The shield, here evoking the shape of a highway sign, can symbolize great strength and protection. Yet the weathered shield painted on the side of a small bookstore alongside US Highway 41 in rural northern Florida, expresses the idea that nothing is immune from the wear and tear of weather, sun, and time itself. I move my lens to within inches of the painted advertisement, cropping into the top of the shield as I do so. This close-up emphasizes the texture created by the peeling paint, defining the gradual effect of nature upon the works of man.