Claire. Oh, Claire

Loyal reader of the year Clair M. sent these in and, as our little way of saying "thanks", we're sending her this paraphrase from Shakespeare. Some play or something. Who the hell knows.

"Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks."

Claire wins

Been running a secret contest here for the last few years: which loyal reader would send in the most free pics and it turns out that loyal reader Claire M. wins, having sent in almost 3 trillion free pics over the last 3 years. That's 400 million pics every day for a long time. And that's why we're sending out a brand new Hewlett-Packard graphing calculator to Claire M. as our little way of saying "thanks!"

Who knows where

Loyal reader Adah H. sends this in from who knows where. Which is hard to find. A brand spanking new, top of the line solar operated GPS Swiss army knife goes out to Adah as our little way of saying "thanks!"

A mélange of free from a mix of folks

San Anselmo, California!!

Loyal reader Molly N. sends in this lovely, artsy pic from all the way out in San Anselmo, CA!!! A carton of Scotch brand blue tape goes out to Molly as our little way of saying "thanks!"

Knee high by the 4th

Bags of corn, artfully arranged with free-ish signs, sent in by loyal reader and inveterate aficionado of the off-kilter, Claire M. A stick of butter and a cylinder of salt goes out to Claire as our little way of saying "thanks!" Seriously? Why do they put that shit in cylinders?

Handy girl!!

From what appears to be the Rondout area of super happening Kingston, NY, comes this lovely photo sent in by loyal reader A grrr. A link to pretty handy girl's blog post on chair makeovers goes out to A-grr as our little way of saying "thanks".

  http://www.prettyhandygirl.com/how-to-paint-chairs-second-chance-makeover/

Free flourishes

Some slackers evidently feel that it's sufficient to simply stake a sign with the solitary word "free" on it. Others feel, apparently, that a little extra is called for. Something about this text made me turn the car around on the way home from golf. The boy took the shot. He's the best. A carton of Titleist pro v.1s goes out to loyal reader Moss M. as our little way of saying "thanks."

Uno mas troika!

Loyal reader Stefan S. sends in this troika of free pics from the hardscrabble streets of Rhinebeck, NY.  A three pack of his choice goes out to Stefan S. as our little way of saying "thanks!"

A beautiful day in the neighborhood.

It was a great day for free signs in Rhinebeck, NY this Sunday. Here's what we found:

Bending the rules

Well, loyal reeder and all-around avatar of awesomeness,  Meridith M. sends in this pick, sent to her by a "friend" who, like many, appreciates a good grammar stickler hear and there. Further querying lead to an investigation which lead to the interwebs, which lead to an online presence for this pick. Which wood normally exclude it from publication. Butt in this case, were bending the rules. 'Cause it's grate. Sew grate. A carton of Newport's ("Alive with pleasure!") goes out to Meridith M. as our little weigh of saying "thanks!"

Ok, hoser.

From Ottawa, a place that loyal reader Claire M. claims is the capital of a country called "Canada" (try finding THAT on a map, eh?) comes this little pic of bird feeders taking a much deserved break after a hard day of supplying our avian friends with a little poutine and Labatt's blue. A carton of Export "A" (Export "A", eh?) goes out to Claire M. as our little way of saying "thanks" for keeping an eye oot for a good photo!

Hudson Hawk

Seriously, did anybody see that movie? Hudson Hawk? It was really kinda fun and funny, though it was critically blasted. Anyway, loyal contributor and hawk-eyed sweetie-pie Alice M. sends in this fine pic from Hudson, NY. (Thus the Hudson Hawk thought.) So, a big boxed set of Bruce Willis' greatest movies goes out to Alice M. as our little way of saying "thanks!" Enjoy!

Free is a lonely road

Loyal reader and occasional friend . . . no. Wait. Occasional reader and loyal friend A grrr sends in this actually really great shot from out Woodstock way. A 36 exposure, well preserved canister of Kodachrome film goes out to A grrr as out little way of saying "thanks" and keep up the good work!! (Good luck with the processing.)

A bushel and a peck

And a basket of free, "dedicated", as the inscription reads, "to the glory of god and human welfare." Which is, grammatically, an interesting dedication. Is it dedicated to the glory of "god and human welfare"? Kinda as one conjoined idea? Or is it dedicated to two separate things? And if so, shouldn't this dedication pay a little more attention to that thing the stern grammar teachers call "parallel structure"? (And when do the quotation marks go inside the punctuation and when do they go outside?) Should it actually read: "Dedicated to the glory of god and [to] human welfare."?

Regardless, a copy of Strunk & White's classic, The Elements of Style, illustrated by Maira Kalman, goes out to new contributor Barbara S., as our little way of saying "thanks!". Exclamation, end quote.

Astoria. Queens. New York City. Sent in by Barbara S.

Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Dr. K!

A few from steadfast reader Jenny K., whose daughter just graduated high school. Holy crap, where does the time go? A free trip in a time machine to go back and do it all over again goes out to Jenny K. as out little way of saying "thanks".

From the deep south

Thanks to an undisclosed Desario for sending in this free sign from the mean streets of the New York's gritty West Village. A big bag of top round from Dickson's Farmstand Meats goes out to them for their summer bbq pleasure as our little way of saying 'thanks.'

We love the smell of bleach in the morning

New reader Uri P. sends in this "Still life with free sign" for our viewing pleasure. A case of extra white coconuts goes out to her as our little way of saying 'thanks.'

Like the swallows to San Juan Capistrano, the free signs have winged their way back into town!

This is the free sign you see on the back of the milk cartons. The blurry "last seen" photo of a run away free sign. Sent in by fab reader Jill W. A Greyhound Unlimited 60 day bus pass ($499 value) goes out to Jill W. as our little way of saying "thanks."

As seen in Rhinebeck, NY.

Hudson Valley Indoor Tennis, Kingston, NY.

South Street. Rhinebeck, NY

South Parsonage St., Rhinebeck, NY

Yard sale, Rhinebeck, NY

Same yard sale, above, and below.