Snape Script

I was taken by the hand-painted script on this now-closed Tarrytown florist, and even more taken by the name "Alma Snape." The owner of the flower shop was Dolores "Dolly" Siebrecht who, along with her husband Irving Siebrecht, owned and operated the shop (now a gallery with a much less striking name). Dolly passed away at the age of 78 in 2010. Why the name Alma Snape? If she was a real person, who was Alma Snape? Who painted the awning? I have homework to do. In the meantime, I salute the moniker that seems like a name from (but preceded) the Harry Potter series as well as the artist who hand-lettered "Alma Snape" in a script that look a bit like Friendly's.

Hallow-week

Our house in Tarrytown makes us denizens of Halloween Central. Last Saturday, the town held a parade, led by none other than the Headless Horseman. Possibly, the Headless Horseman doesn't count in the world of semiotics. In Tarrytown, however, the HH is synonymous with the Hudson Valley and, of course, symbolizes the crucial time of the year(OK, I'll admit it: in T'town, the Headless Horseman leads absolutely every parade, whether it's St. Patrick's Day or the Fourth of July, which means mixing messages).

But back to Halloween. I love the scarecrows lining Main Street for Halloween/Harvest season. I also love "Boo" in Bay Ridge (vernacular typography made at school?). By the way, is Halloween competing with Christmas/Xmas/Festivus for lights and decoration?

Seeing people in costume is such a hoot, whether the revelers are adults, teens, kids, or toddlers with nothing more than a funny hat. The idea of people masquerading as something as is amusing—and perhaps reassuring. Do you think that in our dire economy people are using Halloween as an excuse to get out of normal selves? Or has Halloween always been a form of collective exorcism, a carnivale at harvest time?

To discuss: Guy Fawkes Night, observed in England around this time of year but very much without candy.