B E B E R E

My commute into work takes me through an area filled with chop shops, bottle-redemption centers and other not-so-easily defined industrial activities. It's pretty desolate territory, so I avoid it during the evening walk home. In the mornings, however, I love to lose myself in the details furnished by the construction sites and junkyards.



Cocquelicots. There used to be a fine-woodworking shop at this site, and one of my great pleasures was to walk by on a cold morning and smell the delicious, clean perfume of linseed oil. This business moved out about a year ago and, in its place, more condominiums are sprouting up.



Sem Credito? Sem problema! There are several used car lots in this area, largely catering to the Brazilian and other Latin communities. The cars here aren't spectacular, but I do like the signs in Portuguese and the little plastic banners above, festive and somewhat reminiscent of Tibetan prayer-flags.



The name Acme Anything makes me think of the old Road-Runner and Coyote cartoons.



Nissenbaum's or Nissy's, as they call themselves, is my favorite of the junkyards. If I time my commute just right, I'll get stopped by a huge forklift transporting junked cars from one section of the yard to another. About as endearing as the colorful paintjob and the "Used Auto Parts" in several languages, is the music from the oldies station that they blast over loudspeakers for the whole street.