Bay Trail Alphabet
Walking the Bay Trail, I started noticing little numbers, letters, hand-scrawled signs, all sorts of written communications along the way, in addition to a variety of lost or discarded objects.
I'm not the first one to capture a series of letters and numbers on film or memory card, and I'm sure I won't be the last. I think we gravitate toward signs and symbols, maps, and other guideposts in life. Sometimes what we see makes sense, other times not.I couldn't help but think that one day, these markings and objects might be excavated by some team in the distant future; and perhaps they will ponder over the meanings of such items.
I may put together a Bay Trail Alphabet Book, based on objects found on the Trail. I initially thought there might be two different alphabets -- one for more hard-bitten, urban "developed" areas, and one for more rural areas. So, in the interest of balance, I worked on both, and both lists are shown below.
Urban Bay Trail Alphabet
(based on objects spotted)
A - Apple Core
B - Broken glass, Bottle cap, Bolt, Bead
C - Cardboard box, Couch, Chair, CD, Cigarette butts
D - Drink cup, Dog waste
E - Electrical cord, Envelope
F - French fries
G - Glove, GraffitiH - Hubcap
I - Indian statue, Ice chest
J - Jewelry (broken bracelet); juice boxK - Key
L - Latex glove
M - Map
N - Nail, Nut
O - Onion ring
P - Pencil, Pen, Penny
Q - Q-Tip
R - Rubber glove
S - Screw, Screwdriver, Syringe, Shoe, Sock, Spray paint, Shotgun shell, StickerT - Toothbrush, Tire, Transformer
U - Umbrella
V - Vanity mirror
W - Wrench, Wingnut, Wrapper
X - "X" (roman numeral 10)
Y - Yellow (do not enter/crime scene) tape
Z - Zebra head sign
Rural Bay Trail Alphabet
(based on objects spotted)
A - Acorn
B - Bay leaf, Beer bottle, Banana peel, Barbed wire, Bicycle parts, Bead
C - Couch, Chair, CD, Caribiner, Cow, Cigarette butts, Corn
D - Deer, Dog waste (poop)E - Electrical cord
F - Fence post, Frog, Fox
G - Gardening Gloves, Glass, Gu packet, Goat, Graffiti
G - Gardening Gloves, Glass, Gu packet, Goat, Graffiti
H - Hubcap, Hammer, Hearing Aide (broken)
I - Ice chest
J - Jam lid
K - Key
L - Lizard
M - Mouse
N - Nut shells, NRA sticker
O - Owl, Onion, Orchid (artificial)P - Pool chalk
Q - Quail
R - Rubber spider
S - Snake, Sunglasses, Skunk, Scissors (old)
T - Tire, Turkey, Transformer, Tractor, Turkey vulture, Television
U - Undershirt
V - Volvo logo (from a car)
W - Wrench, Wingnut, Washer
X -
Y - Yellow (crime scene) tape
Z -
Conclusions So Far:
- There aren't that many differences between these two lists.
- I've not found any rural areas without letters, numbers, signs, and objects left behind by people
- While there are signs about disappearing species of mice and birds; other man-made items, such as broken beer bottles, are still thriving in the Bay Area.
- Small signs, hand-written notes, and stencil art are little communications I see when walking that I would miss in a car.
