TARATS Entries 13 & 14

The newest entries in TARATS are from Australia! I was pleased to have an entry from the Purple Traveller in the UK last year (I'm hoping he'll be back), and now this! Awesome. Thing is, it is Springtime in Australia because, well, Australia is located in the Southern hemisphere. If an Aussie wants to enter my contest with Spring trees because that's what they have when I'm flogging my contest, I'm gonna let 'em. If you don't like it, you can just Go Stuff Yourself (see sidebar for helpful advert).

Be sure to check out the slide show on the entrants page to see the two entries described in this email:

Here are two. The purple Jacaranda is in Brisbane, I photographed it on my way home from Canada near the end of September. It is an iconic sign of spring in the sub-tropics here, Brisbane has many fine examples. The red is the Poinciana I photographed on my way out to the dam yesterday in Townsville. There are better examples, but this one is part of my routine so I appreciate it more. I hope people don’t mind that you allow ‘non-standard’ entries, but I thought this was too fun to miss. You have some stunning entries this year.

Does anybody else find the place name "Townsville" kind of funny, in a "Cityburgh" kind of way?

Anyway, this year's smackdown has contestants that are helping me redefine the rules, that's for sure! Multiple entries? Why not? Spring trees from Australia? You bet!

The way I see it though, this is a stupid contest with stupid prizes and flexible (stupid) rules. Am I wrong? No, I'm not, because it is my contest! If you think I'm wrong, well, uh uh, YOU'RE wrong, stupid! Go run your own stupid contest!

This post has proven to be a great deal of fun to write, way more fun than I expected when I started. I have discovered that writing the word "stupid" a lot is super satisfying, almost as much as using the word "mutant". It's the little things, y'know?

Yer Stupid Mutant Pal,

R A N T W I C K

The Squeaky Rantwick Gets the Trees!

What can I say? I whined and complained and a whole bunch of TARATS entries came in over the weekend and this morning!

 

I was gonna post about them one at a time, but that seems a little too work-like. So, visit the entries page available on the sidebar >>> to see the 8 new arrivals in the contest!

 

Here is some of the stuff that was in the accompanying emails:

 

Eat your heart out Mr. Rantwick. Here are my FIVE, count'em, FIVE entries. If you can't handle FIVE knock-down gorgeous photos of spectacular Vermont trees, then you get to decide which ones to enter in your silly contest. May the best VERMONT TREE win!

 

anniebikes

 

Oh, I can handle it, anniebikes, no worries. You just keep talking that Vermont smack.

 

This contest does not discriminate based on colour, creed or even species... here's email from Leroy's Dog:

 

Trees. Prospect Park. Brooklyn. Before the hurricane.

It's not easy taking pictures when you don't have an opposable thumb.

 

I was not surprised that a dog used fairly few words, but I was surprised he knew the word "opposable". Impressive.

 

Last but not least Recumbent Conspiracy Theorist is staying in the hunt (and seasonally apt) for sure with his Cemetery Tree.

 

Hey hey rantwick!

Here's another for the slide show. Not sure of the species of this one. Some kind of nut tree think.
 
Here's a hint for leaf snoopers as to where to look for nice single trees; your local cemetery. I rode my bicycle to a cemetery here in town and saw this nice one. Didn't see any spooky ghosts though.

Cheers,
-RCT

One of anniebikes' trees was from a cemetery too... I wonder if those trees are, ahem, better fertilized? Was that too much? If so, sorry. For myself, I'm thinking I could (and well may) do a lot worse than feeding a tree after I kick off...

 

Better Go,

R A N T W I C K

Waa! Waaaa! WAAAAH!

It wouldn't be October if I wasn't whining and wailing about wanting more trees, so here I am. I have decided to try web voting for the entrants in TARATS again this year and I have made a display page for the entrants that I will add a voting widget to when the time comes.

 

Until then, all current entrants can be viewed on this page, from now until the end of the contest or even longer, I guess.

