Well, they finally got the forecast right:  snow and loads of it coming down here in NYC.  We’re supposed to get a foot and Boston’s supposed to get two feet.  I was sensible for a change when I saw those flakes at 7am and ditched the rest of this trip’s plans.  I put a notation on the June calendar for a 3-day weekend to finish up and reshoot some of those god-awful grey photos.  Also the Waller Warehouse!

So where were we…  yes, yesterday, Xmas Day, my birthday — Boston suburbs and even some New Hampshire stops.  Some disappointments — the house in Westford, MA that used to put up the giant classic fiberglass Santa — definitely not there last year and now, not this year.  Guess the owner(s) moved.  The giant Timberland boot that I’d hope to see/shoot at their headquarters in Stratham, NH — apparently not there.  I had emailed someone there about a year ago to confirm and they said it was there.  But the lone soul working inside that came to the door when he saw me peering in – said that he’d never seen it anywhere.  Skip’s neon sign in Merrimac covered up with a box for the off-season.  One pet cemetery too modern & boring to shoot; another not there at all (supposedly behind a MSPCA) but no one there & I sure didn’t see it.  So lots of strike-outs but I can at least check them off my list and/or make some calls.

Only a handful of photos for you.  Maybe I’ll take some snow shots in the park tomorrow to beef things up a bit.  Don’t want to disappoint you!  Yesterday started out promising weatherwise.  But about an hour in, there came those clouds to flatten out all color. 

This one from Westborough, MA.  The uneven-ness of these poles make me think there was another sign above the “Drive-in”.   I thought maybe another name — but it seems this has been Harry’s Restaurant here since 1946:
http://www.westborough.com/harrys/harrys.htm

This sign from Lawrence, MA.  Simple but I like a lot of things about it.  The font, the name, the weird graphics (is that a fishing reel bottom right? looks more like a lawnmower).  Also I like those plastic signs that bulge more towards the center.  I’m no expert on this type — but it seems older than the embossed type plastic sign.

From Malden, MA:  a little midcentury goofiness — Colonial embellished entrance with rocky patches and metal letters on the sidewall (more visible from the main road there). 

From Newburyport, MA.  This newsstand has been here since 1903.  Added the soda fountain & restaurant in 1920s and the storefront vitrolite glass & Deco lettering has to be from then.  I’ve got it here in my notes that the hanging sign was built in the late 1930s.  It was renovated in 2003 and looks pretty dull now but the red neon is nice at night. 

The faded storefront sign is actually nicer and more interesting.  I hope they don’t mess with it!  The letters are actually… don’t know what they call it — but I call it reverse relief (lowered instead of raised).

One more faded beauty before I return to gazing at this month’s Storm of the Century.  About 5 inches out there now at 7pm.  This one from Merrimac.  You probably can’t see it at all when the trees grown in.  Lettering looks like Coach House but it’s probably been repainted a half dozen times or more.  No sign of a motel or restaurant on the lot now.  Don’t overlook the little Colonial style pediment-y hole at the top of it:

So that concludes our grey little holiday attempt.  Next year maybe Atlanta for Xmas, whaddya think?  Though no guarantee of sun there either.  Next trip probably won’t be til end of March — and it’ll be a biggie.  Five weeks grappling with Texas, Oklahoma and states en route.  I’ll drop in tomorrow with some snowy pix from home.  Hope you enjoyed the New England adventure.

Another grey day here.  Hardly any traffic but lots of miles between stuff.  Towns that I’ve already mined before and New England quaintness equals not much chance of hit-the-brakes stop & shoots.  Also some disappointments (stuff that’s now gone).  So not a very fruitful day in terms of photo quantity or quality. 

The forecast for tomorrow is not good.  They’re expecting a foot of snow in NYC and about the same here in Boston area.  Should start tomorrow AM.  So… I guess I’ll be heading for home first thing in the morning and will have to pick up the rest of my list sometime in the  spring.  If they’re completely wrong about all this and the sun’s out, I might stay a couple of hours to shoot a few things.  But really I shouldn’t.  The holiday traffic will be bad enough with the additional panic of impending snowstorm. 

Since I was up so late last night and still got up extra early to organize, I’m gonna treat myself to some sleep tonight and make you wait til tomorrow night or Monday for today’s batch of photos.  I’m making a note to self for next Xmas to head south instead of north.  Nighty night.

