Horses and the Wild West are still very much part of Old Scottsdale

Get your cowboy on

Visit Old Town Scottsdale and you almost feel like you should be purchasing a cowboy hat and boots.  The theme is horses and the Wild West.  Native American shops also show some really gorgeous craft items from pottery to jewelry.

Even the street signs are western in Old Town

Next door to Old Town you’ll see 5^th Avenue Shops.  The streets remind you of Boca and Palm Beach with many small, unique shops and eateries that pride themselves on having the right vibes to attract the crowds of Scottsdale.

Fifth Avenue Shops

More shops in Fifth Avenue

Nearby, you’ll also find the several blocks of the Scottsdale Arts District, with galleries waiting to tout the newest artiste.

Hop in your vehicle and head up the road

Travel up Scottsdale Road and your “shop ‘til you drop adventure” really begins. Scottsdale’s Fashion Square is the location for Nordstrom’s, Anthropologie, an array of other stores, both on the street and inside the mall.

Marquis for Scottsdale Fashion Square

If you’ve never been in an Anthropologie, it is a very unusual store that features clothing, but also has dishes, cookbooks and other eclectic gadgets.  The floors are rough wood and some of the displays are hard to describe, so I won’t.  I didn’t dare take a photo, because I got the distinct feeling that it wouldn’t have been appreciated!  The owner/buyer, I read in an article, travels the world to find the items for the stores and he does snag some of the most unusual finds.

A courtyard at The Borgata

An arcade at The Borgata

Next up, several miles up the street, stop at The Borgata.  Fountains splashing and a courtyard that makes you want to explore all the nooks and crannies leads you to probably my favorite shop of the day: Two Plates Full.  A gift shop, Two Plates Full has a colorful array of gift items.  And, color is the operative word here!  Such a profusion of colorful gadgets, doodads and gift items is a joy!  My special favorites were the funny mugs equating the months of the year with Jewish food, like a Chinese calendar (the Year of the Ram, etc.) but with bagels, knishes, and the like! Hilarious! Cards, fused glass, woven items, pottery, you name it!  I had to restrain myself or I would have bought out the place.  Terri, the owner has a real eye for the special and irresistible.  Twoplatesfull.com

Two Plates Full - a great gift shop

(The above was an unpaid endorsement – I just viscerally loved that shop!)

Come back next week and we’ll finish our short shopping tour of Scottsdale.

When you arrive, you pay your admission fee ($15 per person for adults) and are handed a set of headphones with a transmitter.  Unlike some museums, the music follows you.  No need to turn the receiver on or off if you arrive at a display and your timing is off.

Gorgeous inlaid floor with the continents - entrance to a Mim gallery

The customer service people suggest that you start with the first floor display, which has an array of guitars, a massive chime –(see last week’s blog for an image of the giant boat-like gong).

Next, head upstairs where the exhibit halls are arranged by continent.  The United States and Canada displays are housed in one large area and contain exhibits, screens with music that repeat with the performances heard through your headphones, and displays that show everything from a piano being skillfully constructed by Steinway craftspeople to Bluegrass music being energetically performed.

Amazing craftsmanship goes into constructing every piano (Steinway)

It is a dizzying and convincing parade of musical instruments that does convey the sense that music is truly the one unifying concept of the human race.

Many countries have their own versions of bagpipes

Take bagpipes.  You might think that they’d be in a display in the Scottish area.  They are, but it appears that many different cultures and countries have their own versions of bagpipes, too.

Every country has an exhibit of musical instruments, augmented with a performance that you can see on screen and hear with your headphones.   The color and array is exhausting and exhilarating to behold.  Junkanoo in the Bahamas and all manner of colorful and well-crafted instruments catch your attention.

Junkanoo in the Bahamas is a colorful pageant with steel drums

Downstairs – The modern masters

In addition to live performances, MIM has a hall with some pop, rock, jazz and other favorites on loan.  See the piano that John Lennon composed “Imagine” on, along with a video of him singing  “Imagine” and breaking out of the melodic line to editorially intone – in a deeper voice – “and I’m not the only one” (referring to  the desire for peace).  It gave me shivers!

John Lennon's piano on which he composed "Imagine" and a video of him playing

Eric Clapton performs several songs on video and you can see his instruments while you listen.  Carlos Santana, the Jonas Brothers, the Black-Eyed Peas, Paul Simon, George Benson and many others are all represented.  George Benson’s Platinum record for “Breezin’” is on display, along with Eric Clapton’s Fender – his “Brownie.”

Carlos Santana highlighted

Although we were tired after about three hours, we could have stayed twice as long.  There was so much to see and hear!

