botts dots

02-13-2007, 07:06 PM

Every time I ride up Eastgate Way, I am struck at how many botts dots
are by the side of the road. I'd estimate there must be at least three
dozen yellow ones. Then, there's probably a half dozen white ones.
That's not counting the broken ones, of which there's probably at
least two dozen more. The reflector style ones are nearly all broken
ones.

Anyway, since I creep up Eastgate Way at such slow speeds, I have lots
of time to contemplate the botts dots. One day, before someone cleans
them all up, I want to collect them all.

And then, I'd like to think of something cool to do with them. Ideas?

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

02-13-2007, 08:29 PM

Claire wrote:
> Every time I ride up Eastgate Way, I am struck at how many botts dots
> are by the side of the road. I'd estimate there must be at least three
> dozen yellow ones. Then, there's probably a half dozen white ones.
> That's not counting the broken ones, of which there's probably at
> least two dozen more. The reflector style ones are nearly all broken
> ones.
>
> Anyway, since I creep up Eastgate Way at such slow speeds, I have lots
> of time to contemplate the botts dots. One day, before someone cleans
> them all up, I want to collect them all.

I worked with a guy that collected them. I'd bring them to him when I
found them on my bike rides.

02-13-2007, 09:17 PM

SMS wrote:
> Claire wrote:
>> Every time I ride up Eastgate Way, I am struck at how many botts dots
>> are by the side of the road. I'd estimate there must be at least
>> three dozen yellow ones. Then, there's probably a half dozen white
>> ones. That's not counting the broken ones, of which there's probably
>> at least two dozen more. The reflector style ones are nearly all
>> broken ones.
>>
>> Anyway, since I creep up Eastgate Way at such slow speeds, I have
>> lots of time to contemplate the botts dots. One day, before someone
>> cleans them all up, I want to collect them all.
>
> I worked with a guy that collected them. I'd bring them to him when I
> found them on my bike rides.

I say we amass about a thousand of 'em and send them to that "folson"
dickwad.

All in favor?

Bill "aye" S.

02-13-2007, 10:03 PM

In article <1171425968.944505.217370@q2g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...

> Anyway, since I creep up Eastgate Way at such slow speeds, I have lots
> of time to contemplate the botts dots. One day, before someone cleans
> them all up, I want to collect them all.
>
> And then, I'd like to think of something cool to do with them. Ideas?

If you think of something, let me know. Somewhere I have a bag of a few
dozen white ones left behind by a road crew many years ago, brand new,
never installed, traditional white ceramic. Used a few of them as door
stops. They skip really well on water.

--
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/>
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html>

02-14-2007, 06:24 AM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:
> In article <1171425968.944505.217370@q2g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
>
>> Anyway, since I creep up Eastgate Way at such slow speeds, I have lots
>> of time to contemplate the botts dots. One day, before someone cleans
>> them all up, I want to collect them all.
>>
>> And then, I'd like to think of something cool to do with them. Ideas?
>
> If you think of something, let me know. Somewhere I have a bag of a few
> dozen white ones left behind by a road crew many years ago, brand new,
> never installed, traditional white ceramic. Used a few of them as door
> stops. They skip really well on water.
>
It seems you folks are somewhat derisive of these things. I'll grant
you, they do represent a problem to riders on roads where bikes are
allowed. But they are great on highways; they light up the lanes like
nothing else, especially in rain.

I miss them. They can't be used in areas where there is significant
snowfall, since of course the plows would scrape them all off. The
recessed ones do not work as well.

--

David L. Johnson

Some people used to claim that, if enough monkeys sat in front of enough
typewriters and typed long enough, eventually one of them would
reproduce the collected works of Shakespeare. The internet has
proven this not to be the case.

02-14-2007, 06:51 AM

Claire wrote:
> Every time I ride up Eastgate Way, I am struck at how many botts dots
> are by the side of the road. I'd estimate there must be at least three
> dozen yellow ones. Then, there's probably a half dozen white ones.
> That's not counting the broken ones, of which there's probably at
> least two dozen more. The reflector style ones are nearly all broken
> ones.
>
> Anyway, since I creep up Eastgate Way at such slow speeds, I have lots
> of time to contemplate the botts dots. One day, before someone cleans
> them all up, I want to collect them all.
>
> And then, I'd like to think of something cool to do with them. Ideas?

