B. Snider Self

On the main street of the village where I live there's a mechanic shop called Snider's Garage.  Mr. Snider seems to have a fondness for large, boat-sized cars of a certain vintage. To this day, he is still driving one, proudly sporting a vanity license plate that reads "B. Snider."  The former vehicular loves of his life are kept fondly next to the garage, gracing Main Street with their louche and decaying charms. 

The winter is proving a bit too much for the old dears, however, and they have pulled the snowy quilt up over their ample curves and snuggled up to indulge in voluptuous dreams of their gas-guzzling glory days...

One keeps her mirror handy...

to check for signs of spring.  

I could have sworn I heard a Dylan tune, slightly muffled by the snow,  playing from a car radio.

"People are crazy and times are strange

I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range

I used to care, but things have changed

This place ain't doing me any good

I'm in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood

Just for a second there I thought I saw something move"

Goin' Nowhere Fast

Ever feel like you're stuck in a rut, or getting nowhere in life?  Spinning your wheels, if you've even got wheels.

These cars are fixtures on the main street of the village where I live.  Their owner has a newer model that he still drives.  I guess his old cars just have too many fond memories to let them go.  Maybe his wife collects salt shakers or china poodles and this is his own sort of collection.  As the man in question is the proprietor of Snider's Garage, he has the place to proudly display them.  Main Street is his own version of the curio cabinet or kitchen shelf.

They also make excellent planters.

For some reason, there are a lot of these cars still on the road in the village.  Maybe Mr. Snider had an Oldsmobile dealership at one time. There's one older fellow that I see every evening parked in the empty lot in front of the hardware store, sitting in his Olds with his window rolled down, wearing his baseball cap, watching the comings and goings on Main Street and waiting for friends and acquaintances to drive up and have a chat with him.  Kind of like drive-through visits, I guess.  Maybe his house is such a mess he doesn't want anyone to come over. 

Or maybe he's embarrassed by how much his wife's salt & pepper shakers collection has gotten out of hand.

It's a big mystery to me.  But I can certainly relate to the feeling of getting nowhere in a hurry, stuck inside an Oldsmobile with the Memphis blues again.





A County Welcome

When company's comin' to visit, the folks here in Albert County like to make them feel real welcome.  Why put out just one sofa when two will be just that much comfier.

Why do the folks here in Albert County go to such great lengths to make people feel welcome?  Well, I think the sign on this door 'bout says it all.

Context

Yup, she's real all right. All souped up and rarin' to go. Let's take a little joy ride! Beep beep!