Sun!!!  This might be the best weather day of the trip so I raced around town to town, the best I could considering the traffic.  Lots of folks out there not used to driving — or that shouldn’t have been.  But we’re all safe and settled in here.  After a full day or shooting, and some socializing — it’s past midnight now.   Those of you that are new to my blog should keep in mind that I’m fried when I write these things.  By the time I’ve dealt with dogs, basic hygiene, emails, cropping & tweaking photos, throwing about a dozen of ’em over at Flickr — there’s not much left for coherent or creative writing.  But I know you all are just here for the photos — and I’ve got a lot of them tonight — so let’s proceed.

Since it’s Xmas Eve — I’ve got a couple cute ones for you — if you’re not already sick of all the holiday cheer.  From the main square in Quincy.  These sure seem vintage to me.  Like the stuff of those fake aluminum Xmas trees or tinsely garlands.  I like them far better than fiberglass:

I went to reshoot a gas station in Quincy — but it, too, was decorated for the season — so I’ll be reshooting again another time.  One of those winged wheel reliefs lurks behind the wreath:

One more from Quincy — a neat mid-century bldg — the St. Ann School:

I don’t know what’s going on in downtown Waltham — but the “good stuff” is going quick.  Two businesses & their signs gone since I was here last year.  I hope this isn’t the next casualty:

This oldie is at a crazy intersection (suddenly one-way) at the border of Dorchester & Boston.  I’m not sure what they’re technically called but I just call them “reflecto signs”.  I’m bleary now but I’m pretty sure these were glass ballies.  But they could have been metal.  With the glare from the sun here, it’s hard to tell in this photo.  In any case, the idea is to reflect headlights — a method used before neon and flashing lights.

From Needham:  a fun name & atomic-y logo.  Looks like the sign on the side of the building is from 1965:
http://www.youdoitelectronics.com/aboutus.html

To appease those of you that need your food fix, I present the “score” of the trip so far.  I’m a big Panera fan.  They had free wifi way before Starbucks & McDonald’s.  And I’ve eaten hundreds of their Mediterranean Veggie sandwiches over the years.  They used to have another veggie option but now this is it.  But it’s spicy and healthy.  I’ll usually have half for dinner and the other half for breakfast.  Easy to eat at the wheel and solves two meals with one stop.  I’m also a devotee of their arthichoke souffle things.  But that’s not what I’m here to rave about now.  I impulsively grabbed a pack of these shortbread cookies… and so glad I did.  Didn’t even notice the icing til I bit in.  If you love butter AND sugar as much as I do, I highly recommend.  I could do without the sprinkles… but it’s Xmas and all so you gotta play along.

Only one more Xmas thing I promise (for tonight, can’t promise about tomorrow).  Toy solider, right?, from the Sherborn Inn in Sherborn:

A cute hot dog stand in North Grafton.  Not open I guess because it was in the 30s today and Xmas Eve.  I don’t know if the “Brooklyn” refers to my Brooklyn in NY — or the Brooklyn in MA.  This looks more like a trolley car than a subway.  But then maybe it’s supposed to be an old NYC streetcar (where the name Brooklyn Dodgers came from)?

OK, on to today’s Big Event.  I’ve been dying to meet Dave Waller, a big-time neon collector & see his stuff for years now.  But truth is, it’s hard for me to muster the courage to email or call people up and just invite myself.  Luckily, by the time I finally sucked it up and asked, Dave Waller already knew about me from my website & Tod at the American Sign Museum so I didn’t have to explain myself and beg.  So this was a pure treat!  And I’ve not even seen the half of it.  There will be a Part II later when there’s time for a visit to his warehouse full of treasures.  I’m flattered enough that he even took me in on Xmas Eve with relatives arriving and all that.

So, here’s the man:

I guess I should mention that this collection is in his home — which is huge since it’s a former firehouse — with vast spaces and high ceilings to display these beauties.  A put a handful of them over at Flickr tonight — and there will be others at the site when I get home and sort things out.  But here are a couple more teasers.  I don’t remember where this one came from.  The hand is sure a neat variation to the pointing arrow, no?

This one came from Quebec someplace (“The Nest of Gold”? — bike for scale:

I can’t remember from where — but wow — (sorry for the blur — I think my autofocus chose something in the background):

Dave is not just a collector but also restores the neon and has a workshop in his basement.  First, let’s clarify some things.  Not to worry folks:  he doesn’t “go after” signs.  Like us, he’d rather see them stay in place as long as possible.  He’s also not a wheeler dealer, buyer/seller of signs.  He also loans out many of these signs to museums and such.  Let’s just say that his heart is right place and he’s a totally generous guy.  In it for the preservation aspect — not the bucks. 

