Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Woodpeckers and Land Mark Directions

Our recent travels have taken us down several country back roads and we noticed this woodpecker perched in this tree. Farmall Man backed up, so I could get a couple of pictures of the bird.
 
 We passed by the same tree three days later and the woodpecker was in the same location, observing the area.
Last night on my way home, I was talking on the phone to Farmall Man when he ask me where I was at. I told him I was passing the woodpecker's tree and he knew exactly where I was at! This bird has now become a landmark!

Around our parts, we like to give directions by landmarks. I've taken lots of directions to the tune of:

 "once you pass the big pine tree" (ummm this is East Texas, and we all have pine trees, yet I knew I had arrived at the right place, cause yes, it was a big pine tree!)

"turn at the brown farm gate" (everyone on that road had a brown or rusty gate)

 "just past the hay field" (hay is everywhere in the summer...err a typical summer anyways.)

 "the road in front of the old store" (the store hasn't existed since I was a child, is now torn down, yet the road is still in front of the old store!)

 "down at one-eyed horse corner" (when my dad was growing up, there was a  one-eyed horse that lived at this particular corner - never saw him myself, but all these years later, I still refer to the place as one-eyed horse corner. I may be the only person left that refers to the place as such!)

"turn right and go two shakes of a pick-up truck" (had to bust out laughing after being told that one!)

"when you see the smiling dog, you're at the right house" (I never did see the famous smiling dog, but I found the right people to deliver to.)

We refer to lots of buildings by their previous tenants...you know, the old Wal-Mart, now turned three other stores, but its still "in front of the old Wal-Mart"

The old locker plant - never seen it in my life, but tell people where the beauty shop is and you must say "it's at the old locker plant" and you get an immediate, "oh yeah."

The drug store and grocery store changed names years ago, but are still occasionally referred to by the previous name.

I could go on and on about land mark directions...Do you give directions by "go down to such and such place, cross the creek, go up the hill, round the curve, yada, yada, yada" or do you use exact road number and mileage for reference?  What's your favorite, funny directions?

6 comments:

  1. Yep, "turn left by the castle..." We actually have one! About a hundred or so years ago, the family that owned all the land around here, built it...Someday I'll get a shot of it...
    Love the bird!!!
    hughugs

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  2. Haha-this is so true for our area! Our home is used for directions a lot...but they don't use our name. "Take the first road south after you reach the old Stewart place," etc..The Stewarts haven't owned our land for fifty + years!

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  3. oh my gosh! a red-headed in Texas! i've never seen one here. used to have them in Wis all the time!

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  4. Wow! He looks much bigger than the ones I have. Loved your directions. :)

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  5. LOVE your photo's of the woodpecker. He was posing for you too. :)

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  6. That's what's so fun about living in the countryside!!!

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