If you’re looking for a destination with an enchanting name, you have your choice of such spots as Crapstone, Penistone, Titty Ho, Spanker Lane and Crotch Crescent in England, the New York Times recently pointed out.
Not to mention Butt Hole Road.
Most of the names have vague but possibly innocent origins. For instance, some Crapstoners (or would that be Crapstonians?) believe their name means “place of the rocks.” And Butt Hole Road appears to refer to the area’s historic role as a source of water (a water butt is a collector).
But (I almost said “butt”), I was disappointed that the article left out one England name that Bruce Thompson of Huntington Beach shared with me a while back (see below). You have to wonder how much restaurant business the Barf Bed and Breakfast Inn does.
The woman in the photo, incidentally, is Thompson’s wife Janis, who “was a little reluctant to pose,” he said. “Fortunately, she didn’t notice the landlady glaring at her from the window until after I snapped the shot.”
In case you're wondering
On one Internet site I read that “barf” meant beard in merry olde England.
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Sister city of Barf?
A few years ago, Nat Read of Pasadena found a sign in New Zealand with a seemingly similar theme.
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Other intriguing names
In Germany, there’s a town you could apparently find with a map or a nose.
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Road-ragers’ warning? In Italy, Judy Armstrong chanced upon a sign seemingly asking motorists to stay in good spirits--which, if you’ve ever driven in Italy, you know is impossible.
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Ooh la la, not
And Alyson Ross once saw a notice prohibiting certain group activities in France (of all places).
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Speaking of l’amour
A newspaper ad for a product that seemed to promise good sex for eternity (see below) called to mind another comedy, “Is There Sex After Death?” Alas, in case you’re interested in the answer, one researcher in the film said there is no sex in the next life, “only affection.”
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Unclear on the concept
Kent Bridwell contributed this phenomenon--electrified wood.
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MiscelLAny:
After the seizure of 200 ceramic donkeys stuffed with marijuana in Fontana, one federal agent commented to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: “It gives new meaning to the term ‘drug mule.’”
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Steve Harvey can be reached at steveharvey9@gmail.com or by snail mail at Steve Harvey.
