![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Jan. 12th, 2005 11:23 pmI keep forgetting to post this. And I really should, even if it does go over better with dramatic voices and asides, but what the hell. I love Albany sometimes, I really do.
And I got stopped by one of their finest.
As most of you know, I am utterly obcessed with architecture and ironwork. And I generally take walks at night, because I am a foolhardy little person that really should know better after all these years. And, being me, I get highly distracted by especially nice pieces of architecture, especially those I have never seen before, or never from that angle. I stop, and look at odd things.
I also tend to be at least moderately well dressed, and rather obviously a girl.
Monday night, walking home at aboout 10 through downtown (because I won't walk through the wrose parts of Arbor Hill after a certain rather interesting incident) I found a church built in 1797 near the courthouse, brick with marble corners that used to be quite rough but have since softened to the visual texture of clouds, and the tactile texture of a sandcastle. Walking around the back, which faced the street I had to travel to get to Ten Broek, there was a lovely littel iron gate not higher than my waist, leading into a hallway and flight of stairs, and one of the back doors. It was formes of a grate with clover-shaped decorations in each of the squares, perhaps 7" across, and each of the tops of the grate pieces formed a spike about 5" high, with a very graceful hourglassing just below the midpoint of each. And of course I looked at how the whole thing was put together, where it was riveted, where it was welded, for the purpose of taking notes for future reference. I forgot to look at the hinges. Damn.
When I moved on, I noticed at the corner a rather imposing SUV doign very silly things in the newly freezing slush. Back and forth, back and forth, so I stepped back and watched it warilly. It could squish me very flat, being that stupid. And the window opened. The driver leaned over, I thought to aske me something stupid like "Where's the Big House?" (next block. Are you sure you should really be drinking, in a truck that big, on a night this frozen?) But no. He said he was a police officer. And there was badge flashing. I almost giggled, but that would have been a bad idea.
Ok.... Bully for you sir. Have you a point? and I am confused at this point, still expecting stupid questions about have I seen someone go past here. No, sorry sir, I was fawning over really old metal.
I saw you looking in that window over on the church....
No, actually, there is no window over there, that's a hallway. Still smiling sweetly, and still confused, still mulling over details of what piece went where and please god don't break my concentration....
....and was wondering if there was any trouble.
No, no trouble, I was just looking at the ironwork on the gate.
Blank stare. I kind of expected that. I mean, what sort of freak goes around memorizing pieces of antique architectural elements in teh middle of the night? Don't answer that. At any rate, he didn't seem inclined to let me off that easilly. Fine.
I'm trying to learn blacksmithing.
More blankness, this time with deepening confusion. But...she's got tits...she can't be a man...and girls don't play with metal....
Ok, umm, well, have a good night then.... And he drives off. And, in bewildered bemusement, I wander off back to where I stay these days.
And I got stopped by one of their finest.
As most of you know, I am utterly obcessed with architecture and ironwork. And I generally take walks at night, because I am a foolhardy little person that really should know better after all these years. And, being me, I get highly distracted by especially nice pieces of architecture, especially those I have never seen before, or never from that angle. I stop, and look at odd things.
I also tend to be at least moderately well dressed, and rather obviously a girl.
Monday night, walking home at aboout 10 through downtown (because I won't walk through the wrose parts of Arbor Hill after a certain rather interesting incident) I found a church built in 1797 near the courthouse, brick with marble corners that used to be quite rough but have since softened to the visual texture of clouds, and the tactile texture of a sandcastle. Walking around the back, which faced the street I had to travel to get to Ten Broek, there was a lovely littel iron gate not higher than my waist, leading into a hallway and flight of stairs, and one of the back doors. It was formes of a grate with clover-shaped decorations in each of the squares, perhaps 7" across, and each of the tops of the grate pieces formed a spike about 5" high, with a very graceful hourglassing just below the midpoint of each. And of course I looked at how the whole thing was put together, where it was riveted, where it was welded, for the purpose of taking notes for future reference. I forgot to look at the hinges. Damn.
When I moved on, I noticed at the corner a rather imposing SUV doign very silly things in the newly freezing slush. Back and forth, back and forth, so I stepped back and watched it warilly. It could squish me very flat, being that stupid. And the window opened. The driver leaned over, I thought to aske me something stupid like "Where's the Big House?" (next block. Are you sure you should really be drinking, in a truck that big, on a night this frozen?) But no. He said he was a police officer. And there was badge flashing. I almost giggled, but that would have been a bad idea.
Ok.... Bully for you sir. Have you a point? and I am confused at this point, still expecting stupid questions about have I seen someone go past here. No, sorry sir, I was fawning over really old metal.
I saw you looking in that window over on the church....
No, actually, there is no window over there, that's a hallway. Still smiling sweetly, and still confused, still mulling over details of what piece went where and please god don't break my concentration....
....and was wondering if there was any trouble.
No, no trouble, I was just looking at the ironwork on the gate.
Blank stare. I kind of expected that. I mean, what sort of freak goes around memorizing pieces of antique architectural elements in teh middle of the night? Don't answer that. At any rate, he didn't seem inclined to let me off that easilly. Fine.
I'm trying to learn blacksmithing.
More blankness, this time with deepening confusion. But...she's got tits...she can't be a man...and girls don't play with metal....
Ok, umm, well, have a good night then.... And he drives off. And, in bewildered bemusement, I wander off back to where I stay these days.
