Manzo Dakota 
Let me start my story with an explanation of where I was: exploring Ellenville, NY, at the recommendation of a friend who moved to nearby Wurtsboro and was giving me suggestions on interesting Catskills-area towns. I was walking around New York State Route 52 in the middle of town (as seen below), and was checking … Read more
As I mentioned in my last post, I was walking around Ellenville, NY, at the suggestion of a friend who lives in nearby Wurtsboro. As I passed “Tony & Nick’s” Italian Restaurant on Canal Street, I noticed these photographic images of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Michelangelo’s David, with David looking over at the … Read more
I was looking around in Marion Royael Gallery in Beacon, NY, when I noticed this table with an ocean and island scene on top. My first thought was: wouldn’t this be a great dining table, so that I could eat my meals with my plate providing me with views of a deserted island? It turns … Read more
On a visit to Peekskill, NY last September, I was walking down North Division Street when I noticed these seemingly sad figures crouched on the street. Then I noticed a boarded up window with the hand-written message “Taco District.” My first thought was that it was someone’s graffiti message, proclaiming this strip of Peekskill as … Read more
From the DadaWrit series (1987-1995). The dude had deja vu, do, do you, do you know what I mean? Does it seem, does it seem … mean? Are you clean? I don’t know. How does it go? Real slow, ya know … like an average Joe – or Bill … have you had your fill? … Read more
I was visiting Princeton, NJ and walking around campus when I noticed this bas-relief sculpture of a young man reading a book. He’s got a preppy look, with his collared shirt tucked under a sweater, khaki pants and penny loafers. This clean-cut young man is deep in thought as he reads a book. But who … Read more
I saw these two wooden carved figures on a shelf at the Rhinebeck Antique Emporium, and found them interesting. A look at the accompanying tag had them labeled as “19th Century carved Punch + Juds puppets,” and not knowing what that meant, did a search for “Punch and Juds.” It would seem either poor handwriting … Read more
I was on a day trip exploring various parts of western New Jersey when I rolled into Frenchtown, NJ. I parked the car and started to wander, when a store sign caught my attention: “Casa Bizarro.” Who can ignore a name like that? I went in to see what inhabited this location that inspired a … Read more
On my travels walking around Pittsburgh, I noticed some brown pods laying in the street, and while I’ve seen these things before, I didn’t know what they were called or what they were from. A little research tells me that they’re “honey locust pods.” The honey locust tree (scientific name “gleditsia triacanthos”), is a deciduous … Read more
I’ve long had an interest in the Florida Keys, the idea of a series of islands connected by a highway has intrigued me. I didn’t know much about the Florida Keys in advance of going, other than three basic concepts: 1, it’s where the Netflix drama “Bloodline” is set; 2, it’s where a former in-law’s … Read more