How does Lemony Snicket use imagery in The Slippery Slope?

Imagery:

"If you have ever slept in a covered casserole dish on the highest peak of a mountain range, then you know that it is an uncomfortable place to lay one's head, even if you find a dishtowel inside it that can serve as a blanket."

"When the Baudelaires followed the mysterious scout through the doorway, they found themselves standing in what at first seemed to be a large field, growing a back and ruined harvest in a valley as cold and drafty as its name. but slowly, they saw the charred remains of the grand and impressive building that had stood where the three children were standing."