161/365: Sign Stealer.

When I was a teenager, my friends and I got on a little bit of a street sign stealing kick. It started one night when we were all gathered at the house of one of our crew, and staying up all night, carrying on like kids who are not quite old enough to drive are wont to do. Hit the jump for more...

This friend, who shall remain anonymous until he chimes in with a comment, lived out in the country, and we slept in his most awesome barn, which meant we were free of the house and the parents, so of course we roamed...and at one point we decided it would be a good idea to pull up street signs and collect them. This  took place sporadically in random spots till the one night we uprooted pretty much every street sign within a square mile, plus the stop sign next to his house. Turns out the stop sign is bigger game for the Law.

T'was all in good fun, till the evening I arrived at my home to find my parents seated in the living room with the police officer. Our concentrated crime spree and our boastful tongues had combined to bring the heat down on us. Now, mind you, I was GOOD kid. Never got into trouble, and until these shenanigans, never did anything that would have gotten me IN trouble. Boy, the look on my parents' faces when the officer read me my rights scared me straighter than a Buddhist monk. Some community service and a slap on the wrist, and we were none the worse, but I told Coyote, you don't wanna mess with the street signs. Even if you decide you want 'Beaver Valley' and 'Possum Walk' adorning your cozy cave walls, I've only known one person who pull out a sign all by himself, and you aren't that guy.

-llg