All Hallows Eve . . .

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While in the USA towards the end of September, I was quite surprised to see that many people had already prepared their Halloween decorations, over a month in advance. I suppose tomorrow these decorations will be removed, and replaced already by Christmas wreathes ! Some people had gone to considerable lengths to create a suitably ghoulish gallows atmosphere. Halloween, like Christmas, has sadly become just another crassly commercial exercise, an excuse for stores to sell large amounts of candy and costumes to consumers, imho. No doubt the historical roots for these celebrations are more interesting. But whatever your feelings on the matter, a very Happy Halloween to ya !
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A Little of This, A Little of That . . .

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To continue with the theme thread in red from the last post, while out in the wilds of western Pennsylvania the other day, this lovely red property caught my eye. That red truck would've looked just fine parked in front of this place. Maybe if I was good enough with photoshop I could make that happen, but for now you'll have to see it in your mind's eye. I can just imagine a lady in a red dress leaning up against one of these porch pillars, watching the traffic go by. This is most certainly one for the growing catalog of dream houses which can be found in these pages. If you'd like to see more of my dream houses, just click here. For a little music to go along with this old red house, there's a video at the bottom of this post for your pleasure.
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Even in the pouring rain I thought this place was beautiful. Would've loved to see the inside, and whatever traces past lives might have left there, but it was posted "Private Property", so I decided to leave well enough alone. Looked like the roof was about ready to collapse anyway.
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So, yes, memories, red souvenirs. Red houses, red trucks, ladies in red, red flowers on a tombstone. Last Sunday I had the very good fortune to be able to meet James who is the mind and fine photographer behind Newtown Area Photo and the Weekend Reflections series. The agreed meeting place was at one corner of Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris where we spent a couple of hours strolling, chatting, and photographing, before taking off on a hike through Belleville and up to the Buttes Chaumont park. A fine day, with many photographs from Paris recorded from two different perspectives. He has a second blog called Something Sighted where he said he'll be posting some photos from Paris when he gets back home in a couple of weeks time. These red flowers, ceramic and natural, are just one tiny souvenir from that most enjoyable afternoon. Thanks James for taking a day to spend with me !
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While we were walking through Belleville we got to talking about the book and movie "The Red Balloon", which we had both enjoyed as children. I wondered out loud if that story could have contributed in some small way to my wanting to return to Paris later in life, and James desire to spend time in Paris on vacation. Just a little while later I saw some kids playing with a red ball.
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Not actually a balloon, but close enough to have me reminiscing about that story.
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Nearby there were red posters glued on walls, remnants of the protests that shook France up fairly well over the past couple of weeks, over retirement reform questions. This one says, "Our Republic, Same ground, same rights !" Pasted over the poster was a request for any information about a young man named Nicolas who disappeared after 20 October. Did he run away ? Foul play ? Mysteries . . .
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"Tax the profits ! Retirement is at age 60 !" When you look at retirement age or life expectancy in some other countries, these folks don't know how good they have it, imho.
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Right by the entrance to Père Lachaise cemetery, these two red squirrels were caught with their arms crossed, keeping an eye on passers-by. Suspicious if you ask me. I couldn't help think of our blogging squirrel friend, the one and only Lone Grey Squirrel himself, out in Malaysia.
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And to top it all off, Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock doing Red House . . . Wishing you rosy red dreams.
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A Lady In Red . . .

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Although I've been married for years and years now
And strangely enough I still love my spouse
It does happen from time to time
While out rambling around
There's a simply crazy feeling that I feel
I swear it's like falling in love
All over again
Head over heels
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It happened in fact just the other day
When I saw a lady in red by the side of the way
Like a siren she called, she honked her horn
I took one look, and I was reborn
There was no way I could turn away
Out of the question, I couldn't go back
I was like a train bound for hell on a one way track
She asked me for a key to put in her ignition
She was dressed in red and headed for perdition
But I couldn't resist, I could only say, "Yes..."
As she stood there by the side of the road
Flaunting her curves in a tight red dress
She was whispering things I couldn't quite hear
Like, "Hop on in honey, have no fear"
Or, "Pump up my tires baby, let's go for a ride"
"Can you find my hot wire and make a few sparks"
"Hold on tight while we drive off in the dark"
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Indeed, she was really something, this lady in red
In my dreams I was thinking : Off we sped . . .
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Some of you may remember this is the same old red truck you got a couple of glimpses of there a few posts back on one of James Reflections Weekend series, but I had to come back to her, and let you know the depths of my feelings for her, by showing you more angles to see her from, more dimensions and hidden secrets which might not have been obvious at first glance. Yes, like many somewhat older ladies, she still had the potential for internal combustion after being offered a high octane drink and getting shown a little gentlemanly respect and tenderness. How I longed to climb inside her and go for a ride.
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Though the lipstick and rouge on her front grill was a bit splotchy, I was still smitten, like a deer in a pair of headlights at midnight, helpless, wide-eyed, hypnotized.
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I couldn't even decide which way to hold the camera when photographing her, I wanted the photos to do her justice, have her looking sleek and lean, so I tried both vertical and horizontal positions with the viewfinder, clicking away, irrestibly driven.
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The closer I got, the more her lovely persona went to my head, like a powerful magnet and good perfume, she held me there, and I started to look very closely at her most intimate secrets and dark openings.
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The tire tossed up on top could almost be a halo, over that windshield of dazzling blue reflections.
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A windshield wiper dangled like jewelry, a pendant flung there non-chalantly, part of her personality.
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From every angle her beauty was shining . . . like a tavern's lights, like a magic lantern, even if the lens was cracked. A lighthouse beacon in the night.
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I dared not remove her radiator cap, fearing to release something akin to the contents of Pandora's box. But I did gaze long and lovingly at her rusty complexion.
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One mirror hung down forlornly . . . but then who does not bear some traces of the passing years ?
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The broken glass did not diminish the breathtaking loveliness of her fender's curving forms.
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The cargo bed was frankly getting a bit overgrown, as you can see here, she really does need a little tender loving care. But one of these days I hope to have her running, purring smoothly like a contented cat, so I can load her up with truckloads of smiles to deliver to wherever you may be.
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PS ... Un très grand, très, très grand merci à Clo pour ce vidéo !
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Lighthearted Light . . .

