These bicycles are a nice bit of color in a time of brown and gray.

Along a road winding up into the hills and  the Finger Lakes Forest.

A largely agricultural area north of Watkins Glen, now being “built up” with houses, summer cottages and of course, more wineries.

And gift shops.  I’d thought macramé plant hangers were finally extinct, but turns out, they were just tangled up somewhere and have now reemerged in the world of stained glass candleholders and bracelets made from bent spoons.

Putting this photo on WP, I was thinking how, when I post these snapshots of the Finger Lakes region, or wherever I’ve been, there’s an impulse to try to show the place in a flattering light.

Sometimes the photos have been cropped to remove what seem like distractions or what strikes me as just plain ol’ ugliness.

It somehow feels almost like disloyalty to do otherwise.

But perhaps that’s my sentimental streak creeping in again and something to avoid – -not just to steer clear of kitsch and superficiality – – but also in favor of clarity and honesty.

Well…likely it’s also good to not to overthink this or take it too seriously!

Somehow this crop seemed to stick in my craw, so here’s a photo that wasn’t cropped.

A no doubt tackier scene, kind of fun and definitely a bit weirder.

Although, I think if I ran out of gas, I’d probably knock on someone else’s door, there’s just something about headless mannequins.