11:eleven Photography

Maybe you’re new to the area. Or you’ve been here a while and are still having trouble making a connection. Or you’re just passing through but have a deep interest in this quaint community you’ve stumbled upon. Some communities are tight lipped, hesitant to open up to strangers, or even people who have been around several years. Luckily I have a tip to share that so many people overlook. And it’s obvious.

The trick is locating the local message board. These smaller communities don’t trust the internet and often select a location to serve as their community message board. To the outsider it appears to be just a bunch of graffiti. Poorly done art. Scribbles and incoherent babbling of teens under the influence of whatever was in grandma’s medicine cabinet. But if you take the time to look closer, you can learn a lot about the people in the community, and the intricacies of life within.

Some of the messages speak to the ancient traditions. While the smoking of the devils lettuce is no longer an illegal activity, there are still basic fundamental principles that remain. Puff puff pass is one such principle that apparently still needs to be relayed within this community. Which means you need be wary of bogarts in this community.

Fear more beer. Is there such a thing as too much beer? Apparently in this community the answer is yes. So much so that it strikes fear into the heart of this community. So if you’re spending a summer day here and you want to enjoy a refreshing ice cold brewski, brown bag it or you may cause the locals some unnecessary discomfort at the sight of that tall boy. It’s important to ask yourself what impact on the community your tall can of Bud is causing, and is it worth it.

You ever wear your new shoes out for the first time and nobody notices. Nobody comments. No one even asks if you can run faster or jump higher than your previous shoes allowed. Bullshit. Right? But did you do everything you could to draw attention to them? This community clearly embraces individuality and wastes no time making sure you know about it. They dare to be different. And because people don’t pay attention to others as much as they should, the community wants the world to know. They’re different. Not the same. Different.

One community member shares a warning to the community. Lucky charms can be delicious. Magically delicious even. But be cautious, as the mere existence of lucky charms implies the existence of Tricky Charms. Could you imagine taking the first bite, expecting to get a mouthful of sweet sugary treats and are tricked?!? They taste like kale. Surprise! You’ve been tricked by the tricky charms.

Gangs are known for their ruthlessness, their unpredictable behavior, their violence. Girl gang is no different.

The writing of Metallica on local message boards is as old as Metallica itself. Another nod to the past. This message relays that the community is big on tradition, and believes strongly against growth, change, and modernization.

This one is clear. There is an entity about this community that is forcing people to be something other than themselves. Be mindful of people here who seem to take an extra interest in your business and offer advice to steer you down the path they want you to take.

We live in an area that was once the land of indigenous people. The gold rush played a big part in the theft of their land by money grubbers. There has developed a movement to give the ancestral lands back to the indigenous people. Of course that means making it available for purchase by them. Nobody is actually willing to just give away their land. Instead they simply acknowledge that they have stolen land as a token. Land Back has become the motto for this movement, but that is not what we are looking at in the picture above. It clearly says “Land Bag” which one can safely assume is a local vendor making bags from the land in an effort to be green and not further pollute the earth. When you are out in public, at the river, etc in this community do yourself a favor and keep your plastic bags under the seat and out of sight.

Now that you have this sweet tip on how to get to k ow your community, get out there, find your local community message board, and get to know the people and share in the wisdoms they offer. I will leave you with this final message.