Whimsy From a Bike

Yesterday, my route took me once more past the topiary elephant I pointed out here. It prompted me to record that the Ocean Shores vicinity seems to have an unusual amount of yard art and generally "beachy" items. Some purport to be useful, such as the raccoon reflector and mailbox. Never mind that both are really just excuses for whimsy under a thin veneer of utility. Hmm, I guess this is somewhat similar to the way that Kermit on Frankenbike pretends to be a useful "horn."

Some items take a more educational bent such as the pencils and bear below.

Some take an historical perspective, such as the farm implement below.

Remember, Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires!

The Lady Told me She Got that Monkey Puzzle Tree Online Since Nobody Local Sells Them
The Cart Repair is a Winter Project so the Driver Can be Reinstated

Don't Ask Me How this Gadget Works

But many are merely fanciful, such as the final items on this post. In this case, that includes the "Texas Star" which is seen on quite a few houses hereabouts, though I haven't seen anyone agitating to join up and add a second star to the Lone Star State. One lady I asked didn't know they ARE Texas stars.

Northwest Texas?

 

 

 

And, of course, Kermit approved! Stay tuned for Kermit's NEXT adventure, entitled "Kermit Goes Salmon!"

Kermit's Garden Cousin?

Summer Signs Seen

Season's Greetings, Even Backwards, Seems Different in June Than in December
Sprinklers Somehow Make Things Seem a Bit Cooler

It’s summer now in North Texas. There’s no mistaking it. Chandra claims it is a “hundred billion degrees” out. Personally, I think he’s exaggerating due to having hung out with native Texans for too long. If he keeps this up, we may have to start calling him "Tex Chandra." Still, I’ve been looking around for reminders of cooler times lately. Lighted signs are one such reminder. For some reason, signs made of little lights seem “cool” to me.

Due to ongoing construction on the Airport Freeway; intended to make things nicer for the local motorists, I’ve been taking an alternate route to work. Seen along the route is a lighted sign that is stored that reminds us that cooler seasons exist even in North Texas. The sign says, “Seasons Greetings!” Seen at the end of June, it conveys a slightly different message than in December. Sprinklers actually reinforce the cool message.

Also seen on this route is a lighted sign that reminds us we are in a region where patriotic and religious sentiments are displayed more often than in some other areas.

Say it in Lights!

Flat Tire Tower

Liberman Tower, Rosston, Texas

Even a route one has travelled before often holds surprises. And so it was during the Country Ramble yesterday. You see, on the way, it turned out the tallest structure in Texas; nearly six hundred feet taller than the Empire State Building, stood just outside little ol' Rosston.

When I saw this, I immediately harkened back to Limon's post about amateur radio here. That provocative post prompted a counter post about short wave tradition by John Romeo Alpha, here. My working description of this mysterious tower I didn't even notice last year: "The Flat Tire Tower." I guess we are influenced and sensitized by things we read.

As it turns out, with added research, things ARE bigger here in Texas. This thing is no backyard ham radio antenna. It's actually 2000 feet tall, which is nearly six hundred feet above the spire of the Empire State Building in New York City. Rosston, besides being home to the Rosston General Store, is home to the ERA LIBERMAN BROADCAST TOWER. While the main function of this tower is to broadcast Spanish Country music, it also serves as an amateur radio repeater. So, I might note that this tower is a distant relative of those "big" backyard antennae that ham radio operators are noted for.

Oh, not only is this much taller than anything in NYC (or Chicago or Los Angeles), it is tied with several other towers as the highest anywhere in the US. Apparently, there is an FCC rule that limits tower height to 2000 feet.

In passing, you will note the little blob way down in the lower lefthand corner of the tower photo? Well, that blob is a collection of cool, rusting, old cars (mostly Fords) that I showed after last year's Ramble. One of them, a touch rustier than last year, may be seen below:



Rusting Away Near Rosston

 

Commute Mystery

Passing Motorists Seem Fairly Unconcerned, but They'd Feel Different if a Bike Suddenly Leaped Through Their Windshield!
I Took the Photo from the End of the Little Sidewalk. Why Would Bikes Cross Here?

