And That’s Beautiful

One of my favorite parts about driving across New England in my pre-launch recreation of Jake’s travels in the book has been spotting and photographing interesting signs. I’m a week into the trip and I have quite a collection. 

The first one I photographed after leaving Boston was an artistically handpainted Be Kind sign on the side of an old barn somewhere outside of Albany, New York. The artist must have decided the sign wasn’t enough because there was also a colorful flowerbox mounted underneath the sign. I imagine that much in the same way I was inspired to write Jake Doe, this person was inspired to spread a little love out into the world to all passersby. Well, it captured my attention.

In Manchester, Vermont I took photos of a couple of spots I enjoyed: Northshire Bookstore and The Avocado Pit. I also snapped a photo of the sign outside the Dorset Union Store announcing it had been in business since 1816. That’s a two hundred and ten year run!

I love my photo of a tilted teal-colored wooden sign with bright yellow lettering, Lowell Lake State Park. Not far from that spot that was so sacred in my book is the Abenaque Car Wash. Yes, I had to do a U-turn to capture that photo. Very funny, right?

There was the CrossRoads Diner outside of Bethel, Maine where Jake had French toast with blueberries and “real maple syrup”. I captured images of the diner and the menu for posterity.

Then on my drive north toward Greenville, Maine, there were a series of signs warning to watch out for moose. Just the word Attention written on a red background above a drawing of a moose on a yellow background. Understated, but effective. I slowed down to the speed limit. 

The Rockwood, Maine welcome sign was colorful and set into a nicely landscaped rise near the road. Definitely photo-worthy. Beyond Rockwood, on the drive out the fictional Ember Road, there was an old brown sign announcing, Welcome to Moosehead Wildlands. It’s in the collection too.

But I guess my favorite sign I’ve discovered so far is the one that captions this blog post. The word sign doesn’t do it justice. It’s a work of art, displayed on an old brick building just on the edge of downtown Skowhegan, Maine. A group of presumably young artists—Amber, Daken, Layla, Megan, Maddy, Norle, Kim, and Sydalia—created it as part of the 2023 MLK Semester of Service Project.

What captured my imagination? The chaotic, abstract designs are wildly colorful and seem to be emitting a most positive energy that aligns beautifully with the sign’s message: We Are All Different. And That’s Beautiful. I was only in Skowhegan for about forty-eight hours and didn’t see anyone who wasn’t white which makes this sign, this mural, even more interesting to me. A beacon’s message of diversity, and a call for us to respect and love one another just how we are…