The world is full of surprisingly weird and curious sights. I’ve come to think of these as WTF-moments and fortunately have interrupted my journeys in order to photograph the oddities that I’ve encountered. Even so, I missed a few and regret not grabbing my camera when I had the chance—such as the colorful “inscription” I chanced upon years ago on the Navajo Reservation. Driving down a rough dirt road through a narrow canyon, For all but the dullest of wits—and there is no shortage of those—the world is full of I rounded a bend and beheld this message slathered in bright paint across the cliff face—NO HAULIN ASS!

Coming up with a good book title is always a challenge and this was no exception. It started out being about strange signs and then expanded to include other cultural oddities. Of course this is like beauty—it’s in the eye of the beholder. As I assembled my photos I knew what I was looking for but soon realized it went beyond just weird signs and encompassed such disparate media as murals, billboards, tourist traps and corny roadside attractions, folk art, bumper stickers, tee-shirts, vehicles, shrines and churches, and most anything funky and kitschy in public spaces.

For me, these sightings often involve a certain cognitive dissonance—a “say what?” moment that can brighten otherwise drab and mundane surroundings. Explanations for these phenomena include sheer stupidity, bureaucratic ineptness, unfortunate acronyms, intentional wit or sarcasm, naiveté, and cultural discrepancies. Stunning examples of the later category await travelers in foreign cultures and often involve excretion and bathroom practices. For example, a sign in Nepal proclaiming “Defecation free zone” almost certainly has a different intent than “Fartkontrol” and “Full Fart” signs in Norway or the warnings in Pakistan “Don’t wash feet in toilet.” It’s a goofy old world for those with the eyes to see, and antidotes to boredom abound as witnessed here.