While I look all around each time I encounter it, I’ve not seen any bikes crossing my route yet, or even lurking in the vegetation. The sign in the photo above (and below) raises a lot of questions beside the obvious; “Why did the bicycle cross the road?”

One wonders if these are wild, feral bicycles we are being alerted to in a civic campaign akin to the deer warnings so ubiquitous in rural areas. Might these be criminal bikes and hence the need for the “warning” element in the sign? Why, I wonder, does this sign coincide with the end of a sidewalk that runs for not much more than 50 feet total? How, exactly, DOES a bike cross the road without a human being involved? Can a bike cross the road by itself without a kickstand or perhaps it is only PURE bikes that cross roads by themselves?

And then there’s the sign itself. It’s new, and one of those temporary type signs, but otherwise appears to be a very official advisory sign of the sort that Texas installs so often; warning us to “Observe Warning Signs.” Has there been a rash bicycles crashing into motorists recently as they dash across the road toward the retirement home, or maybe they’re retired bikes that are making one last bid to sow wild oats? I see no evidence of scattered components, either from motor vehicles or bikes. Perhaps there’s been recent internet “chatter” and the Department of Homeland Security expects extremist bicycles, with explosive-laden suicide panniers attached, to dash out into the road and detonate themselves against passing targets of opportunity. If so, are these members of the “Bicycle Liberation Front” that are responsible for 90% the automotive flat tires in the US, or are they shady agents of overseas influences? And why don’t these bikes simply follow the advice so often offered and simply “get off the road?” I looked all around and didn't see any sneaky bikes hiding anywhere around, not even any WITHOUT suicide panniers. Nor did I see any gates from which bikes might emerge midblock.

I must note this is one of the strangest bike signs I’ve ever encountered. It rises beyond the more common dumb or dangerous signs to simply become – mysterious.

No Wild Bikes in Evidence, Just the Single Domesticated One
By the Way, the Bag is Not Silver in Normal Light - It is Reflective "Illuminite" and the Flash Went Off

North Texas is NOT an Art-Free Zone!



Metal Log With Butterflies, North Richland Hills

Inspired by nameless blogs, especially ones here and here that have been going gaga over wonderful art items, I went out this morning to prove that there really IS some public art in the wilds of North Texas besides in downtown Dallas and Fort Worth. I'll admit, riding home from work on Friday, there were not a lot of artsy fartsy items to catch in pixels beyond some "yard art" along the way.


Lenin, But NOT the DALLAS Lenin!

 Sure enough, while our pickings may not be up to the standards of places such as Arizona and Hawaii, there are quirky public art pieces around here, even if the Dallas statue of Lenin has since departed for politically more hospitible locales.

The first candidate was the simplest, but very charming in its own way. A sculpted log with colorful butterflies. Pass by too quickly and this might completely escape your notice, being mistaken for the too-common bit of roadside trash.

The second candidate is more apropos for Texas, being a fanciful windmill. Texas, besides its oil fame, is one of the largest producers of wind power anywhere around.

Fanciful Windmill, North Richland Hills

The final "official" candidate is the most "North Texas" of the three, being a stained glass power transmission tower. While appropriate to the area, one might wonder what is next, a sculpture of a segment of the Dallas "High Five?"

Sculpture of a Power Transmission Tower, Next to a Wooden Real Version of Same. Huh?

My personal favorite, however, is a little piece; a golden dog statue that acquires and sheds seasonal outfits. Right now, Fido is wearing a Pilgrim Hat and an autumn leaf garland. At other times of the year, this dog acquires Halloween costumes, bathing suits, and 4th of July duds. I imagine that in a couple of weeks, Fido will acquire a red suit with a little white beard. This particular statue was a minor highlight of "Commute v1" - watching to see when the outfit changed.



Dog With a Pilgrim Hat On - You Can Stop at the Vet, Too!