UMass Tie-dye

After getting all heavy on the sexual politics yesterday, I thought I'd go a bit lighter today and show you some stuff that's been accumulating in my camera lately.

At lunchtime the other day at UMass they set up a "Tie Dye Station" by the Student Union where you could get a free tie-dye t-shirt just like in the movie Woodstock. The catch was that you had to make it yourself!

Of course that's pretty easy, since as the name implies all you have to do is tie it and dip it in the dye.

 



Once you've gotten it colored like you want, then you hang it out to dry on this clothesline.

Are you wondering whether I made one? No, I don't like tie-dye particularly, it's too garishly colorful. I know it's meant to mimic the kind of color patterns one hallucinates on LSD, but to me it looks like something a clown would wear - not that I've got anything against clowns. I just prefer my clothes a little more subdued.

Next to the tie-dye clothesline was the always welcome sexual superhero Captain Condoms, doing his good deed of giving everyone free condoms with their free shirt.

The clenched fist "gonzo" symbol of alternative journalist Huntsr S. Thompson adorns this cement flower pot outside - where else? - the UMass journalism department at Bartlett Hall.

On the rail trail I see that the Anarchists continue their spray painting, this time using a stencil on one of the trail's tunnels.

I sympathize with the sentiment, but anarchy is woefully impractical. The end result of anarchy is not freedom but tyranny, since the anarchic chaos eventually results in the most ruthless faction promising order taking over.

 Fortunately it is not chaos but peace that one finds on the rail trail, as demonstrated by this beautiful image I captured just after sunset last week from the rail trail bridge over the Connecticut River. 

Life is good.

 

Have you checked out the hot new website In the Valley yet? Tony Mateus takes you on photo tours of some of our Valley's most beautiful locations, such as Mount Norwottock (below).

I predict this blog will evolve in interesting directions. Check it out yourself by clicking here.