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FRESH-AIR FASHION
Fashion consciousness is definitely not my strong suit. However, as we’ve
been traveling these summer months, we’ve noted one clear trend in
outdoor wear. It’s obvious that the popular color for this season is
orange. It used to be known as "highway orange" but this year
the shade has been reintroduced as "stimulus orange" and it has
gotten a new lease on life.
The brighter-than-pumpkin tone can be found mostly in the vicinity of
roadways and it comes in barrels, cones, and ribbons. It is also the color
of choice for signs, both stationary and moveable. Those placards bear a
variety of messages. "Congested Area," some of them shout, while
other warn "Road Work Ahead." "Right (or Left) Lane Closed.
Merge (someplace)" others demand, adding the additional threat,
"Fines doubled in work areas." Some of those placards have few
words, such as "Slow," "Detour," "Expect
Delays," and other equally unwelcome messages.
The orange "Slow" message is often displayed on a sign being
held at a work site by a highway worker looking quite bored. This moveable
sign is reversible and it is usually the opposite side which faces our
lane. It reads, "Stop" in bright red!
You’ll be delighted to learn that "stimulus orange" also
comes in hard hats, T-shirts, jackets, and mesh vests. The vests
apparently come in "One size fits nobody" and are often trimmed
by reflective strips of a nauseating "safety green" color.
Matching gloves, socks, boots and caps are available to complete the
garish outfit.
The color appears to be wildly popular this year. A campground owner in
Pennsylvania told us, "It usually takes 35 minutes to get to downtown
Pittsburgh from here. But everything around here’s under construction,
so you’d better double that!" A series of "stimulus
orange" signs declaring "Detour" made our trip to
a campground in the Catskill Mountains quite exciting. The detoured route
was twice as long in time and distance as the main route, and wound up
hill and down through thick woodlands on narrow roads. Searching for the
next directional sign was a bit like a vehicular scavenger hunt!
So, to be in style this year, you’ll want to rush out and get
yourself a stimulus orange outfit while they’re popular. Personally, we
hope that you buy out the stock and the color disappears from the highways
by fall. If we’re lucky, the stimulus money will run out and fashion
will dictate a different color!
7/15/2010 - mshr
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