Anyhow, here’s a shot of some of neon stored at the workshop:

And in addition to the signs, he’s got a bona fide Worcester Diner and a whole lot of other stuff.  Yes, in his house!  There’s a whole story behind the diner —  but I was too distracted by the signs to absorb much and, even if I could remember, it’s late and tomorrow’s another big day.

Thanks Dave!!!  

Tomorrow, more Boston area stuff planned with a little diversion across the border for some places in NH.  Hopefully, there will be sun and all the traffic will have died down while people are  doing their family things.  I’m glad my “family” is portable and loves driving around for 13+ hours a day as much as I do.  Be glad you’re really NOT along for the ride!

The dogs and I are thrilled to sneak away for a few days — Bostonland, here we come!   I’m working way too many hours at my “real job” and also pounding away at the website.  I’m only halfway through inserting this summer’s Midwest photos.  But if you want to see what I’ve been up to, here’s the link:
http://www.agilitynut.com/whatsnew.html

I always try to get away for the holidays.   My birthday falls on Xmas so there’s no better gift to myself than a little roadtrip.  But usually the weather is pretty crummy and, so far, this year is no exception.  Grey.  All day.  So accept my apologies for the dreary photos and white sky.  A flickering of sun around 4pm — just as it was too dark to shoot.  Better luck tomorrow.  There are rumors of snow this weekend so I’m not sure if I’ll be up here for 3 or 4 days.

Let’s start off in New Haven.  This sign is sort of a plastic appliqué (don’t know the right terminology but it’s neat).  This is at the Owl Shop, a tobacco shop that opened here in 1934:
http://owlshopcigars.com/
There’s also an Owl Shop in Worcester, MA with the same style owl but in a neon sign.  That store opened in 1946 — but I’ve never been able to find mention anywhere of these stores’ relationship:
http://www.owlshop.com/

Also in New Haven.  This one came as a complete surprise — which in itself is surprising since I’ve been all over New Haven and have been there thousands of times for various things.  Since it’s winter, I didn’t have leafy branches to block the sign too much (close-up over at flickr tonight).  Since 1876 and still going strong!

 

Rubber stamps have special appeal to me since I was actually in the biz for a few years.  A girlfriend and I had a store / mail order / wholesale company called “Detailed Rubber Stamps” back in the late 1980s (or was it early 1990s?).  I was a slave in a cold, dark basement cranking the stamps out of the vulcanizer and sawing all the mounts.  Luckily, I still have all 10 fingers and didn’t die of toxic fumes.  We barely broke even since we clung to our standards of producing “art stamps” rather than stamps for kids.  I got tired of the 80 hour weeks and poverty and went back to my “real job” as office slave.  Anyhow, more than you wanted to know.

On to Providence.  A wonderfully ancient parking sign.  I don’t know which came or went first:  the neon or the spotlight bulbs.  The fixtures look pretty old as well.  This guy still points to a parking lot.

The other Axelrod Music sign declares “since 1910” — but the space below is vacant.  Hopefully, there are plans to keep this crusty sign.  I have a feeling the next tenant will strip and repaint this one though.  A nudge to shoot those signs & buildings while you can folks!

I’ve shot this neat dome in Warwick, RI before —

but I never went under it before.  Neat-o!  The edges are kinda banged up by trucks.  I believe it’s used as one of those winter road-salt cover thingies.

A brand new building going up at Brown University in Providence.  It didn’t have a name on it yet — but I’ve done my homework just now.  ‘Twill be an arts center:
http://www.projo.com/art/content/artsun-Brown-arts-center31_05-31-09_MKEGKVP_v18.1b63344.html
http://www.archicentral.com/creative-art-center-brown-university-providence-ri-diller-scofifio-renfro-10091/

Still in Providence, but back in time.  1930s? 1940s?  One Park Row.  The woman closing up the coffee shop said it was Fain’s Carpeting and also a nightclub at one time.  So, more homework.  Sure enough “Fain’s Fine Carpet and Rugs” was here.  But all I can find is the build date of 1873 and nothing about the ground floor remodeling.  Vitrolite with metal — all appears vintage to me and not some later fake.  Maybe some Providencians will chime in with the scoop on this one.

