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thehefnerBut it's certainly been a productive two days since we left from Tuscaloosa yesterday morning (though it feels like last week!).
First stop: Meridian, Mississippi, to visit Rosehill Cemetery, which was decorated throughout with signs that feature various death-related quotes. Most seemed to be trying too hard, but we had a certain fondness for the first one that greeted our entrance:
We were here to visit a local landmark, the gravesites of Emil and Kelly Mitchell, the King and Queen of the Gypsies, respectively. As one can imagine, not to mention observe from the photos, it's a place of pilgrimage for travelers across the country.
The rest of the graveyard was super-neat in general, with this particularly cocky headstone being a standout:
From the graveyard, I took notice of a building in the distance, the bold blue Southern sky perfectly visible through one window. As if someone had punched a hole into the structure.
Next, we made a very brief pilgrimage of our own to Margaret’s Grocery, a sketchtacular roadside shrine that was unsettlingly devoid of people:
After committing the first of many similar naughty misdemeanors for this trip (you'd be surprised what's still illegal in many states...) and sleeping for the night in a truck stop just past Kilgore, TX, we drove on to... well, see if you can guess where we went:
That memorial ring a bell to anyone? No? Well, how about this?
Henchgirl was beaming far more than was appropriate for such a site, and thus she was downright adorable.
She just kept bouncing in giddy excitement, talking about CGB Spender while I, for some reason, had "The Times They Are A-Changin'" stuck in my head. I can't imagine why. (cue to 2:45 if you don't wanna sit through the entire amazing sequence)
Back in the minivan, Henchgirl proceeded to take photos of four classic Hefner facial expressions. Expressions of what, I'm not exactly sure. What moods do *you* think I'm conveying here?
We made it to the town of Eastland, TX, home of Old Rip, the Horned Toad. I'll just let the plaques tell the tale of Eastland's sole (and odd) claim to fame:
Yes. Old Rip was, in fact, a real-life Michigan J. Frog:
Here's the old guy himself, snug in his teeny little casket like a mini Lenin:
Of course--and at Henchgirl's insistence--I honored Old Rip by singing "Hello, my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gaaaaaaaaaal..." right there on the courthouse steps.
Hm. Maybe that's why the random guy called me a douchebag. He knew I insulted the memory of their prized horned lizard. But I swear, I have nothing but respect for Old Rip! Why, I even spent a great deal of time engaging in a serious discussion over foreign policy:
Well, either that or how they botched up Harvey Dent in THE DARK KNIGHT. I can't remember which.
The rest of Eastland was seemingly all closed up. Many, because it was the early end of a workday in a small town that shuts down by 5pm. But there were also many, many more buildings there were closed or closing permanently.
If the douchebag-shouter hadn't instantly made Henchgirl and me dislike Eastland enough to promptly leave, we would have gotten some photos of their old abandoned gas stations. Those are always cool. As it is, Henchgirl managed to snap a couple neat sights, including this building with structure that can only be described as "small town Ivo Shandor architecture":
Beside it was another building that once was the home of an establishment with an intriguing name:
And between the two buildings was an awesome pair of fire escapes:
The last shot Henchgirl managed to snap before the whole day went to shit was of yet another closing store in Eastland, with everything on sale 75%:
What does it say when even individuality cannot be sustained in today's economy?
First stop: Meridian, Mississippi, to visit Rosehill Cemetery, which was decorated throughout with signs that feature various death-related quotes. Most seemed to be trying too hard, but we had a certain fondness for the first one that greeted our entrance:
We were here to visit a local landmark, the gravesites of Emil and Kelly Mitchell, the King and Queen of the Gypsies, respectively. As one can imagine, not to mention observe from the photos, it's a place of pilgrimage for travelers across the country.
The rest of the graveyard was super-neat in general, with this particularly cocky headstone being a standout:
From the graveyard, I took notice of a building in the distance, the bold blue Southern sky perfectly visible through one window. As if someone had punched a hole into the structure.
Next, we made a very brief pilgrimage of our own to Margaret’s Grocery, a sketchtacular roadside shrine that was unsettlingly devoid of people:
After committing the first of many similar naughty misdemeanors for this trip (you'd be surprised what's still illegal in many states...) and sleeping for the night in a truck stop just past Kilgore, TX, we drove on to... well, see if you can guess where we went:
That memorial ring a bell to anyone? No? Well, how about this?
Henchgirl was beaming far more than was appropriate for such a site, and thus she was downright adorable.
She just kept bouncing in giddy excitement, talking about CGB Spender while I, for some reason, had "The Times They Are A-Changin'" stuck in my head. I can't imagine why. (cue to 2:45 if you don't wanna sit through the entire amazing sequence)
Back in the minivan, Henchgirl proceeded to take photos of four classic Hefner facial expressions. Expressions of what, I'm not exactly sure. What moods do *you* think I'm conveying here?
We made it to the town of Eastland, TX, home of Old Rip, the Horned Toad. I'll just let the plaques tell the tale of Eastland's sole (and odd) claim to fame:
Yes. Old Rip was, in fact, a real-life Michigan J. Frog:
Here's the old guy himself, snug in his teeny little casket like a mini Lenin:
Of course--and at Henchgirl's insistence--I honored Old Rip by singing "Hello, my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gaaaaaaaaaal..." right there on the courthouse steps.
Hm. Maybe that's why the random guy called me a douchebag. He knew I insulted the memory of their prized horned lizard. But I swear, I have nothing but respect for Old Rip! Why, I even spent a great deal of time engaging in a serious discussion over foreign policy:
Well, either that or how they botched up Harvey Dent in THE DARK KNIGHT. I can't remember which.
The rest of Eastland was seemingly all closed up. Many, because it was the early end of a workday in a small town that shuts down by 5pm. But there were also many, many more buildings there were closed or closing permanently.
If the douchebag-shouter hadn't instantly made Henchgirl and me dislike Eastland enough to promptly leave, we would have gotten some photos of their old abandoned gas stations. Those are always cool. As it is, Henchgirl managed to snap a couple neat sights, including this building with structure that can only be described as "small town Ivo Shandor architecture":
Beside it was another building that once was the home of an establishment with an intriguing name:
And between the two buildings was an awesome pair of fire escapes:
The last shot Henchgirl managed to snap before the whole day went to shit was of yet another closing store in Eastland, with everything on sale 75%:
What does it say when even individuality cannot be sustained in today's economy?
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-20 06:12 am (UTC)And that story about Old Rip is terrifying.
Awesome pictures, as always. =D
Y'know...
Date: 2010-02-20 05:58 pm (UTC)Pretty sure other people would, too.
Keep on truckin', dude. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-02-20 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-20 06:39 pm (UTC)Moods.
Date: 2010-02-20 11:51 pm (UTC)2. Not actually a face you make naturally.
3. That is your god no face. You make this one a lot when some one actually manages to back up crazy with real logic.
4. This is the face you make when you know someone else is thinking about something that makes your skin crawl. Like a giant lollipop.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-23 11:29 pm (UTC)