Things I Don't Understand...Vacation Version

There are, of course, many things in this world that I do not understand.

And in my attempt to put a positive spin on things that are different from what I am used to in good ole' Indiana (ok, its really not that bad...I just don't care for change all that much..."rolling with it" is not my strong suit, but I am getting better), here I go: One of the glorious things about traveling is seeing how other parts of the country (or world, if you are so lucky and/or inclined) do things.

Differently, that is, than you may do them in your neck of the woods.

For instance...yesterday afternoon I noticed this sign in the city of Jackson:

It's not terribly obvious from the picture, but the sign has an arrow to the crosswalk (just to the right of the picture...I'm clearly not the photographer my father is), but below the arrow, there are two rows of six tubes, each tube measuring about six inches in length. And in this particular instance, only two of the 12 tubes held bright orange flags.

We were theorizing what this was for, but also noticed that there was an identical sign on the opposite side with a few more flags than this one.

I jokingly asked Mr. Always Random (who is in road construction "stuff"...you know the kind, when you see some guys working on the road and they're all working really hard, except for that one guy who's standing there wearing his hardhat and reflective vest and you're wondering, "Why doesn't that guy pick up a shovel?"...that's my Mr. Always Random) if we got to grab one of those flags and go waving it as we skip across the street...

And barely was I able to get the phone out of my purse to take a picture of the sign, when lo and behold, this happened:

She wasn't exactly skipping, but she grabbed the flag with an authority only a local would possess. (And I'm sure she would LOVE the fact that I just posted her behind on my blog...fortunately I think it is too difficult to identify her. But if you do happen to know her, PLEASE don't share this post with her...I would not want to know if my backside was posted online...)

If this was done in our hometown, for SURE all those flags would be G.O.N.E.

Something else I noticed, but it's here in our condo. Does this seem right?

View from our basement bedroom in the condo...no blinds, just a view of the ladder.
And a laminated sign attached to the wall with a couple thumb-tacks.

Or safe?

Looking down into the "pit"/window well...makes me thankful that there is a ladder because no way could we climb up otherwise.

Or right?

Plastic cover with wooden slats for support up over the entrance...to keep out critters, I assume. Wouldn't that be something...you escape a fire out the window, only to be mauled by a rabid raccoon who was sleeping in the window well? That would be my luck...

Well, it's all probably safe enough, and actually seems well-thought out. But it still seems odd to me. Anyone else agree?

And while we're on the vein of "things I don't understand"...could someone PLEASE explain to me WHY, on God's green earth, would Mr. Always Random share this Youtube clip from "Blazing Saddles" with the PBA?

Sure, we all think it's funny (my parents included...we've ALL spent WAY too much time with these boys), but really? This?

Unfortunately it has become the mantra for the trip...especially after we hiked around Taggart Lake...(you should watch the video to see why that is funny).

OK...enough of my rambling for now...have a fabulous day!