Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Signs

Photos by Salt Water New England
 As with genealogy, and more so than any madeleines, signs take me to interesting places.  I wonder if subsequent generations will have the same love of signs as the people who grew up before GPSs and cell towers?  











































  

24 comments:

  1. Some delightful "signs of our times"...

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  2. What comfort these signs bring! Thank you so very much!

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  3. In addition to what the signs communicate, is also of interest their design; the color, font style, size, shape and placement. It transmits the mood of the owner and place. To me, its more than just information.

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  4. Yes, it’s true, we did get lost a lot of times before GPS and Cell Phones. One had to play the “ask-a-local-game” (many of whom were clueless), or use those fold-out gas station maps to orient oneself. And these metal road signs and other signage were also a blessing that saved many an errant journey – and marriage. We couldn’t navigate by the stars or sun like the ancient mariners, but somehow we always managed to arrive – despite our oft vexing confusion.

    Incidentally, I think the best example of using these old fold-out maps is the wonderful bestseller (1982) by William Least-Heat Moon, “Blue Highways: A Journey Into America.” It was hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing, and “an unforgettable journey along the nation’s backroads.”

    https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Highways-Journey-into-America/dp/0316353299

    Drive safe, and don’t forget to buckle up.

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    Replies
    1. Had forgotten that book. Thanks for the reminder. May need to read again.

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  5. Great fun! Thank you...you could even do a Part II.

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  6. Wow, Muffy! Pulling those photos together is a lot of work. Very much appreciated, too. I've been to some of those places and they bring back wonderful memories of trips to New England - yes, even more so than madeleines! Well done! Thanks!

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  7. I don’t know, but those signs on the highways in/around Portsmouth make me nostalgic, we used to live there. Just put a deposit on a house in York Harbor for a week this summer; it will be nice to take real vacations again.

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  8. Sadly, Leach's Express is not longer in operation since Ralph Leach died. Everyone on Islesboro used Leach's. Leach provided a real service to islesboro, almost like a utility. Wiscassett is also the most congested village in Maine in July and August. Plan on at least 30 minutes to creep through the village. Thanks Red's !!

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  9. Yes. Great shots. Thank you. Also, two personal favorites
    somewhere in Maryland on I-95;
    North East
    Rising Sun

    and on the Northway headed upstate from Lake George;
    Montreal

    Encore, thank you

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    1. The Exit 38 sign on I-95 in Connecticut directs you onto Rte 138 West... toward WYOMING(!!) It gives you a bit of a fright if you're nodding off late at night.

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  10. I like the signs on the freeway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. They look exactly like US Interstate signs, except they're in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.

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    1. With my compliments:

      https://www.go-telaviv.com/images/driving-in-israel-trilingual-road-signs.jpg

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    2. Thank you, Anonymous.

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  11. As soon as my brother and I saw the sign in the distance, we would hold our breath until we crossed a state line. Good times!

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  12. I too love interesting local signs. One of my favorites is near Chatham MA. It says “Thickly Settled” in black on yellow.

    Randy Ventgen
    Vancouver WA

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    1. The "Thickly Settled" signs are great. You see them in various places around Massachusetts -- there's one in the neighborhood in Barnstable where my wife grew up. They always amuse me, as they treat today's modern suburbs like old-fashioned settlements.

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  13. Had never really thought about it, but road signs were a big deal on those childhood road trips to the beach, my grandparents house, skiing, etc. Thanks!

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  14. The one sign I am looking forward to is “COVID VACCINE ENTER HERE”. Then and only then will my family and I be able to enjoy, in person, all the signs posted here.

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  15. I see you chose the Bullfinch entrance, rather than the General Hooker entrance, which always makes me giggle like a 3rd grader.

    My husband will be seeing a lot of the NEB sign in the coming weeks...spring in New England is around the corner! We are currently in the Spring of Deception, knocking on the door of Third Winter.

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  16. Loved the road signs growing up, especially traveling down South on I-95 toward Charleston SC seeing South of the Border signs!!!!

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  17. Any sign that points out a ferry, marina or bridge ahead is fine with me.

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  18. Two favorites... all the “New Haven” signs on the Major Deegan Expressway in NYC, and elsewhere, the Bruckner etc.. And, right smack dab in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania, on I-80, is the sign “Jersey Shore.”

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  19. Every day during college the crew seatings were posted in the window of Leavitt & Peirce Tobacco on Mass. Ave in Cambridge. The window was often approached with some trepidation. And if you were 'still in the boat' jumping up to touch the figurehead over the entrance might keep (or get) you in your desired seat another day: https://www.harvardsquare.com/venue
    /leavitt-peirce-inc/ Other Massachusetts signs that still appeal are the "bookleaf town signs" with dates of establishment: http://www.friendsofthejones.org/2019/08/why-are-town-line-signs-in_22.html

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