Don't Fence Me In

In 1934, Cole Porter wrote:

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don't fence me in
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love
Don't fence me in

Today, as I ran an errand, something (most likely my car) drove me to stop at a rest area, recently dubbed a "Text Area." (I know, it's horrible.)

I had it in my mind that my blip du jour was waiting for me there on this gloomy, rainy day. This has happened to me before, so I followed the little voice in my head, even though there were two creepy "woodchucks" standing outside of the building. For those of you from the Southern Tier of New York State, you catch my drift. For everyone else, these are people from the back woods with lack of proper dental care and health education.

Determined to find my photo, I entered the building, only to discover that the observation deck looked out at a parking lot of semi tractor trailers; the view dismal at best.

I treated myself to a cold beverage and made my way out the door, determined to ignore the slightly deformed man that had followed me inside and tried to make eye contact in the vending machine room. (Stephen King popped into my brain as I exited the premises.)

There was nothing here to photograph...or was there? As I approached my car, I noticed that the entire rest area was encased by a lovely wrought-iron fence. Speckled with the rain du jour, it almost blended in with the wintery landscape.

I found it interesting that the state of NY would go to such expense in the rural town of Whitney Point. They left the original smaller barrier intact, brown and rusted from years of weather abuse. Everything seemed perfectly natural with the browns, grays, and greens of the area, so I decided to share this photo with you today.

Lately, I have felt a bit boxed in, thus, the lyrics of Cole Porter's mega-hit song came to mind as I snapped this shot. (It's funny how blips are born.)

A subtle reminder that regardless of how tired I may feel, creativity is still there, lurking in the hills and valleys of my brain.

A little drive out in the country does some good.

It may not be the Wild West, but it will do for now for a love child seeking happier trails.