Playground Tractor

 

A Different Way of Organizing Books

I was killing an evening in the Niagara Falls area and stopped at the old Macy's store in the nearly dead Eastern Hills Mall.  The old department store is now home to Niagara Emporium which is a cooperative of multiple resale shops.  Besides some interesting old furniture which seemed to be a reasonable deal if you desire vintage furniture, the location seems to be the place where all leftover estate items not wanted by the family gather.  It may hold the world's largest collection of used VHS tapes for resale.

I stopped by one shop that seemed to have a large collection of used books.  I was surprised to see the shop owner organized books by the author's sex.

It seemed to me to be an odd way to arrange books.

Ice Cream Stand Philosophy

I can only wish to be the person who deserves all the happiness they give.

Santa's Wonderland Selfie Station

Really?

The end is near.

Yellow Submarine

I was in Gowanda on my way to a late afternoon hike in Zoar Valley. This yellow submarine was sitting in the side lot of a yard on a side street. I find the thought of being in this unit while under water terrifying. I was also surprised to find this submarine has a history. It made the news years ago when a neighbor sold the submarine to a third party for $300, despite not being the owner. It appears to have received a nose job since the theft.

And our friends are all on board
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play

We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

Light Lashes

I'm not certain the hip, re-designed bug will inspire this level of affection.

The Birthplace of Jell-O

We had no idea Leroy, New York was the birthplace of Jell-O and now home to the Jell-O Museum. I was never a big Jell-O fan with the exception of lime Jell-O with chunks of pineapple, but if I make a return to the Batavia area, I will be certain to make a stop at what promises to be a quirky museum.

The Chatty K-9

The Chatty K-9's building looks like a fun place for dogs. We were passing through Central Square, New York on vacation when we spotted this dog groomer with the great outdoor graphics. I'm not sure Gwen and Eva would be big fans of yappy hour.

Confused Goose

We visited Beaver Island State Park recently and spotted this heron standing on a rock with a nearby goose. The goose appeared to be imitating the heron by standing on one leg and turning in the same direction as the heron. It seemed a bit confused.

Clean Remote?

Another tool for the well-equiped germaphobe. I'm not so sure our fascination with cleanliness isn't going to eventually kill our ability to resist even basic germs. I must admit the simple, basic remote was a hit with me since it replaced the overly complicated units often seen in hotels.

Moonwinks

I've no idea how the food is at Moonwinks, but they have a great logo on their roof. Moonwinks was opened in 1936 under a different name. A little later, Douglas Petty of Olean won $5 in a contest to suggest a new name. Since then, it has been Moonwinks. Despite visiting Cuba, New York many times (Ali's deceased relatives have the strange distinction of both being from Cuba, New York and spending time in Cuba the country), we had never passed by Moonwinks before this evening. A bit of interesting history that no one but us would find interesting is that the area around Moonwinks is the original location of the town of Cuba, New York.

While you are are learning tidbits of trivia that you never missed not knowing, here's another. Ali's great-grandfather invented a product called the Gee Minnow Trap. It used to be manufactured here in Cuba, New York. Now it's made in another nearby town called Fillmore, New York. Years ago we visited the wonderful people at the plant that now makes the product.

Any restaurant with a logo this good deserves a visit. Maybe next time if we are here without the dogs...

Giant Hot Dog

I now know where the giant steers from Western Ohio go. This giant hot dog welcomes all to a Texas Hot place in Cattaraugus County near the PA border. Someone went to a lot of work to turn a utility pole into this bit of advertising.

Have a Happy Day

I've passed this barn in Frewsburg for many years. It's a bright way to start a day.

Freddie's Buried Here???????

This cemetery is less than a mile from Elm Street. 8-0

Eerie power poles

I was out on a misty morning taking photos of our line poles before a meeting with our supplier. It doesn't seem like a good idea to have 34,000 Volts stretched tight on a bent pole. I thought the mist made for an eerie photo. The image must have work since a number of poles are being replaced.

Brewbird of Happiness

I've passed a drunken bird on the side of this bar for over twenty years. Lately I pass it almost daily. The sign made a better play on words years ago when it was a two-story drunken bluebird. I stopped there once years ago. The most memorable part of the visit was a really friendly black lab.

The Old-Fashioned Way

Peace Pole in Braille

This peace pole is located on the town square of Westfield, New York. In addition to the standard four languages, this peace pole has a small tag with the peace prayer attached to the pole in braille.

New York Road Signs

As we approached this, Ali said it looked like a marshmallow tree. We were glad the locals thought enough of this crater to create the marshmallow tree to warn drivers. The hole would swallow our little ute. We had no idea how the locals with big trucks got around this monster.

How Fast Can They Be?

This sign was posted near a park where I was geocaching. The interesting thing is that the nearest ball diamond is about 400 feet from the road. Maybe they need to work on control as well as speed? ;-)