Friend of a Friend… who is also a friend) had a photo of a similarly nonsensical sign at yet another a gas station/convenience store:

On the cup, it says, “If it’s not fresh, it’s free.” But the store’s policy claims, “Free coffee Everyday”. As my friend infers from the mixed messages, the coffee must never be fresh!

My next post will be my new book announcement. Come back and check it out soon!

More weird photos

Posted on by under photos

Just a few days till the release of my new book. But the blog must go on! Albeit in this very brief form of a few strange photos.

We checked into the hotel and saw this wrapper. It was so reassuring. You don’t want to trust your TP to amateurs!

Less reassuring was this mixed message at a nearby gas station/convenience store:

Gotta love their consistent messaging. At least they’re drug free except for nicotine.

Finally, the strangest business I’ve ever seen:

One business or two? I sure hope it’s the latter. Otherwise, I don’t want to know how this place works.

My next post will be my new book announcement. Come back and check it out soon!

More dog food on the way!

Posted on by under About writing, Books, photos

I have another book in the works. Anyone who knows my penchant for OCD behavior had to see this coming. After all, how could I have nine books out when, with a little effort, I could release a nice round tenth book? Well, the book isn’t round. It’s rectangular like the others but the number 10 is…

Oh, never mind. You get it.

With any luck and some hard work on the part of myself and the rest of the team—designers and early readers—it should be out in time for beach reading season. Not that I expect you to actually read a beach. What I mean is…

Oh, never mind. You get it.

And a beach read this will be, with some romance, some excitement, some mystery, some broad comedy. That isn’t supposed to be a sexist comment. The term “broad comedy” refers to…

Oh, never mind. You get it.

In case you’re looking for a good reason to buy my next book, or any of the others, you might be interested in an endorsement one of my books recently received. The following picture gets the point across:

Yes, even pets enjoy my books! This little dog tore into my recent book, “Only Love Can Break Your Leg”. Now, how many authors can claim multi-species fandom? It was traumatic for the dog’s owner who hadn’t finished it and had no idea how it ended! After I told him the ending and he had a few months of therapy, he was okay. The dog needed no such help because he finished the book. And when I say, finished, I mean…

Oh, never mind. You get it.

[Obligatory shameless self-promotion: If you don’t have it, you should get it. This and all my others can be found on my Amazon author page today. In a couple of months there will be one more. The tenth, a nice round number but not a round book. Then I’ll be able to sleep better.]

Skimming off the photo pile

Posted on by under photos

Some more photos to share from my backlog. These are bicycle related:

Window boxes outside a great bike shop on Martha’s Vineyard:

The flowers aren’t doing so well but the sentiment is spot on.

Seen in the North End of Boston:

Can you believe some people put water bottles in this super convenient sub holder? What are they thinkin’?

For every temporary impediment to cycling…

…there’s a glittering invitation to go farther!

This is my favorite bridge in all of Massachusetts. Straddling Newton and Watertown, the Charles River Greenway Bridge is a beautiful structure spanning a beautiful river along a beautiful bike path. It has me dreaming of spring already.

A couple of turtle pictures…

Posted on by under blog snax, photos

A BlogSnax© post

Can there be enough turtle pictures? Here’s my contribution:

I count over 40 turtles on this one fallen log, possibly as many as 50. It’s like a horizontal Yertle. An amazing demonstration of coexistence.

From the No-Brainer Department, seen on a local road:

Well, yeah! Next we’ll have a sign saying “fast cheetahs”.

Partial Photo Backlog Dump

Posted on by under photos

The ideas for this blog have been piling up, but so have the weird photos I’ve been sitting on. And there are more just about every week. Let’s throw a few out into an unsuspecting world before they get too stale.

From the people who brought us the ever-so-tasteless “FU” ad campaign comes this bit of stupidity. They’re “Flamin’ Hot” but they’re Cool Ranch. Only in the Frito-Lay universe is that possible.

So much better was this much needed encouragement received at a local self-serve gas station:

It’s nice to know someone believes in me.

Covid-19 is over but as this photo, taken recently inside a porta-potty (yeah, I’m that desperate for material) indicates, the paranoia and madness remain.

Lock it up! Lock it up!

Is this a big enough problem–people putting their bikes on top of this fence–that they need a special sign for it? On the other hand…

…this sign is clearly needed, especially for whoever put the sign on the piano.

And last, but not by any stretch of an already stretched-to-the-breaking-point imagination least, this alarming picture-within-a-picture from the what-the-heck-were-they-thinking department:

I don’t even know where to begin with this disturbing picture, obviously the product of a seriously deranged mind. It has given me nightmares since I first saw it. Now it’s your problem. Good luck.

Scenes from a novel…

Posted on by under About writing, Books, photos

The following photos capture locales in Boston that serve as settings for my newest novel, “Only Love Can Break Your Leg”.

If you’ve read it, I hope you enjoy the background. If you haven’t, maybe this will pique your interest. Enjoy.

A beautiful day at Boston’s waterfront, a great place to explore on a blind date.
Bike path in Southwest Corridor Park,
for a fast getaway from South End fiascos.
A walkway on the Greenway,
perfect for a romantic stroll.
A bike on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Walk those bikes!
Food trucks waiting to serve you on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
The very posh Boston Harbor Hotel,
an ideal location for a midday tryst.
Harbor view of Boston Harbor Hotel.
Archway of the Harbor Hotel.
A desperate cyclist could ride right through it.
The Hatch Shell waiting for an oldies concert.
View of an Esplanade lagoon.
Nice setting from which to listen to a concert.
Arthur Fiedler footbridge spanning
a busy Storrow Drive.
Food store in the Boston’s North End.
Mangia!
North End baseball field.
Even more fun “under the lights.”
Bike path through the North End
Pageantry and dining on Hanover Street
in Boston’s North End
There’s always a reason
to celebrate in the North End
Restaurant on North End side street.
View of MIT in Cambridge across the Charles River.
What dirty water??
Sunset over the greatest city in the world.