Finding art in the strangest places

You’d think my GPS would know by now. Most of my unannounced stops can’t be programmed in. They’re not even on the map. My greatest joy is to veer off the freeway toward the parts of town most people blitz past:  salvage yards, construction sites, or industrial plants. To me they represent a treasure trove of sweet images and exciting visual possibilities.  The dirtier, the better.

Last week on a little photo safari with my husband, we veered off Highway 126 in Saticoy, migraine California — 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles  — and bumped head on into an extraordinary municipal dump.

I spotted a worn, scratched, large red trash bin and grabbed a shot. (Pic #2) From a distance it appeared to just be a well-used metal waste container with no other particular value. But close-up, it emerged into a lovely pattern of scarlets, rusts and whites — just like the delicate hand-blown Dale Chihuly glass vessel seen above (Pic #1b).

Take the time to look. I promise these little prizes are everywhere.