More of a prank than a use, but you could use them to make a faux bike
lane, somewhere where the drivers are rude and would get really annoyed.

Since they're used for marking areas, and work best on flat pavement,
I'm not sure what else they'd be good for. Sigh.

Pat

02-14-2007, 07:33 AM

Claire wrote:
>
> And then, I'd like to think of something cool to do with them. Ideas?

Spell words in the road. e.g. To the left of the bike lane (in the car lane)
spell "FAT"; in the bike lane, "SKINNY".

Others:

CO2 <-> COOL
GAS <-> CARBS

02-14-2007, 12:40 PM

In article <1171425968.944505.217370@q2g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
"Claire" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> Every time I ride up Eastgate Way, I am struck at how many botts dots
> are by the side of the road. I'd estimate there must be at least three
> dozen yellow ones. Then, there's probably a half dozen white ones.
> That's not counting the broken ones, of which there's probably at
> least two dozen more. The reflector style ones are nearly all broken
> ones.
>
> Anyway, since I creep up Eastgate Way at such slow speeds, I have lots
> of time to contemplate the botts dots. One day, before someone cleans
> them all up, I want to collect them all.
>
> And then, I'd like to think of something cool to do with them. Ideas?

I suppose this is the time to ask yourself if you have
time to tinker around with found objects. Maybe you'd
collect them only to have them taking up storage space
while you try to figure out what to do with them, until
you eventually forget they're there until the next
garage cleaning day.

The artistic answer to your question is to let the
dots tell you what they want to be, and how you can
help them become whatever that is. If they have
nothing to say -- just leave them alone.

Maybe they'd make an interesting border around a
stand-alone rhododendron or azalea. But I think
they'd be too symmetrical for that. And the
reflectiveness at night might come off as gauche.

Maybe print reproductions of Persian miniatures on them.

I have some other ideas, but they require lapidary equipment.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

02-14-2007, 05:43 PM

"Tom Keats" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:jkvvqe.4i1.ln@bud.garden.local...

> Maybe they'd make an interesting border around a
> stand-alone rhododendron or azalea. But I think
> they'd be too symmetrical for that. And the
> reflectiveness at night might come off as gauche.

They aren't reflective dots, they're just orangey-yellow and round. I
thought about burying them halfway in the ground, and making a little border
around something. I think something equally orangey-yellow, though:
daffodils?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

02-14-2007, 06:31 PM

In article <lNPAh.2286$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pas.earthlink. net>,
"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
>
> "Tom Keats" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:jkvvqe.4i1.ln@bud.garden.local...
>
>> Maybe they'd make an interesting border around a
>> stand-alone rhododendron or azalea. But I think
>> they'd be too symmetrical for that. And the
>> reflectiveness at night might come off as gauche.
>
>
> They aren't reflective dots, they're just orangey-yellow and round. I
> thought about burying them halfway in the ground, and making a little border
> around something. I think something equally orangey-yellow, though:
> daffodils?

Sure, why not? Maybe intersperse them between rough,
natural rocks. In a flat flower bed, a stepping-stone
path made of flat rocks works to not only divide the
bed into sections, but also to provide an access to
get in there with a watering can. Stick some of those
dots in there too.

As for colour, there are also marigolds, which are good
from late spring to fall, white/yellow tulips, which will
be coming up pretty soon now, some glads (but they're so
short-lived) and those oh-so-creamy yucca flowers, which
are also short-lived and unpredictable. But the foliage
is so succulent.

And then there are those rambling/creeping roses that
come in subdued, creamy colours ... you'd need something
to draw the eye toward them. Sticky-uppy Gartenmeister
Bonstat fuchsias and grandiflora petunias might do
the trick. Maybe throw in some white allysum and
pinkish/whitish heathers for perennial filler.
While you're at it, and if it's the right light/shade
situation, some oregon grape and salal might make
good green filler, too. And maybe a miniature,
ornamental, non-spreading bamboo.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca