I'm The Ice Cream Man
I am a person who is attracted to crafts. I knit, I bake, I occasionally create bizarre collages or photo books and send them to friends. I'll admit that I often have more enthusiasm than follow-through (except for cooking. I'm obsessive about new recipes until I've made them. Hence my current day-dreaming about squash ravioli), but occasionally I stick with something and the results, while not always predictable, are usually at least entertaining.
For example, my current dream project is to photograph and write about the weird, hidden-in-plain-view side of Boston. In a city this old, there are scads of gargoyles and bizarre Victorian architectural quirks nestled cheek by jowl with hideous modern structures. Most people here don't notice them, because natives are always in a hurry and don't notice the people in front of them, let alone buildings, and the tourists are too busy gawking at what they're told is important, like the Cheers bar. So I thought I'd rescue these gems from obscurity and bring them into online obscurity, my blog. To this end I took my lunch break on Monday to scout out the Back Bay. I found plenty of lovely examples of stonework, which I will post in future blogs, but I also found something more, something equally overlooked and precious. I found the Sherbet Man. (or Sherbert Man, as you please).
This 60-something gentleman caught my eye in Copley Square, by Trinity Church. He looked like every other business man in Boston, except that his suit was the exact color of orange sherbet. Jacket and pants, sherbet. The cherry on top, however, was his matching baseball cap. I will pause a moment and let that sink in.
Yes, not only was he wearing a baseball cap with a suit, not only was the suit a ridiculous color, he matched the baseball cap to the suit.
Now, you might be thinking, ok, weird guy in a big city, whatever. Perhaps he was an actor, or maybe he lost a bet. An orange sherbet suit isn't so weird. That's what I thought too, until Tuesday. When I saw him again. In a lemon yellow suit. AND MATCHING BASEBALL CAP.
And this time, because I was out capturing on memory card the gems I had spotted the day before, I have proof:
It's a bit far away as I did not want him to KNOW I was photographing him, but there it is. Not only does he wear suits in an odd color, with a matching baseball cap, he has more than one such ensemble. I went out Wednesday hoping to see him in mint green or strawberry pink, but alas, as with most things, when you seek the Sherbet Man, you do not find him. However, should any of my fellow Bostonians spot him, please - tell me what flavor he is this time.
Incidentally, should anyone not be familiar with the Tom Waits version of the song that provided the title to this post, you should correct that at once.
For example, my current dream project is to photograph and write about the weird, hidden-in-plain-view side of Boston. In a city this old, there are scads of gargoyles and bizarre Victorian architectural quirks nestled cheek by jowl with hideous modern structures. Most people here don't notice them, because natives are always in a hurry and don't notice the people in front of them, let alone buildings, and the tourists are too busy gawking at what they're told is important, like the Cheers bar. So I thought I'd rescue these gems from obscurity and bring them into online obscurity, my blog. To this end I took my lunch break on Monday to scout out the Back Bay. I found plenty of lovely examples of stonework, which I will post in future blogs, but I also found something more, something equally overlooked and precious. I found the Sherbet Man. (or Sherbert Man, as you please).
This 60-something gentleman caught my eye in Copley Square, by Trinity Church. He looked like every other business man in Boston, except that his suit was the exact color of orange sherbet. Jacket and pants, sherbet. The cherry on top, however, was his matching baseball cap. I will pause a moment and let that sink in.
Yes, not only was he wearing a baseball cap with a suit, not only was the suit a ridiculous color, he matched the baseball cap to the suit.
Now, you might be thinking, ok, weird guy in a big city, whatever. Perhaps he was an actor, or maybe he lost a bet. An orange sherbet suit isn't so weird. That's what I thought too, until Tuesday. When I saw him again. In a lemon yellow suit. AND MATCHING BASEBALL CAP.
And this time, because I was out capturing on memory card the gems I had spotted the day before, I have proof:
It's a bit far away as I did not want him to KNOW I was photographing him, but there it is. Not only does he wear suits in an odd color, with a matching baseball cap, he has more than one such ensemble. I went out Wednesday hoping to see him in mint green or strawberry pink, but alas, as with most things, when you seek the Sherbet Man, you do not find him. However, should any of my fellow Bostonians spot him, please - tell me what flavor he is this time.
Incidentally, should anyone not be familiar with the Tom Waits version of the song that provided the title to this post, you should correct that at once.
posted by The Red Menace at 8:20 PM
4 Comments:
It's almost like you've managed to photograph a figment of your imagination. I'll keep watching for Sherbert Man from the corner of my eye. I suspect he'll be wearing a peppermint striped suit.
I saw a guy with bright red brogues in a blue suit in The Tate Modern yesterday.
They were alarmingly bright red.
The bench by the pond made me think of 'Good Will Hurting'
Steph, if that ever happens for real, I will be the happiest girl in town. FB - how bright is red to be alarming?
RED! If they were made by Nike or Reebok and worn on the field ok but red brogues!
Can you get red shoe polish?
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