Here are just two of the reasons that I didn’t wear my coat today when shooting in freezing temps. and now have the beginnings of a full-blown cold.  How could I possibly disturb them?  [That’s Fix & Nik for my newbie blog visitors — two outta four dogs that accompany me on all these adventures.]

Finally, here comes a little sun.  North Providence.   A close-up of the Christiansen’s Dairy sign over at Flickr tonight.  Thanks to flickr-ite 63vwdriver, I’m able to identify their cool delivery trucks as Divco Milk Trucks.  Cute as hell.  A fleet of maybe 10 of these guys sitting on the lot — a bit of rust but still in use!  This website takes awhile to open but has some great photos of these trucks:
http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Divco/

A stare-down on the roof of Christiansen’s:

For a break from the grey, let’s end with some color.  A brand I’ve never heard of.  And a bit cheaper than what I’d paid earlier in the day ($3.33 — Merry Xmas from the oil cos.).

Back at it tomorrow — moving on to Massachusetts.  Happy holidays & safe travels if you’re heading off yourself.

The weather folks were wrong.  Again.  Not a minute of sun all day.  Sigh.  So lots of grey photos and places that I’ll need to reshoot again someday.  But you never know when something will disappear so best to shoot whenever you can.

A low volume day for blog photos.  Just not that many surprises along our path which was mostly farmland and interstate.  

From Naples, which is in wine country — therefore, lots of vines and grapes in this nicely detailed Deco entryway:

Also from Naples.  We’ve got lots of these red berries in Brooklyn right now.  Grem eats the fallen ones like M&Ms much as I try to prevent her from it.  I guess they’re not toxic in small quantities.  Anyone know what they are?  And just how harmful they are if eaten?

A pleasant surprise — looks like they’re getting to work on the New Family Theatre in Mount Morris:

There’s lots of stuff in Rochester I’ve yet to discover.  Fer instance, I’ve missed this mid-century box-on-a-box til now.  Didn’t get close enough to get a building name — anyone know?

The doggies’ romps were fast and furious today since it was about 20 degrees pre-windchill & dampness factor.  One fun site was here at the Silver Lake Twin Drive-in in Perry.  Snow!! from the previous day:

I’ll wrap up with one more from Madison — this unexpected and fun sign:

Come on back at Christmas (my birthday) for a four-day trip.  The dogs and I will be heading to CT, MA & thereabouts.

An itty-bitty New York trip to finish up what I ran out of time for last month.   Today was supposed to be “mostly sunny” but it turned out to be “mostly cloudy”.  By afternoon, there were even snow flurries.  They say tomorrow should be sunny.  Regardless, it’s just good to get away from work and my PhotoShop marathon at home.  Thursday and Friday, I put in thirty plus hours ready-ing Illinois photos.  It will probably take me til spring to get those Midwest trip photos all up at the site.  

On with today’s show.  Newcomers to my blog, note that clicking on the photos makes them bigger.  A couple signs from Haverstraw.  These Hershey’s Ice Cream signs used to be common in the Northeast — now not so much.  Here’s one from an earlier trip this year in better light and better shape:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidenut/4771282505/

Broken neon but still vibrant blue porcelain — and a local sign co. tag:

I wanted to check out Chief Towaco’s new paint job (his photo is over at my Flickr postings tonight) at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown.  The Fairgrounds always seems to be open when I’ve dropped by regardless of whenever the fair is.  But I guess not on a Saturday and not this time of year.  Locked up tight — believe me, I examined for any holes in the fence – nothing.  But I was able to shoot The Chief from the highway somewhat.  And I got some shots of the nifty lights.  I’m told that these were originally installed at the New York World’s Fair in 1964.  There are lots of them all over the grounds with different colors.  I don’t know if these signs are still lit during the fair.

Also in Middletown, stumbled across this Lustron house:
http://www.agilitynut.com/modarch/lustron.html
It was vacant with a big for sale sign on the front lawn.  So I got to check out the interior sans people’s furniture, etc.  For those of you not familiar with these guys, they’re porcelain enamel steel inside and out, including the roof tiles, interior walls and built-in cabinetry…

The sun made this shot a challenge but I’ll include it anyway:

One more from Middletown — a repurposed KFC bucket!  The old KFC buckets are rare enough — but repurposed ones might be even rarer:
http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/kfc.html
Now Planet Wings — so the sign is still advertising fried chicken —

In Woodbourne, the former Center Theatre.  Vacant since forever — very sad — but a relief to see it’s still there:

I was shocked to see what’s become of the carved wooden statues in Bethel.  Apparently, there was a fire.  Don’t know if it was a lightning strike or vandals or what.  Here’s a photo I took in 2005 of the prisoners of war tribute:

And the same view from today — note only one statue and the remains of the eagle – a wing lower left.