Transport yourself to MIM and you’ll spend an exciting and inspiring time.  All ages can enjoy the museum and there’s even a room to try the instruments.  Adults and children were banging on the drums and trying out the chimes.

Joey Wan enjoyed trying out the Gamelan, a xylophone

Note: There are video screens in most galleries that, using the headphones every visitor is loaned, start playing in the headphone when a visitor is near that particular exhibit.

MIM – the Musical Instrument Museum has a gift shop, a café (which prides itself on using “fresh local ingredients”), a coffee shop, and spaces for performances.  A great place to visit!

Trendy Kazimierz World Wine Bar calls itself a speakeasy and has its entrance around the back!

On a recent visit, we saw the epitomy of Scottsdale: an obviously well-to-do 30s-ish shopper in a trendy grocery on her cell phone the entire time we were there, discussing a friend’s dating woes while she put things in her cart.  The items in that grocery weren’t the typical things you’d find in a Safeway or more “ordinary” grocery store and price was obviously no object.

For Divas & Dogs - Trendy shop in Scottsdale 5th Avenue Shop area

Another Scottsdale scene involved about five young women, outside a bridal shop.  They were very energetically discussing how the bride-to-be looked in the dress she had chosen.

Courtyard at Borghata shopping Center

If these two encounters are any indication, the recession is definitely over – at least in Scottsdale.

Scottsdale's Fashion Center at night

In the next few weeks, we’ll visit a new, world-class musical instrument museum, “MIM,” the Musical Instrument Museum in northern Scottsdale.  We also visit two restaurants, and show you some other shopping areas in trendy, upscale Scottsdale.

A Bat Khine - gong chime from Thailand in the Musical Instrument Museum

Next week:  Everything from Eric Clapton’s guitar to how to build a piano to the wildest instruments you’ve ever seen!

Strawberry

Strawberry, charmingly named, has a much smaller population (in 2007 – only 1,000-plus!) and has a few amenities.  According to http://www.city-data.com/city/Strawberry-Arizona.html, Strawberry residents are older, richer and have more expensive homes than the median Arizona population.

One tourist magnet with some charm is the Strawberry School, the “oldest standing school in Arizona.”  According to a representative of the Pine/Strawberry Archeological and Historical Society, the school was almost razed when a developer bought a large tract in the area.  A local informed the crew that was about to raze the school as they were removing the roof, that the building was the old school house.  The developer decided to spare the school and the roof was rebuilt.

Strawberry School - the "Oldest Standing School in Arizona "

The original building’s walls were constructed in 1885 with logs that surround a one-room area dominated with a wood-burning stove.  The historical society rep commented that the old wooden desks were not the original furnishings.  Instead, tables were used.

Closed in 1916, the school is a reminder of what schools were like a century ago.  However, the furnishings were considered more opulent than was normal with wainscoting, wallpaper, slate on the wall as a blackboard, a world globe, an organ, a dictionary and a clock.  The school was also a meeting location and social center.

Interior of the one-room Strawberry School

For many in the area, the school was part of their heritage, so residents were integral in having it declared a Historical Monument in 1981.

There is no charge to view the school, but a donation is requested.

Pine

Another small town with a lot of activity the weekend we visited is Pine.  Again, as in Strawberry, the median age and income levels are higher than the median for Arizona.  The population tallies just under 2,000. Can we say, “retirement community”?

An arts and crafts fair was sprawled out along the road as well as in a community hall.  The variety seemed to be strongly focused on food.  However, we enjoyed the crafts and most especially our chat with Bob Gleason, a basket weaver, who was weaving as we spoke.

Bob Gleason weaves baskets right in front of your eyes.

Bob is from Phoenix, but enjoys demonstrating his craft, which he finds relaxing and has recently begun more elaborate baskets.  The colors and craftsmanship are top notch.  The materials are rattan and can be extremely light, but sturdy.  Bob’s business, with the URL of bobsbasketcase.intuitwebsites.com, (602-317-0644), shows he has a sense of humor.  He has to with some of the dumb questions that people ask – “Who makes the baskets? –He does – “I’m making one now!” (I’m sure he’d like to tell people to pay attention.)

Another crafter, Ron Lepore with Melted Bottles (928-443-8865), uses recycled bottles to make very attractive serving pieces with knives attached.  Great for serving cheese, crackers, fruit and other edibles, the pieces show the whimsy of the bottles he recovers from peoples’ discards.

Ron Lepore exhibited his recycled "Melted Bottles" - great for serving and gifts

Other items sold included emu meat, quilts, and other attractive art.

When we finished, we stopped at the Gingerbread House for some ice cream.  At the old-fashioned style soda fountain, the flavors were great (I had black cherry cordial and my husband had cookies and cream).

