I got the preposition "alongside" as my word. Coincidentally, the first two businesses were on the same street---practically alongside each other, and within walking distance of where I am. I made two matching glitter tags with the featured word, put on my light-up shoes, and set forth.

Walking through something of an industrial wasteland, I found the first place. It sells antique wood. Unfortunately, it was not open when I showed up. The Google map web page reference talks about how this place provided appropriate matching lumber for a historic Chinese house which was reassembled in the courtyard of the Peabody Essex Museum. I've been to see it, and that house is amazing. It's built entirely without nails---the whole thing is held together with pegs or clever wooden joints. Anyhow, there is a big chunk of antique wood outside the building, so I taped the word nearby.

The second place sells custom wood trim. The Google map web page is from an episode of "This Old House." Around here, there are a bunch of 200 year old houses that people like to restore with historic details, and you just can't get old-fashioned, hand-crafted wood trim at Home Depot. Like the first business, this one is closed. I stuck the word onto the wooden railing near the front door.

(Almost totally irrelevant to this task, I have a story about the glitter used to make these word tags. I bought this glitter about 20 years ago to make a mosaic. I probably used thousands of pieces on the mosaic, but this barely made a dent in amount of glitter in the container. This mosaic project was possibly the most ridiculously anal retentive, tedious, detailed thing I've ever done. It's strange being puzzled by your own past activities. I was glad to do something more spontaneous and fun with the glitter and have resolved to be on the look out for more glitter using opportunities. )