SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FULL SPEED AHEAD AND STOP
This posting will also be a bit brief. Before launching into the tale of how my weekend went, a somewhat dry little tale unless you lean toward the voyeuristic side of life, I had best let you know the latest issue of 66 The Mother Road is now available on line.
The weekend was spent in that strange world between full speed ahead and stop. After work on Saturday my son and I picked a new old table, a gift from a friend whose father recently passed away, and then my dearest friend and I took advantage of the delightful fall weather with a short hike along the Beale Springs loop trail.
The remainder of the afternoon, and most of the evening, were spent evaluating the stunning images supplied by collectors Steve Rider, Joe Sonderman, and Mike Ward, as well as those acquired on our various trips along Route 66 this past couple of years that will make this book a true time capsule. This aspect of the project fueled my excitement about what I hope will be a valuable asset to the Route 66 community.
With that said there are still a couple of holes that need to be filled. Does anyone have information about the Hilltop Restaurant located east of Kingman on El Travatore Hill, the origins of the Beacon Hill Motel in Missouri, or the demise of the Meteor Crater Observatory?
The publisher has set a tentative date for release as October 2012. Now in my way of thinking that fits quite nicely with the Cuba Fest celebration so that might be the ideal venue for the books debut.
For good reason Sunday is often my favorite day of the week. This past Sunday started with a bit of a devotional, correspondence, and a hearty breakfast followed by a long hike into the Cerbat Mountains with my dearest friend. Pictures are forthcoming.
Then it was back to the grind stone as the deadline for the encyclopedia is December 1. After pouring over the text in search of errors, and tweaking things a bit with information obtained on the excursion to Chicago, my son and his family arrived for dinner.
Monday, my official day off, was consumed with a few issues at the office, chasing the next book contract, work on the encyclopedia, a shopping excursion, more correspondence, chasing approval for two magazine features, and a bit of “light reading” from a new book, Crimes & Misdeeds: Headlines from Arizona’s Past. Interesting stuff to say the least – lesbian love triangles and a torrid love affair with a leading businessman in Phoenix that ends with murder, a badly bungled attempt at train robbery, a kidnapping hoax, the murder of a woman’s husband and her kidnapping, as well as torture, that leads to a lynching, and a running, literally, gun battle between a leading doctor and famous attorney. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these sordid stories is that they took place between 1909 and 1935!
Even though I manage to keep busy, and even though there are more than a few projects simmering on the back burner – completion of the office remodel, the long overdue floor installation in the living room, the kitchen remodel, work on the Dodge, and a few other items – I really don’t do the stop at the end of a book project very well. That is the primary reason for the antsy quest for another project.
Oh, one more item. Don’t forget about the big wing ding to celebrate the anniversay of Route 66 in Needles coming up in just over a week. For more information contact Linda at 928-768-3855.