Here’s My Sign

 

It’s nothing but an old wooden post down at edge the lake. It’s been there a while, at least 15 years, because we’ve owned the house that long.  Maybe someone was using it as a light pole, maybe someone was using it to tie off their dock,  I don’t know. Once I even considered cutting it down.  But in a stroke of inspiration that probably came about from watching too many MASH reruns, I came up with a better use for it than firewood.  I decided that I would make my own personal directional sign.  

It’s not a unique project.  If you  Google the term, “directional signs”, you get dozens of photos of them in  all shapes, sizes, and colors.  But I had to do something to make my sign unique. It had to fit in with the personality of the house. 

Our little cabin on Smith Lake is small and old, but I think it has a lot of character.  Maybe that’s because we have tried to fill it with personal items.  Almost everything has a story behind it.  There are paintings my Mom did, an old window pane from my wife’s grandmother’s house, and a life preserver from Precious, my beloved bird dog.  Even the old pine paneling was reclaimed from my mother in law’s home.  So the signs on this pole would have to be personal, and they would have to tell lots of stories. 

I went to work putting a list of locations together. Each one had to fit three criteria: 1) it must be a place one of us had visited,  2) it had to be near (or on) the water, and most importantly, 3) it had to have a story.  Quickly I wrote down  about 20 places.   Reaching deeper in the recesses of my gray matter, several others came to mind. 

I began to sort the locales, first mixing far away places with those close by. Then the well known ones with the not so well known. That’s how “The Big Ditch” sign came about.  Not only is it esoteric, it’s the only one that’s not on the water. My three boys practically lived in this abyss that was about 100 yards behind our first house. I promise you some of my tools are still out there. 

The list required me to make some interesting decisions.  For example, when we were in the Holy Land, we ate pizza while sitting underneath the Roman aqueduct near Caesarea Maritima.  Locals call it  Aqueduct Beach.  Since no one would know where that is, that particular sign just says Israel.  However, does this eliminate making one for the Jordan River?  We renewed our baptism there.  Lots to think about. (FYI,  I have decided to add the Jordan River on the next set of signs.  That’s too good to leave out).

I’ve been to so many beaches in the Los Angeles area that picking just one was very difficult. Finally,  I chose Hermosa Beach because the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club is where I met Jay Leno in person for the first time.  

Some signs bring back more than one memory.  For example, I’m reminded of several things when I see the Locust Fork placard. I fondly  remember all the times me and my friend Mickey went down those class 3 rapids on inner tubes. Or how we rescued a kayaker who hadn’t mastered the kayak roll. Or how my wife completely freaked out when we took her along. 

Once I chose the locations, I obtained the mileage by using Google Maps.  However, a bit of math was required to make the distances accurate because my lake house is in Houston, Alabama - and that ain’t exactly Metropolis. 

Armed with this information, it was an easy matter to  make the signs and put them on the pole.  It’s off to a good start.  I wanted it to be colorful and look cool - and I think we accomplished that.  More signs will follow.  Hopefully, it will become a “selfie spot”  for my friends visiting us.  More importantly,  I hope they will stop, look carefully, and ask me why a particular sign is on the pole.  

Then the stories will begin.  

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#directionalsigns

#everysignhasastory

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