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In the pleasantly surprising town of Williamsport, Pennsylvania the other day, I went out for a short stroll before dinner and was greeted by a light show going on in the western sky :
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Which seemed even more intense in concentrated color where reflected in a conveniently placed window. I couldn't help but think of James Reflections Weekend series . . .
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Zooming in on just one pane, perhaps due to double panes, there seemed to be an echo effect :
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While focusing on the blaze of fire in the west, I almost missed what was happening to the east :
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Nuts About Coconuts !

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It happens once in a blue moon while out roaming about, that one sees a place that one would just love to learn more about, especially in terms of cultural enrichment and enlightenment. I had such an experience in a small central Pennsylvania city recently. The sign which caught my eye because of the colorful parrot on it announced a "Party In Paradise". What could there be not to love about a place proclaiming in colorful terms that a party in paradise can be found there ??? Yes indeed, Club Coconuts sounded dandy to me ! And I swear that parrot looks exactly like the one on the cover of Tom Robbins' excellent book "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates".
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Another sign outside Club Coconuts boldly declared that this was a No Work Zone ! Yes ! My kind of place ! And I just adore the little bi-plane pulling the Club Coconuts banner sign in this one.
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Club Coconuts even apparently had people standing by to dance with me. I would have enjoyed a bit of square dancing, you know, swing your partner round and round, do-ci-do, and all that, with sawdust on the floor, but I just couldn't, unfortunately, wait around until 8 o'clock to see what that was all about. Life is cruel sometimes, I'm sure it would have been good healthy fun. Maybe next time. (Cue the Tom Waits music as he drives away wistfully.)
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Now I can't say for sure, but this establishment was just up the street from Coconuts, so I can only imagine that some of Coconuts customers must work in here, after a tough day slinging rusty scrap steel, Coconuts is probably a good place to go for a beer and to unwind dancing.
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Some Fall colors were just starting to come out in this next landscape . . .
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Freight Train Blues . . .

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The new photo in the blog header is from the recent trip to the USA, an abandoned car seen somewhere on a back road in Pennsylvania. I really liked the way she seems to be blushing almost, as though she's embarrassed about being seen in public with her rusty makeup running like that.
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It was wonderful to be out rambling, riding freight trains from one town to the next. Some of those coal trains going down Appalachian Mountain tracks are miles long. Just imagine how much coal one of those trains can carry. On the way to coal burning electricity plants. I wonder what we will do when the coal is gone. When the oil is gone. When the fish in the seas are gone. All plundered by our endless greed. Reminds me of that well known quote attributed to the Cree native American tribe :
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"Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money."
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And although it is hard to make out in the photo, at the far left there is a sign which says "Appalachian Trail, Maine to Georgia" on the bridge the train is going under. The Appalachian Trail goes over that spot. Would love to walk it all someday.
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The train seemed to stretch away into infinity at the vanishing point in the distance.
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Even when the rain came pouring down it didn't stop me from looking at what was going on in terms of light and color and distortions. And note the "ATM Inside" on a sign here which means there's an Automatic Teller Machine there for withdrawing cash. Later on I found a sign outside a church which also said "ATM Inside", but which then explained it meant "Atonement, Truth, and Mercy". Will post a photo of it soon. Cash or Mercy ? Truth or Consequences ?
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Saw an awful lot of corn out there . . . those amber waves of grain . . .
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Found myself dining in the finest of diners, the ones that have no name other than "Diner".
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Spending nights sleeping in some seedy motels in the yellow light of roadhouse lights.
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What matters is that at the end of the day you can honestly say you tried to do some good work. .
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And at the end of our travels we should all be so lucky as to end up in a cemetery named "Grand View". As if the view really matters at that point !
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Economic Crisis : Cars of Our Times . . .

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I had read a certain amount over the past couple of years about the economic crisis which has been hitting the United States fairly hard, but it wasn't until I got there, and got out on the streets that I started seeing real examples of where the crisis has driven many folks. People are driving older cars, waiting much longer before trading in their old cars for a new one. I saw many fairly ancient cars still in service. Perhaps a few of them had been resurrected from the dead even. Nevertheless, some of them were not without a certain charm . . .
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To quote the title of a favorite book of mine, Another Roadside Attraction, it looks like trash removal services have been cut back in many places, no doubt also a result of the crisis. Piles of car parts by the roadside were a common sight.
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I knew the housing sector had been particularly hard hit, and even today on CNN I read where foreclosure sales are booming in the USA, but some of the housing people were living in really surprised me . . .
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Yes, some cars parked by the roadside had definitely seen better days . . . this one is in the fixer-upper category. And I can't imagine things are going to get much better as long as the total US debt (as depicted on the Debt Clock site ) is at 54 trillion dollars and growing. As long as international finance continues to be conducted by major financial institutions as though they are playing in a casino. Crisis ? What crisis ?
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