I've driven down Route 1 in North Kingstown, Rhode Island hundreds of times, taking care of the humdrum errands of every day life in my adopted home state of 20 years. While Sherry was at the CVS drug store picking up some essentials, I wandered over to the Kingstown Motel to take a few snaps of their beautifully decaying neon sign. It doesn't light anymore, but the motel manager says when the motel owner made some noises about painting it, locals complained that the decaying state of the sign is such an icon it would be a pity to see it spruced up. Imagine that...regular people with a truly eccentric roadside frame of mind. Across the street is a Del's Lemonade stand, closed for the season. Del's, for all the non-Rhode Islanders out there, is a religion in this state in the warmer months, and has a terrific logo. A squad of deteriorating Del's trucks were parked there rotting away, waiting to be photographed. Why, oh why, hadn't I ever noticed this awesome sight before?
Isn't roadside ephemera such a surprisingly beautiful subject? Great shots!
ReplyDeleteGreat sign. I have a few on my blog as well.. Keep clickin' =Paul
ReplyDeleteI love these kind of pictures of America's Decay. Very Cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks everybody. Long live decay!
ReplyDeleteIsn't rust great! Fixed up is way overrated. Sometimes finding this stuff close to home is special because your history and the history of the place share some common ground.
ReplyDeleteGreat find--thanks.
Sam
Thanks Sam!
ReplyDeleteI agree, sprucing up some of these old places and signs would be like giving a new coat of paint to classic art. The decay gives a sense of the passage of time, and brings a bit of sadness to the scene, mixed with the happy memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting on my blog, you're right, I do enjoy such as this! I've visited here before and will come back again soon.
Thanks Frederick!
ReplyDelete