 

If you follow that link you will find 4 trees in the slideshow. 4 is a paltry number. I fear my contest is losing what little popularity it had, perhaps because I am constantly whining about it.

 

I know many parts of the USA (my largest trading partner) aren't ready yet, so I'm hoping I'm just being stupid and all kinds of entries are going to come flooding in soon.

 

Anyway, that page will always be up to date with the latest and greatest for anyone needing a foliage fix. 

 

  

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

TARATS Entry #4

Just got another entry for the Third Annual Rantwick Autumn Tree Smackdown!

From Kenny's email:

Mr. Wick,

I took this picture just today at the CVS distribution center near my home in Fredericksburg, VA.

Since you like bikes, I leaned my large internet special on the trunk to add a sense of imposing scale.

Thank you and have a great day!

 

I mowed the lawn, helped Rantwick Jr. with a school project and made a truly kick-ass pot of chili today. That is good news because my chili has been strangely acidic the last couple of times, but this time it is spot on. I wish I knew what I did right, but I don't really follow a recipe.

 

Where was I? Oh, yeah, I know why I mentioned all that stuff! I was already having a great day, Kenny, so your tree entry has upgraded it to outstanding! That is almost unheard of with me on a Sunday, because I traditionally take Sundays to wallow in undeserved self-pity and feel generally bummed out. Leaning your bicycle on the trunk of your entry is also a common and welcomed approach in my tree competition, since bikes rock and trees rock and bikes and trees together really rock. I mean, check this out:

 

 

 

 

Uh huh. Oh yeah.
Thanks Kenny!

R A N T W I C K

TARATS Entry #3!

I think it is going to be a good year. Check out Recumbent Conspiracy Theorist's first entry (he too is promising more):

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Woo hoo! I Can't Win TARATS!

I really can't win TARATS now, because I gots me a entry from another person, one who like, is not me.

 

The first real entry for this year's whacked out foliage competition comes from Skyers, a local reader from right here in London Ontario. This is the first time he has entered, which is awesome, because new blood is new and everyone knows that new is always better. Skyers noticed that my rules did not exclude multiple entries and he plans to submit more trees. Bring it, I say. The more trees the foliagy-er, as the popular saying goes. He must really crave the validation of a second-hand rantwick-modified trophy, or maybe he just likes breadcrumbs a lot, like everybody does!

 

Here's his (first) awesome tree, which he tells me is located behind Fanshawe College somewhere:

 

 

 

Thanks, Skyers!

R A N T W I C K

The King for 2012

Well, I have not received a single entry in my tree contest yet, and I becoming rather worried. I know many of you are still waiting for peak foliage joy-joys, or at least I really hope so.

Here's something to get us started: the official entry of my tree, the soon to be dethroned King of Autumn himself!

He can't win, so he's no threat, except for the fact that he might kick the butt of your puny "winning" entry in votes, sucking all the fun out of winning at all! HAhahahaha! Think I'm over confident? Show me. Send me that devastating tree picture of yours as soon as you have it.

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

PS - For anyone new to my tree contest, I enter the same tree every year, no matter how good or bad. It is usually pretty good, but thus far has never been as good as the first time I noticed it.

I'm Seeing Red.

In last year's Autumn Tree Smackdown I received my first entry on October 12. This year it seems to me the trees in London are peaking a little sooner. The King, for example, is getting close to maximum crimson:

 

 

If I can catch him in the right light, I think he's got a good chance of "winning"; although I won't allow myself to win the contest. If he garners the most votes, the runner-up will win the awesome second-hand Rantwick-modified Trophy of Arboreal Distinction naming the tree King Of Autumn, 2012. I have also just decided to throw in a tub of breadcrumbs.

 

The "real" winner of FARATS (long story) was yellow/orange:

 

 

 

 

SARATS was won by a well-lit red tree:

 

 

 

What robes will the new King (or Queen) wear as he (or she) ascends the throne? Only time will tell.

