Eye-Pleasing Accent Plants

The right type of plants can add so much to a downtown's ambiance. For example, check out these Plattsburgh smart examples that emphasize the supernalness of its main street.

Street Trash Installation

The mess shown in the accompanying images has been lying around for a week on a Broad Street sidewalk. Why? Is it to add the supernality of downtown Plattsburgh, NY?












Maybe the answer can be found with this definition courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space."

Indeed, the busted bottle shards in tandem with the litterbuggery Styrofoam cup does transform my perception of that sidewalk space.

Barn Dance: Pumpkin Carvin'

From creation to finished product in use.





For larger view of slideshow go here.

To view individual images use this link.

Specters In The Stacks

Strange doings at a certain North Country library.

Ask the employee who worked alone one night about such an incident. The library was closed for the day. She was cleaning downstairs when she heard footsteps overhead from the supposedly empty second floor. Someone -- or something -- walked from one end of the upstairs room to the other. The cleaner quickly wrapped up her work.

Sometimes other things are heard. Another employee was working one day when a voice said to her: "Lower." She looked around. No one was there.

The next day the message became clear. She stepped on an electrical cord and it shorted out, starting to smoke. A warning from beyond?

And the same employee will also tell you about the screaming woman. She and two co-workers were busy in the work room one night after the library had shut down for the day. Only the three people were in the building -- at least in the physical sense.

Suddenly the employees heard a woman screeching, the voice apparently originating from the main floor of the building. When the co-workers checked the security camera, the main floor was empty.

But things are also seen -- not the entities themselves but their effects on the material world. Security cameras have recorded the elevator operating on its own late at night, traveling between floors, doors opening and closing.

There's the incident with the rotating rack, one of those freestanding units that can hold a variety of paperbacks or CDs. One day a young girl was twirling the rack, nothing mischievous, just looking over what was available.

Nearby a library employee watched her. The rack slowed down to a dead stop. Suddenly the young girl said: "I hate ghosts."

And on its own the rack started to rotate again.

It is said that the young girl can sense when immaterial beings are about.

For years there were whispers that the spirit of a employee from the early days of the library was making her presence known. Someone concerned about the eldritch happenings privately invited a spiritual healer to perform a energy clearing/cleansing. Such rituals can involved smudging, the burning of certain herbs, or the use of dowsing rods when employing the art of Feng Shui.

And the result of the clearing/cleansing? While the lingering spirit of the former employee has been released, allowed to pass over to the other side, it seems other entities are about, young ones, children.

But not everyone believes the library is the site of occasional paranormal activity. When asked about incidents, one employee dryly observed:

"Well, it does make interesting stories."

Barn Dance: Reel Good Tunes

"Hey, my uncle has a barn. Let's put on a show!"

So Mickey Rooney supposedly said to Judy Garland and the rest of the kids in a MGM movie from the 1940s. And while the quote may be apocryphal, the stuff of Hollywood urban legends, it does express the feeling of everyday people informally gathering to create their own entertainment.

It was a cool overcast day quickly turning to night but the barn provided protection from the elements and the darkness. The loft made a great dance floor for people young and old to whirl to the bluegrass sounds of the Blind Owl Band. In the spirit of the season most arrived in costume. Elves, a lucky leprechaun, winged humanoid insects and even a colonial squire were seen.

The event was hosted by Larry Dolan, his wife Les Cosgrove, and his mother, Sandy, up dere on Mason Street, a ways outside Morrisonville.

To view the individual photos in the set with a larger view, click on this link.

Chrome Flames

Sparkling Tints

Click on each image to enlarge.

Dragonfly: Crashed Or Just Crashing?

I'm about to ascend the front entrance to the Plattsburgh Public Library when I notice an unusual item sticking out from under the edge of one step.



Upon further investigation I ascertain it's a dragonfly. At one point he does move his head. So I'm wondering if he's just taking a rest -- a short nap -- or is recovering from a head-on with the concrete. At least he didn't take off while I grabbed a few shots.






NOTE: Clicking on each image gives you a magnified view.

Evening Walk, Ethereal Encounter

So what does the above title mean? Images at my bad blog, Dogtown 12901, shall reveal the answer. If you have a sensitive stomach, DO NOT click on the link below marked BEWARE.

BEWARE

Plattsburgh Smart

Hobo Nook

Library Leak: Compare The Difference

See the improvement between these two photos?






You don't? Well, notice the image dated 3/23/10 only has three buckets. But look at the number of buckets in the second one taken yesterday, over a year later. It's a new record for buckets!

Yes, the Plattsburgh Public Library is still leaking. Mold is growing in the walls, even inside the elevator. And now the electrical system might be affected; lights are blowing out.

And if anything shows that the City of Plattsburgh cares about its library, it's having an obstacle course placed in the entrance area. Especially for disabled patrons.



Of course, the city is tight for money. Can't spend money now. Wait until later. That way money will be saved because not only will the leak will have to be fixed, taxpayer money will have to be spent on mold removal and electrical work. That's assuming that an electrical fire doesn't break out, adding to the overall savings.

That's Plattsburgh smart!