Congratulations to Mary on her victory in the Whacko Yard Art Photo Scavenger Hunt. As promised, Mary will recieve a Geek Prom T-shirt and Space Patrol walkie talkies. I’m also throwing in a used copy of Cinderella’s 1988 hit album Long Cold Winter, since the contest ended on the first day of spring.

The Whacko Yard Art Photo Scanvenger Hunt is over and the finalists are Mary and Mark. (Sorry, Barrett, but you missed the deadline. Those rules are there for a reason, mister.)

I said I’d allow comments to sway my decision, so those with a strong opinion on who should win have until … oh, let’s say noon … to make their voices heard. After lunch I’ll return from my chambers with a decision.

Now, I don’t know if this counts, because I took these pictures back in September and I don’t know if it’s still standing (it looks like parts of it were made out of papier-mâché, so I’m not sure how it would’ve fared through the winter months), but it was definitely in a yard and it was definitely art.

And yeah, definitely a little whacko, too.

(East Superior Street, near the Northland Country Club, 9/21/08.)

I love Christmas trim!   The more, the merrier, I always say.   Fortunately, that’s not an uncommon sentiment in the Ashland area, so around Christmastime there’s plenty to enjoy.

One shining jewel in the Garland City’s crown?   This fabulous yard display on the east end of town:

I love it!   There’s so much, it’s hard to find an angle to get it all in the frame at once!

Now, heaps of Christmas trim alone don’t make this whacko yard art.   I get that.   The devil’s in the details on this one:

1.  This picture was taken on Tuesday.  This week.

2.  The people who own this house are known around town as “The Cowboy and Mrs. Cowboy.”    (They run the local Subway franchise, and like all local fast food franchise operators, they are local celebrities.)  Also: The Cowboy sidelines as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator every February.

3.  While the majority of this display is store-bought and/or inflatable, there are some fabulous homespun touches throughout that really shouldn’t be missed.  My favorite:  the Santas up front…especially Patriot Santa.

Oh, yeah, and they squeezed a little Jesus in there, too.

While running errands today I came across this lovely piece of yard art. I’m posting it as a challenge, because I know you can do better. And because a piddly blizzard like today’s is no excuse to stay inside.

Announcing the PDD Wacko Yard-art Photo Scavenger Hunt

You have until 10 p.m. next Thursday, March 19, to post the most awesome yard art photo on this Web site.