I'm not sure I completely understand this graffito, which I found scrawled on the side of a downtown Bloomington building. But anyway, if work is a crocodile, I am now back in its jaws.
Signs in Tallahassee continue to be completely unrelated to the businesses that post them. This update brought to you by the Super 8 Motel.
This weekend we drove for 12 hours. We spent one day in Hillsville, then turned around and drove another 12 hours home. It was totally worth all the driving.
We went up for David's 25th high school reunion, which was at the beautiful New River Trail State Park.
I could not believe the weather -- brilliantly sunny and so cold that I had to wear a sweater.
This reunion had an even bigger turnout than the last one.
David got to see some people he hadn't seen in years.
He hung out with his friends Emily and Anet.
And Ethan, another of his best friends from high school.
The next morning before we left I went to the Hillsville Flea Market.
Hillsville is a town of 2600 people. But on Labor Day Weekend something like 750,000 people descend on it for one of the largest flea markets in the U.S.. It's like an ephemeral city that exists for four days every year. These tents seem to go on forever. And I only saw a tiny part of the whole flea market.
The flea market started 43 years ago as a gun show, and there are still lots of booths selling guns and hunting accessories. Almost everyone was wearing a big orange sticker that said, "Guns save lives."
But I also saw some incredible antiques.
The flea market has everything you can imagine. Everything. From tiaras to dried bats.
From 1890s slate pencils to 1920s dyspepsia prescriptions.
Amazing Victorian candlesticks shaped like griffins standing on turtles.
Parts of an old carnival ride called "Ride the Twirlybird."
Actually, the flea market is a lot like a giant carnival.
You can get all kinds of food there.
Walking down the street, I heard a loudspeaker declaring: "See the greatest attraction in Florida! This alligator is over 100 years old! He was captured by the Seminoles in the mysterious Florida Everglades." Then there were monkey sounds, and then in a terrible Australian accent, "This beast is huuuuuge!"
I paid a dollar to see the alligator. He was alive.
Then I sat in the shade and enjoyed a frozen root beer.
On the way back from Jacksonville, I stopped for breakfast at a local restaurant in the small town of Live Oak. The restaurant was called Big Daddy's Barbecue, but that didn't scare me. And neither did this sign.
It wasn't the most vegetarian-friendly restaurant in menu or decor. But I did have a delicious breakfast for $3.00, and it didn't include any pork.
... it's still October in Tallahassee.
We celebrated with our tradition of putting pumpkins on the elephant bookends.
So far Tallahassee has been lucky. There have been devastating tropical storms and hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, but all we've seen is a little rain. But this weekend there were rumors of a gas shortage caused by Hurricane Ike, and everyone in Tallahassee went insane and started buying up all the gas in town.
David and I kept driving by the gas stations, completely unaware of what was going on. "I've never seen blank signs like that," David said. "Maybe they're all changing their prices at the same time?" I suggested.
But then we had to fill up the car, and we found some gas stations with long lines at the pump, and others with no gas at all.
... and at some places, these prices! 
We've been told that there is no real gas shortage, and the prices have gone back down. But the whole thing just reminds me that I meant to start riding the bus more anyway. 
Consider this a virtual hug from me, to my mother and all the mothers in my life.
But that's what you're getting today anyway.
Roses are in bloom all over Tallahassee.
This particular garden is near Lake Ella.
Flower cutting is prohibited, but they said nothing about flower blogging.
Our neighborhood signs have several suggestions for Valentine's Day. They range from the practical ...
... to the consoling ...
... to the bizarre: eyeglasses for two doesn't exactly have the same ring to it as, say, champagne for two. So far, David and I have always skipped the gifts and just written each other a poem on Valentine's Day. (Some of the poems I've been given are visible in this picture, framed and on the bookcase.) That's probably what we'll do this year too. Although that window tinting thing is also pretty appealing.
Some of the signs have a helpful and informative tone.
Others are a little more baffling.
This sign refers to a bagel restaurant called "Bagelheads," but it's not the sign for that restaurant.
This sign is sort of like a VisionWorks blog! Last week it read, "The doctor is going to have a baby any day now."
This is a car repair place.