Gingerbread House - ice cream treats and collectibles

After we ate every bite of the ice cream and waffle cone, we headed to Payson.

Next week… We’ll give you a short tour of Payson, home of rodeos and other pastimes.

Coming soon!   We will be launching a new site for all of  you Couch Potatoes out there – who want to get up and get going!  More soon…

In some giant US cities, they build up with multi-storied skyscrapers. But, with the vast spaces available in Arizona, they have built out and even have had height restrictions on how high buildings can be built.

So, welcome to Phoenix.  Spread out and still in the desert.

Saguaro cacti and mountains are a short ride from the hustle and bustle

The convoluted routes

In recent years, the road system has been improved with “loop” routes that circle the built up cities and allow travelers to get places more quickly.   If you want to travel to the more northerly areas of Phoenix, take the 101 loop to Scottsdale, North Phoenix, Glendale and Peoria.  The “101” also connects to the north-south Interstate Route 17, which has recently been widened to four lanes in the northern segment. The 101 also connects to Interstate 10, which wiggles all around and, at times, going west when it is really heading north, etc.

Previously, getting out of town to Sedona and other points north has been a nightmare, but with the widened area, that is improved.  That does not stop (note – STOPPED – totally) the occasional road stoppage as when there were brush fires near the road and traffic was stopped for significant chunks of time.

The completed loop 202 allows traffic to flow more freely in the southeastern part of the “Valley,” connecting travelers to the 101, Route 60 (east/west road) and Interstate 10.

So, what I’m saying is that traffic issues can still be problematic.  Avoid traveling on major interstates, if at all possible, during rush hour.  On some of the arterials, two or more people in a vehicle can take advantage of “HOV” – high occupancy vehicle – lanes and move along faster than ordinary mortals.

Downtown Phoenix

Why travel around in the Phoenix area?

Well, for one thing, there are lots of things to see and do, spread out in many directions.  As a resident of the area, we don’t always go to the tourist spots, but we often go to the different extremes.

East

We have enjoyed the Boyce Thompson Arboretum  – out east – in Superior several times.  Route 60 will get you there for a great view of desert plants, both especially cultivated and native.  It’s worth the drive, both for the scenery and the respite from the hustle and bustle.

http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/index.html

Cacti at Boyce Thompson Arboretum - one of many displays

There are indications that copper mining is reviving in the area as well.

North

Taking the loop 101 to Scottsdale or points further north like Cave Creek and Carefree (don’t you just love that name!) will get you some culture, laid back cowboy and arts environments, and open desert.

By the pool at the Carefree Resort

West

Before you hit the open road on the way to Los Angeles on Interstate 10, you’ll be able to see Glendale, noted for antiques and their bead museum, Peoria, Surprise, Goodyear and Buckeye.

http://www.beadmuseumaz.org/

Way out west is the Wigwam Resort, an interesting throwback to a gracious cowboy era. Originally a location for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company execs to vacation, since the company had bought land to cultivate for cotton, the Litchfield Park area was ‘way ‘way out in the country back almost a century ago.

http://www.wigwamresort.com/about-us.html

South

In the south Valley, although many communities have grown up in the last 10-20 years, there are still some rural areas where they cultivate cotton, raise cattle and dig for copper (part of the 5 “C’s that made Arizona famous – Cattle, Citrus, Climate, Copper, and Cotton).   On an occasional day, you might even be able to see the wild horses for which the Wild Horse Pass area near I10 is named.

Cattle - a major "crop" in Arizona

Why visit Phoenix?

Despite the bad publicity that the misguided “SB1070” law has created for Arizona, Phoenix is still a great place to visit.  If you’re used to the cramped quarters of most large US cities, the Phoenix area can be a revelation.   There are still wide-open spaces, desert landscaping (original, not cultivated), and a sense of peace with fabulous sunsets to enthrall you.

Sunset in Arizona

This time of year, travelers can take advantage of great hotel rates, since the weather typically tops 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) until close to October.  You won’t notice the heat, unless you decide to sit by a pool, but then you can take a dip so it won’t matter. Otherwise, air-conditioning reigns supreme – you might even need a light wrap inside!

On my first trip prior to moving to the area, I came out in the middle of June with temperatures around 115 degrees.  Even with my 3-piece business suit, I fell in love with the climate.  I’ve been healthier in Phoenix because of the infamous dry climate (humidity is typically less than 20%).

Although I’m not a paid tourist bureau rep, I’d suggest you take a trip to Phoenix.  It is a great place to unwind.

Saguaro on a slope

Join us next week as we surprise you with more about Arizona and the Southwest

With a population of over 200,000, Boise still seems like an accessible and people-friendly place to live, raise children, work, and enjoy leisure time.

