Meet Me At the Wigwam!

We're on the road. We took a slight detour today when we noticed this old motel on Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona. I think I'll pass on staying at the Wigman, but how fun would that have been as a kid to have stayed in a teepee motel room! We saw a maid's cart outside one of the wigwams, so they're obviously for rent. The owner has a collection of old cars sitting in the parking lot. Wouldn't mind having that bright blue baby with the fins!

We're headed to Santa Fe tomorrow and it's supposed to be snowing??? Hmmmmmm.

The Hats! The Hats!

I'm just too busy to post this morning because I'm watching the rerun of Will and Cate's wedding on the BBC. I figured I'd might as well go for the gusto and watch the pomp with British commentators. (Not to mention the BBC makes it possible to catch the repeat in its entirety without having to stay up all night!)

I'm hoping that Archbishop gets groomed for the wedding. In his pre-interview, he looked alarmingly disheveled with white hair sticking out everywhere! Then there's Boris, the Mayor of London, with his blonde Beatle mop of hair. He's definitely more of a personality compared to the more staid but quite dashing Prime Minister.

The hats, the hats! How in the hell are some of those satellite dishes anchored to their heads? Victoria Beckham with her tightly drawn brunette ponytail seems to have a large ornamental hat pin screwed into her brain to anchor that silly thing on her forehead. Maybe that's why she looks so funereal and painfully pinched? Wonder what the photographic bounty for a smiling photo of Posh would be? But I guess it's so vogue to never smile. : (


Wish they'd speed this thing up because I need to start getting organized and packing. We're leaving tomorrow on a cross-country roadtrip!

Oops. There's Wills! Must go! : )

The Writing on the Beach

My son sent me this photo from his iPod today. He saw this little bit of wisdom on a California beach and knew I'd love it!

April Flowers

Flowers are at their best in the desert in the spring before the intense heat of summer arrives. Here are some photos from our daytrip to Tubac several weeks ago.

Oh the Things We Will See

It's amazing the things we see now that we're not in a hurry to get anywhere! Here are a few random photos from last week.

A wooden chicken with a park ranger hat?

The Big House Cab! I snapped this photo a few miles down the road from a state prison. Need a ride when you're getting sprung from the Big House?

When Cadillacs fly!

I was chomping on a salad at California Pizza Kitchen when I looked up and noticed the red Cadillac on its perch. Cadillac Ranch sounds like a Nevada whore house, but I guess it's a restaurant chain? I really need to get out more!

We were lost in downtown Phoenix when I noticed this sign. Craig was driving and we couldn't stop, so it has that nice blurred effect. The Westward Ho opened in 1928 and is one of Phoenix's historic hotels.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Someone had a big birthday. We celebrated all last week, but I didn't say anything on the blog. Craig always said he wanted to retire in his 50's, so he barely made it -- just under the wire! Michael arrives home today, so that's when the real fun starts. I predict plenty of golf!

We celebrated his birthday with dinner at his favorite Italian restaurant and some carrot cake at home. And no, I didn't grate carrots for hours to produce a carrot cake. That's why God invented Fresh and Easy!

Earlier on that special day, we got up early so he could open his present. And no silly, this isn't his present! It's just a cool motorcycle in the parking lot at Joe's Farm Grill where we went for breakfast.

I'm sure Craig would choose the breakfast special anyday over a Navy blue and leather hog!

Happy 60th Craig!

The Quick Scottsdale Antique Tour

A few weeks ago on our Friday Funday, we visited a couple of antique malls in Scottsdale after our lunch at the other Mango. Craig had been holding out on me about these two shops for the past few years. I guess it was a secret! They were just up the road from his workplace and he never mentioned them!

As we passed ASU Skysong (that's the funny looking building above with the sails), I threatened to drop Craig off so he could catch up on work, but he declined. I guess he'd rather be antiquing with me. The antique malls were just kitty-cornered on Scottsdale Road.


Here's a few highlights. These old fridge containers are hot items now. Wonder if we should start saving milk cartons?

Internet trolls?

Root beer sofa.

Barbie and Ken locked in a lurid embrace on their tiki sofa.

Another strange item and I don't even want to know. Hopefully the pale pink elephant head was some kind of fake prop.

Gorgeous collection of old majolica.

Fancy kiddie car/plane.

Antique wooden Mexican box for mail.

I always wanted a poodle skirt!

Tubac Funky

Craig and I have been busy out celebrating his 60th, so I decided to post some more photos from the trip to Tubac last week.

I love this old Mexican Coca-Cola table. It looks like a marriage between a metal Coca-Cola folding table -- the type I've seen so many times on Isla Mujeres -- and an old wooden table. Wish it was for sale!


The local Tubac beer joint. An older woman from the trailer court next door came out and watched me taking this photo. I think she was perplexed? Craig referred to a local bar as the beer joint yesterday and we had a laugh over that. That's what we called bars when we were growing up in Kansas, probably because only private clubs could serve anything stronger than 3.2% beer. Was that term common anyplace else in the U.S.?

Senorita Bonita

These paper maiche dolls were very popular, but oh dear, her mama never taught her to sit with her legs together.

I didn't venture into this shop because a bunch of gringos were sitting on the front porch smoking cigars. Too stinky, but I love the sign!

I'm guessing this restaurant serves chicken?

Is there an anglophile in the house?

Pot Centro

Tubac is Pot Centro. And no, I'm not referring to Mexican drug smugglers in the Arizona desert. Tubac's always been a great place to shop for pots, and even more so now that a lot of people are reluctant to cross into Mexican border towns. While Nogales isn't Tiajuana or Juarez, that fact seems to have led to an upward trend in pot prices in Tubac because people aren't driving down to Nogales in droves to shop. I wasn't in the market to buy this trip, but it's always fun to window shop!

La Paloma is my favorite pot shop in Tubac.

I think I'll pass on pot rustling.

Here kitty kitty kitty!

Geometric designs seem to be very in right now. Notice the pots on the roof. Roof pots!

The wall of talavera. I love the light covers!

More geometrics. I almost bought one of the blue and white to go with a blue and white talavera pot in my hallway. I'm now regretting the almost part.

Pot wagon, but the kind that won't land you in the paddy wagon!

Love the traditional blue and white Mexican talavera pots!

Actually, I'd take any of them!

Should this be Craig's next project? A giant pot windchime for the backyard?