Award-winning columnist, photographer and news writer Ellen Leahy is editor of the City Eagle in Syracuse, NY. She is the former editor of the Skaneateles Press and the Marcellus Observer, also in Central New York and is a freelance photographer and adjunct professor in food service at Onondaga Community College.
If you follow my writings, you may remember me waxing about giant china plates and cups and saucers on Syracuse’s street corners and in her parks. I was trying to follow the leader on that former ‘horse’ on every corner project painted by a local artist. But instead, I was taking Providence Rhode Island’s lead with the use of a notorious product. In Providence’s case giant Mr. Potato Heads were displayed throughout the city. These were in honor of a nearby toy manufacturer Hasbro. Those life-size artificial spuds were highly decorated and charming, which in turn brought a lot of joy - and not just to all the girls and boys...
As January blossomed our nation was poised, waiting for a new plan, a new direction. What were we going to do about our dire financial situation, which had global connotations? Meanwhile, I went on vacation. Story of my life, always in the oddball place at the oddball time.
Driving down the East Coast everything looked the same – Wal-Mart, Lowes, Wendys, Subway, blah, blah, blah.
The moon came up over a Super 8 outside Roanoke, Va., there I was smitten after a belly full of Shenandoah style Mexican food...