The 9/11 firefighter tribute is completely wiped out but at least this sheriff guy is still standing:

I had to pull over for this little guy in Westbrookville.  I’m assuming this is a one-of-a-kind sign and not a mass-produced character:

And yes, yes, the dogs are of course keeping me company.  Here’s how we roll when we arrive at our Red Roof Inn, my motel of choice.  Fix (lower left) heads for the pillows, Grem (top center) makes a lumpy pile with a tshirt of jacket, Grip (right) likes an article of clothing and to be near me…

and Nik wants to be nearby, too.  Preferring his own chair — or in this case, the luggage thing with a pillow & clothing works just fine:

Yes, that’s my trusty Dell that’s been through about a gazillion hours of use at home and on the road.  It’s had everything replaced (under extended warranty; hard drive, keyboard, motherboard, mouse, screen).

After just a few photos, Grem figured I was up to something and woke everybody up.  End of photo session.  Usually she crosses her front feet when she stretches but, naturally, not for this photo.

Probably home late tomorrow night — Thanksgiving Day traffic.  So I’ll most likely post Day 2 on Monday.

Back to our routine here.  The dogs got their usual park run this morning and have four days of sleep to catch up on.  I’ve got my big screen TV and leftover chocolates.  So it’s almost nice to be home.  If only I didn’t have to work tonight.

A very productive day yesterday.  But it was still frustrating having the sun fade at 6pm and having to put away the list and remaining maps. I was tempted to stay another night and shoot some more stuff in the morning before heading home.  But for once, I did the sensible thing.

Let’s start the show with this one in Owego – at Owego Soft Serve.  I assume this world’s cutest ice cream truck is driving around locally:

Just down the road still in Owego — an unidentified mini golf course which must be owned by Metro’s Restaurant next door.  The course itself looks new — fresh brickwork and greens.  I don’t know the history of the sign but I assume it’s been repurposed either from a previous business here or brought from somewhere else.  Love the neon trio of club, ball and hole:

This fun plastic sign is from Candor.  According to the owner, it was originally the Brush & Palette Tavern:

A decently intact Imperial 400 Motel in Cortland.  More about the chain here:
http://so-cal-arch-history.com/archives/category/palmer-and-krisel
Flickr group here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/imperial400motels/

I was anxious to reshoot this place since the last time I shot it in 2007, it was pretty much at night:
http://www.agilitynut.com/07/12/coffeemania.jpg
But today was painting day.  So I’ll revisit Cortland yet again another time.  This was believed to be a gas station originally.  A Texaco possibly initially.  A Hess later on.  But it’s been Coffee Mania for many years now.  They are sprucing up here — yellow and purple paint to match the company’s logo.

Not enough doggie pix on this trip for some of you.  So here’s one of Grippie and one of her peculiar, adorable habits.  Before settling in for a good long snooze, she does that puppy/kitten thing of blankie sucking, combined with paw kneading and eye rolling.

In Cortland in the afternoon, we finally got real sun — not the overcast murky stuff — and pretty clouds.  True, this is not one of the building eras that I normally shoot — but this one looked so good illuminated.  And even more heroic without adjacent buildings which must’ve been there originally:

Also in Cortland:  an unexpected used car lot sputnik.  I put a close-up of it over at Flickr last night:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/5098859918/
(see caption at that photo for a link to more signs of this same style)

I’ve always loved this sign in Vestal.  The swimmer, bubbles, lettering — all embossed:

In Endicott — a mid-century, flower power-ish sign on a metal slipcover — superimposed over what looks like a 1940s storefront:

Painted plywood mowing woman — never noticed her before — maybe she’s new?

Still hanging in there — in Endwell:

On to Binghamton – a little strip of stores.  Ellis Bros. still open & the sign lit (even here during the day).  Phil’s Gift Shop is vacant though.
 

Both of these stores are deep enough to have entrances and signs on two other streets.  Here’s the west side of Ellis.  Perfect vitrolite tile and a reworked neon sign:

And here’s the south side of former Phil’s.  Check out the variety of display windows here.  Makes you try to imagine what every street in America used to look like with all those glorious window displays.  When people really DID walk around downtown and window shop.

