Leftover Santas

 They have overstayed their welcome by a month. Stuck on an almost bare shelf they are among the very last of the Christmas candies. Valentine candies are already looming over their heads just a short distance away. Soon the Santas will be replaced by conversation hearts and rows of fancy red and gold boxes. They are old hat, past their prime, yesterday’s news. Already, the Peeps and chocolate rabbits could be on the loading dock, just waiting.

Crossing The Street

 On a busy corner in Washington DC, a group of small children waited for the light to change. They trotted across, hands in hands, The bright pattern of their florescent vests was a colorful counterpoint to the rhythm of the zebra-striped crosswalks. Where were they going? To watch the ice skaters in the Sculpture Garden? Or to the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum? Surely not the National Archives (even if some were already advanced readers, none of them are tall enough to view the documents...) Every day is an adventure when you are four.

Chocolates On Display

 In a chocolate shop we expect a limited range of colors, a monochromatic palette ranging from cream to tan to darkest brown. Look into the glass cases and marvel at the shiny hearts and domes, cylinders embossed with initials and faceted polyhedrons glittering with sugar. The combined scent of the shop hints at exotic flavors. Is that Earl Gray? Lavender? Rose? They are little gems of culinary art, variations on a theme of deliciousness.

Stop

 When street markings need redoing, wouldn’t you expect them to just go over the fading ones that are already there? That was not possible here since they decided to make the letters larger. It may have seemed like a good idea in a community of retirees but now it could cause the residents to wonder whether it’s time to get their eyes checked. The streets are now full of these double-vision sets, more of an interesting exercise in transforming letters into abstract graphics than an actual command.