FULL SPEED AHEAD
As you have noticed this mornings post is a bit late. The delay began yesterday afternoon with receipt of an email from Brad Bowling, editor at Cars & Parts magazine.
He was in need of six book reviews with a deadline of this afternoon! Compounding the time constraints were plans had been made to visit with a friend visiting from Utah, I was slammed at the office and did not get off on time, and after work I had a meeting scheduled with the photography shop regarding some new prints.
So, last evening I ate and talked with my wife, gathered notes and materials for the reviews, picked up Bill from the Holiday Inn Express, visited for two hours, watched the last of the Jay Leno show, and read for a bit. This morning at 4:30, the usual time this old farm boy rolls from the sack, I got the coffee going, took time to thank the good Lord for the day, and sat down to work.
By 6:45 I had the reviews finished (900 words), breakfast down, email correspondence answered, and was on the way to the showers. The plan was to savor the delightful weather with high temperatures hovering in the mid 70s by riding my bicycle to the office but time restrictions and a small herd of errands to run this evening led me to taking Barney instead.
So, there was no time for posting until lunch this afternoon and there were some interesting things I wanted to share.
A Route 66 related note pertains to the Silver Spoon Restaurant. After more than 15 years this venerable Kingman institution closed its doors on Monday. This building was originally Denny’s some thirty plus years ago and as a result the architecture is rather unique.
On more than one occasion I have posted pictures and lauded the wonders of old Chloride, one of our favorite stomping grounds. In fact it was a scene in Chloride that sparked the idea of launching the limited edition prints featuring ghost towns.
This photo by Kerrick James is of the other Chloride, the one in New Mexico. It too is a favorite destination even though we don’t get there very often.
This particular photo is from the next book, scheduled for release in February, Ghost Towns of the Southwest. Having Kerrick’s assistance, again, has really added some class to this work as he is truly a master photographer with credits that include work for Arizona Highways, Sunset, and other prestigious publications. This next photo, also from the new book, is of Cerbat. Kerrick captured how completely some of these towns have vanished with this one shot.
This old town was once the county seat and one of the most promising towns in the northwest corner of the Territory of Arizona. Thirty years ago I often camped among the extensive ruins, loved to watch the sunsets perched high in the canyons above town, and was mesmerized by the wide array of wild life that now called this once bustling community home.
Today, with the exception of mine tailing’s, it takes a discerning eye to find traces of the town site and only the solitude and wildlife remain as I remember it. I suppose there is a lesson here – don’t take yourself or the monuments you build to seriously.