This one caught my eye downtown — and then I realized — nut shop!  Followers of my blog know that I have a thing for nuts.  Had to pull over….

and seeing that door mat… I couldn’t pull it back fast enough since I had my suspicions.  Most nut shops were originally Planters Peanuts shops — and sure enough, this was one! 

Opened 1923 or so and still had the original peanut roasting machine inside.  It’s still in use but unfortunately no more Mr. Peanut riding it.  Great display cases and old-time atmosphere.  I got my usual:  a half pound of Bridge Mix.  It’s fantastic and I’m especially happy that there are no Whoppers in there.  For more former Planters shops, see this page at my site:
http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/nuts.html

Last stop of the trip was in Deposit where the light began fading.  So we’ll end this photo round there.  Pretty much as this trip’s blog posts began back in Peekskill — with a vitrolite storefront:

and a couple fun signs:

Thanks for tagging along and entertaining me with your comments.  I hope you enjoyed the brisk air and fall foliage and glimpses of things in the Empire State.   Back with another mini trip soon.  Hopefully, in just a month or so.  The “What’s New” page at the site has a list for the where & when:
http://www.agilitynut.com/whatsnew.html

The dogs & I are safely home.  I’ll post the final blog post in the morning.  I’ve got the batch of photos all set to go but not enough umph to write right now.

Some general wrap-up talk.  I didn’t keep track of gas cost or miles for this trip.  But I can report no tickets if you’re keeping score.  Which is especially a good thing since tickets “count” in New York state for me (DMV points and insurance).  According to both of them from my clean record, I always obey the speed limit (ha!) and never do crazy/illegal maneuvers.

It’s 20 degrees warmer in NYC than it was in the Catskills.  NY state is way bigger than I thought it was.  After these two mini trips, I STILL have at least a couple more days worth of stuff on my list to shoot.  Maybe I can sneak off at Thanksgiving weekend and wrap up if I don’t have to work.

Meet y’all back here in the morning.  Nothing like the bed at home….zzzzz.

OK, so technically, it’s called the Southern Tier I think.  But anyway, I’m referring to that little corner of NY state that touches PA just before it becomes OH.  As west as you can get.  Since south would be NYC.   Anyhow.  Lots of highways, few destinations, few stumble-intos.  So a very low volume, slow news day here.  Somewhat crappy weather.  But not so nearly annoying since I was mostly behind the wheel.

The dogs got cemeteries and fields here and there.  They’re all excited when they see water but it’s far too cold for that.  I’m sure they think I’m a big meanie for not pulling over.  I believe I’ve seen Nik glaring at me from the back “this trip sucks”.

So let’s go to the photos.  Not many.  And I’m posting in a frenzy since it’s already morning.  I petered out early last night.  Looks like another grey day out there but I’ve got a ton of stops before I hit the highway for home.

From Jamestown.  A twirling plastic Pepsi sign.  No longer twirling.  Never seen one like it.   There’s a pool place below now — so I’m just glad this sign is there at all.

I’ve been shooting a lot of former Minute Man (later Kwik Fills) gas stations on this trip.  It seems this building style was mostly used in this corner of NY & PA.  I’ve got a bunch at my site but here’s an example of what they look like – one from Rochester:
http://www.agilitynut.com/10/9/minman.jpg

Never have I seen one so drastically made-over though!  In Jamestown:

A cute/nice hand-painted sign from West Valley, NY.  Not so cute/nice what happens to the cows though:

Also in West Valley — “Real Stuff Gallery & Gifts”” — with neat sculptures:

Gosh, this sign in Springville sure looks like a repurposed Dog N Suds drive-in sign:
http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/dsuds.html
although the plastic panels sure look original.  I don’t know if there ever were DNS restaurants in NY.  So I have no explanation….

And last one for the day — from the Chuck Wagon in Olean.  Had to be inspired by Wendover Will:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/2400185298/

Gotta get rolling.  Next post will be tomorrow morning since I’ll be driving home tonight and will be absolutely beat when I get there.

Hopefully boogie makes you think of racing through someplace not “boogers”.  Though with my lingering congestion…

Got lots of good sun today.  Though the first several hours though were more like a cloudy translucent film between us and Mr. Sun.  And then evening came much too quick.  Out of decent light at 6pm.  Miss those long summer days where I can shoot til 8.  But then again, I’ll get more sleep this way.