 

Having seen these images, I'll bet you know of a tree that could be a contender. Don't wait! Get out there and get that picture! Hover around that tree, day after day, hoping to get the best damn foliage picture EVER! Or, snap a pic of it on your way by with a crappy old phone while riding your bike over bumps. I don't care! I want submissions, (click here for rules) and I'm getting nervous. I want to beat last year's record of 18 real bad.

 

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

TARATS is a SMACKDOWN

I feel like there wasn't nearly enough fanfare about TARATS (the Third Annual Rantwick Autumn Tree Smackdown) in my initial post. I mean, this isn't about a bunch of tree huggers taking pictures and being all nice, you know. This is a SMACKDOWN. With Autumn trees. And the people are usually kind of nice and some may actually hug trees on a regular basis. But make no mistake, people, it IS a SMACKDOWN.

I have decided that the prize will be something else entirely this year. The winning tree will be crowned 2012's King (or Queen, if you want) of Autumn, a title formerly reserved for my perennial favourite (pun intended) alone! A used Trophy from some thrift shop, hand-modified by yours truly, will be sent to the lucky soul who captures for posterity the image of the most majestic juggernaut of Autumn leafy joy witnessed this year! It's gonna be AWESOME! Click HERE for rules and stuff.

Since this is a SMACKDOWN, I strongly encourage all entrants to talk as much over-the-top trash as possible (all in good fun, of course) and demoralize their opponents if they can. Let me get things started:

I stopped by to visit the King of Autumn this morning and let me tell you, he looked good. Green, but obviously gearing up for this year's competition:

Can you see that? He's flexing his foliage! What? What? You don't see it? Look again, and be very afraid of my tree, baby. He's gonna chew you all up and keep the title of King of Autumn all for his majestic unbeatable self:

That, for those of you that don't recognize it, is proper SMACKDOWN talk. I hope it puts you in the mood to bring some badass fall foliage action this way...

Share this image with yer friends and let's get ready to leaf it up, hard!

R A N T W I C K

PS - I know I am ridiculous. It's fun. I also think that "poster" qualifies as a WTF attack... cool.

The Third Annual Rantwick Autumn Tree Smackdown!

Last years winner from JAT in Seattle

Attention, foliage fans, the Third Annual Rantwick Autumn Tree Smackdown, North America's premier fall-foliage-posted-on-an-obscure-website competition, is looking for your best tree pictures once more. Keep your eyes peeled and send your pics to my email address (rantwick at gmail dawt com) with the subject line "TARATS". Oh, and use the Like and Tweet links or that Google +1 thing on the left to tell your friends! I want to break last year's record of 18 trees in the smackdown. As always, I will enter the King of Autumn but can not win the contest.

 

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, you may wish to review the many posts from the first and second years of my contest, or just read the following rules:

 

 

1) Your entry should should feature 1 or if necessary just a few trees featuring an obvious star-power tree. This is a Tree Smackdown, not a "forest face-off" or "copse competition".

 

2) Since I hope to continue to run this competition annually, your picture should be of a tree from this 2012 Autumn season.

3) Your picture should be one you took yourself. Including some information about where the tree is from in your submission would be appreciated.

4) Your tree can be from anywhere you like. PaddyAnne from Vancouver won with a tree from New York. If you snap it, you can send it.

5) Submissions are due by midnight, Dec 15, 2012 EST. I wait so long because many of my readers seem to come from the Southern (United) States.

 

I think I'm going to offer a new prize this year. Maple syrup is great, but I'm kind of tired of writing about it. Also, I am told a change is as good as a rest. As usual I am also undecided about how a winner will be selected at this time... I might just decide it all by myself. What do you think? Was the voting thing fun last year? Should I try to collect video votes again? Should I open voting up to the online masses and hope nobody finds a way to mess with the results? Any other bright ideas?

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K