Look No Further for That Art*o*Mat, Insect Sculpture or Toynbee Tile

Today was the best yet of a string of genuine spring days. I'm a pasty fellow, but on days like today I like to spend some time directly under the glowing Orb, from the fairly safe distance of 93 million miles.

Later, after trying unsuccessfully to inflate some bicycle tires, vacuuming the inside of the Sienna, barbecuing some tasty meat and vegetables, and other time spent outside, I went indoors to work, which means computer time for me. Work eventually gave way to other pursuits, including surfing the web this evening (does anyone refer to it as surfing the web anymore? Sounds so late '90s.), which revealed, thorough the usual unpredictable tangents, a site so intriguing that I know it represents hours of killed time in the near future. At least for oddity buffs such as me. Waymarking, it's called.

Dig down a little, for example, in the category "Art/Music," and you'll find a category called Art*o*mats: "Art*o*Mats are retired cigarette vending machines that have been converted to vend art," says the site. "There are nearly a hundred active machines in various locations throughout the United States and now they are spreading around the world." Then it has pages and pages with photos of individual art*o*mats, including their locations.

Under the large category "Statues (Art)" there are the following subcategories: Sit-by-me Statues, Atlas Statues, Cigar Store Indians, Dinosaur Statues, Dog Statues, Equestrian Statues, Fiberglass Horses, Insect Sculptures (!), Lion Statues, Living Statues, Realistic Object Sculptures, Sphinx Sculptures, and Whispering Giant Sculptures (?).

A small selection of the "History/Culture" category includes Civil Defense Fallout Shelters, Exact Replicas, Famous Fires, Historic Trees, Holy Wells, Plane Crash Sites, Pictographs, Time Capsules and the World of Carl Linnaeus and His Apostles. Under "Oddities," there are Barber Poles, Car Part Sculptures, Funny Mailboxes, Muffler Men, Shoe Trees (?), Simulacra, and one of the strangest I looked into, briefly, Toynbee Tiles.

All those are a mere small sample. Yes indeed, many wasted -- I mean, intriguing -- hours lie ahead for me with this site. Including those times when, tipped off by the site, I will actually go a bit out of my way to see some odd sight myself.