Dogs got tons of exercise today.   In addition to their usual quick runs, we stopped at Buffalo’s Central Station renovation where it seems they’re building a park or at least a big green vista.  Leave it to the dogs and I to break it in properly with racing about.  Later in the day, we checked out Buffalo’s big dog park at La Salle Park right on Lake Erie.  Probably not a lot of fun in winter with the cold wind but must be great for summer relief.  My guys ran in the big dog section until some big dogs started ganging up on Nik for his ball.  Back to the little dog area where Grem ran with a Springer twice her size until he got tired and she started bullying him for more running.  Fixie spends her dog park time making new people friends, hopping from lap to lap.  Grip stays close to me — since she knows these dog park dogs are usually inexperienced socializers:  pushy, often aggressive, and just plain dumb.

So that covers the weather and the dogs — on with the photos!   The day began in Niagara Falls.  Here are a couple of the lesser, non-lit signs that remain.  Here’s one that’s had a few makeovers. I have no idea of the original name:

Probably no bit of Parisian-ness left at this place now:

Still in Niagara Falls.  I believe this was a Howard Johnson’s based on the orange roof tiles and the apparently missing steeple.  But then again, the building shape just doesnt’s seem right.  It’s almost like a merging of their gate lodge and restaurant buildings.  Or maybe I’m just tired and forgetting some layout.  Regardless, I was amused by the trading post makeover.  And the tourists at the right.  Koreans maybe?  They were all giddy over the helicopter ride taking place on the left of the frame.  I did the right thing and took a photo of the three of them together with their best camera.

Moving on to Buffalo.  OK, so this may look like ghostie Halloween decorations to you — but to a van full of terriers — this is 50 white rats on a lawn.  Insert sound effects of screaming and barking and humiliating pandemonium while Mom’s off shooting a building across the street.

This was today’s kick to the gut.  One of my fave Buffalo gas stations — now abandoned and denuded and probably doomed.  Here’s a scuzzy photo from 2005 for comparison:
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/10/ken2.jpg
Originally (1930s I believe), the wedding cake topper which is/was all glass and shone like a beacon.  Heavy sigh.

I went to one of those architectural salvage places hoping to get a glimpse of the old Tunmore Oldsmobile sign which I was told quite awhile back had been moved here.  Apparently, no longer there that I could see — but there was this wonderful sign instead.  No one to ask re: this one or the Tunmore sign since all locked up on a Sunday.  Apparently from a quick Google poke, Streng was another local Oldsmobile dealer which closed in 1998.  Oldsmobile was fond of rocket imagery in their ads and signs. But I haven’t seen another sign like this one though:

Voelker’s Bowling Center features these two “can’t-miss-it” rooftop signs —

and this smaller but much more interesting sign – unfortunately stuck behind nearly opaque plexiglass.  The other side was worse.  Certainly, this was fun animated neon originally with a rolling ball & flying pins:

 

OK – let’s go off on a tangent, shall we?  Parkside Candies.  If you haven’t been.  Go.  I’ve been before, many times.  But somehow, I missed this great sign back in the parking lot.  If you don’t already recognize it, that’s opal glass.  Translucent letters lit with bulbs from inside the sign.  Most of these signs, and they are really rare, have some breakage — which I find charming really since it draws attention to its construction and fragility.  I’m always on the prowl for these so if you discover any more of these, email me.  Immediately.

Here’s the building — and some interior shots.  For a close-up of the exterior sign, you’ll have to go over to my Flickr photos from tonight.

Ice cream as well — though I’ve never tried it:

And I was happy to plunk down $18-something to show my support.  As usual.  Them thar’s a big box o’ truffles.  And there’s probably only a slim chance that any of them will make it back to Brooklyn:

Moving on… to West Seneca.  Now, I can’t attest to the goodness of this place since I’m a vegetarian and all.  But if I were the meat-eating type, I’d probably give Schwabl’s a shot.  Since 1837 — and they’re obviously taking good care of that sign and keeping it on day and night.  Some nice gory meat photos at Flickr — but no good nighttime shots of the sign.  Come on folks!
http://schwabls.com/

On the reservation, the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation that is, Indian imagery is cool not racist.  These giant guys urge you to fill up your tank.  And so I did.

Meet you all back here tomorrow night — send more sun.