Signs are a necessary evil. They keep a kind of order in an otherwise hectic mixed up world.
I have found myself wondering in the past, while coming to a red light on the outskirts of any town USA, at 1 AM, when no one is watching, how interesting it is that I actually stopped.
I mean, really, not a car in sight. Just me in a sleepy town, idling at a red light, tapping my steering wheel with my finger, waiting for the light to turn green.
That's pretty civilized of me I must say.
Signs are like the honor system. They can't be monitored 24/7 by the sign police, so it's up to us to say, yeah, we're going to abide by what the sign says, even at 1 in the morning.
Some signs use trickery to get their point across.. Look at this sign below.
Obviously the people of Assateague Island really like their dunes. And they don't believe a simple "Stay off the Dunes" sign is enough to keep people off the dunes,
so they threaten us with contracting Poison Ivy combined with a veiled threat about the chance of loosing your offspring.
Hell, after reading that sign there's no way I'm walking on any dunes!
The sign below states quite clearly what is not permitted.
But it seems some of us don't take signs as seriously as I do.
The sign clearly states, DON"T FEED THE DAMN WILD HORSES!
This horse is obviously almost in the drivers seat, finishing up the chicken nuggets or whatever the heck they had in there to snack on.
After a few minutes that car pulled away and we slowly pulled up, hiding our snacks.
As you can see, Mr Ed here wanted to check out our menu, and would have plowed his big honkin head right through our window if it were not for my panicked voice saying as he got closer,
"Put the window up..put the window up...put the window up...PUT THE WINDOW UP"
The guys head was as big as a small Volkswagen for heavens sake. It wasn't that I was scared or anything like that, just obeying the signs.
For those of you not familiar with this unique little Island, Assateague borders Maryland and Virginia to the East and is unique because it's occupants are wild horses.
Assateague National Seashore is part of our National Park Service and has some great beaches and spectacular dune trails. At any moment during your visit you can come upon the Islands wild horses grazing on the dune grass or strolling down the beach.
It's quite a sight.
But be sure to obey the signs.
Click here to read more about Assateague or click here to see more photos of our visit.
7 comments:
Hi there Mark. Wow signs....what do they tell us and what do we read, hear and do with them...
I hate it when people cross just over the signs of the signs...like the ones feeding the horse ..... grrrr.
Oh and soooo good of you to stop at that red stoplight....I might have crossed....(there the impatiance comes popping up again).
But then on the other hand I might have just sit there too like you and wondered with a smile having fun of my own.
Thanks for the wonderful signs and letting me know they are every were to be found so I don't loose track.
Happy day my friend.
Hugs Dagmar
That is interesting how we will obey the signs...well most of us that is. And old advertising signs are all the decorating rage right now. Just thought I would throw that in.
Love the horses. They are huge!!!!!
Hugs
SueAnn
Great pictures, Mark! I haven't been to Assateague, but have seen the ponies on Ocracoke - but they are behind fences and can't walk up to the car!
(I'm a bit of a sign follower, myself - especially when it comes to wildlife - so those people would really tick me off...)
Enjoyed your take on signs. You're quite a thinker, aren't you! ;-)
The islands down there are incredible, aren't they! Those wild horses have big teeth and hard hooves, so the signs make sense. Too bad some fools ignore them.
Last time Spouse and I went to A&C was summer -- very bad idea. The mosquitos were starving for tourist blood!!
sorry...i'm a rule breaker....i would have fed the horses....you know i would have !
The best sign I ever saw was on an Arizona highway which cautioned, "Hitchhikers may be escaped convicts." That'll keep you from stopping to give a ride.
Molly
Love this post...like Beth, I tend to be a bit of a rule breaker at times. I learned this past summer that signs are there for a reason, while I was gathering up my grandkids in my arms and running from a bear in the Smokey Mountains. I'm glad my son doesn't read your blog! On a side note, my Mother was born on Chincoteague Island. Her father's family lived there. I only visited once when I was 15 and thought those islands were magical. Your photos reminded me that I want to go back one day...but this time, maybe obey the signs.
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