Mishmash

Below are a bunch of pictures that are not worth using in separate posts.

A few weeks ago I saw this vulture perched on a pole by Lake Banet. Normally they are pretty shy, but it must have realized that it was safe way up there. The vultures all should be heading south soon if they have not left already.
Still on a nature theme, I noticed this carniverous or omnivorous tree next to the Carnegie Center. It may not look unusual in the picture, but the tree is a maple and these leaves are mulberry. The trunk of the little mulberry tree has been encased in the trunk of the maple. Check it out next time you go by the Carnegie Center.
I stopped by Irene's Consignment Shop this week to see if they had anything interesting and saw the rug loom below. It is quite old and it works. If you want to make rag rugs, here is your chance. I asked how business was, and was surprised to hear that the framing business is doing well but the consignment business is down. I would have expected that with tough economic times more people would buy in consignment shops. Perhaps what is happening is that the regular customers have cut back but the people who buy new are not considering a consignment shop as an alternative.
The photo below may show recyled Melville Street. It is the back way into the fairgrounds, and I do not recall that it had crushed asphalt on it during fair week. Perhaps the asphalt is from another street that has been torn up, but the debris from Melville has to go somewhere.A few weeks ago I had a picture of Rensselaer's biggest fountain. Here is a much better photo, with the sunlight highlighting the spraying water.
The sun's angle is not as good from this direction, but you can see both new buildings in the Sunset Ridge subdivision. The house on the left is occupied. The building on the right is a duplex under construction.
When I posted the first picture of the fountain, it was as a challenge to see who could identify where it was. Here is another challenge. Below is a collection of tombstones. What cemetery is being shown in the photo below? No prize for the winner except bragging rights.