Boise Zoo entrance

Within a few blocks, there is a lovely park with a rose garden, a zoo, both a historical and art museum, an impressive university campus, a river, and a very moving memorial.  The city has a 25-mile green belt, so there is space to breathe and stretch, as you walk along the river.

Rose Garden in Boise

We spent an afternoon trekking around, just walking and seeing the city.  We left our car behind and took in the sights, which we’ll share with you –

Idaho Historical Museum

After a quick visit to scope out the library, usually one of our first stops, we walked through the Julia Davis Park where we saw the Idaho Historical Museum, the Discovery Center (an interactive science museum) and the Boise Art Museum.  As we passed the Art Museum, they were setting up for a private party on the rear lawn.

The Municipal Rose Garden provided a few eye appealing minutes as we walked through the profusion of roses in bloom.

We walked by the Boise Zoo, but they were going to be closing soon, so we continued on.

Morrison Center for the Performing Art at Boise State

We crossed a bridge leading to Boise State University, where the architecture was modern and appealing.  In this day of budget cuts, it was good to see the campus, obviously well kept.

Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial

Our last stop before we headed to dinner was the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, a sculptural center with waterfalls, interactive exhibits, and evocative statements showing the evils of war from a human perspective.  It was a somber and moving experience to read the words of those whose lives have been less fortunate, the innocent victims of war.

Another child victim of war speaks

If you are in the northwest, don’t miss Boise.  When we have more time, we’ll be back to visit …

Come back next week for a visit to an impressive dam.

A few miles and up the hillside – a very steep hillside/mountain – from Clarkdale and Cottonwood, Arizona is the historic town of Jerome, Arizona.  The fact that residents pride themselves on their probable insanity is based on the location of the former mental asylum and the fact that the town is perched precariously on hillsides.  Ironically, you drive through “Deception Gulch” to reach Jerome.

Sign in shop window - the mental state of Jerome

Is this insane?  Well, in any case, it’s fun to explore and find out!

On the day we visited, Jerome was a vision in the mist like the fictional Brigadoon of musical comedy fame.  We landed in the main section of town, elevation 5,246 feet, as the rain came gently down.  From one direction, we could see the red rocks of Sedona in the distance as the weather varied from sunny to rainy to hail with snow threatening, or all of the above at the same time!

Heading first to the Jerome Grand Hotel, a former mental hospital, with its The Asylum, an award-winning restaurant, we began our exploration of the town. Perched way up high with a great view of the valley, the Jerome Grand Hotel is up a one lane road that passes some B & B’s on its way and relies on driver courtesy to prevent accidents.

Jerome Grand Hotel - a former mental institution - thus The Asylum Restaurant

Jerome Grand Hotel lobby

It was mid-morning and no one was dining in The Asylum, but we’ve heard and read repeatedly that the restaurant is terrific, but a bit pricey, and worth every penny.

We looked around and talked with hotel guests who told us how much they loved the hotel and the view.  One guest was in town to hear a group performing in a pub in the town below. www.jeromegrandhotel.com

View from Jerome

Jerome bills itself – “From a roaring copper mining boom town of 15,000 people…To Arizona’s largest ghost town…And now, Arizona’s coolest art colony.”  The remnants of its past are everywhere with some very colorful reminders, like the bordello that is now a very artsy shop.

The buildings are mostly a century or more old with every building precariously perched on the hillsides.  (Yes, it is a trend.)  We really wonder how they have managed to keep from sliding into the valley!  And, of course, many of the houses and locations are reputed to have ghosts.  We didn’t stop to find out!

At the edge of town is the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, a tourist location that we drove through and left quickly.  To reach this replica of the old town, you pass through a dump of old vehicles and other refuse that my husband said would have fascinated his dad, a fan of old machinery.

What we found of major interest were the many craft shops, especially the Jerome Artists’ Cooperative that seemed to have every imaginable craft represented.  You name it – fabric art, photography, pottery, wood, paintings, glass, jewelry, knitted items, glass, copper… All of the items were of superior craftsmanship and some were particularly clever. www.jeromeartistscoop.com

One of the great shops on Main Street in Jerome - Skyfire

We also spent some time wandering about other shops like Nellie Bly II where they had more kaleidoscopes than I have ever seen in one place, made from varying components like wood, glass and ceramic.  Madame Belgian Jennie Bauters was the original founder of the site, which went through two incarnation as a brothel, but finally became a hotel and then the shops it now houses.

Some of the fabulous work in the Jerome Artists' Coop - Glass by Fred Reinhardt, Wooden works by Blake O'Neil

The artists and craftspeople of Jerome do offer some of the best -crafted items in such a concentrated place I have seen.  We chatted with David Hall, a potter who has been in Jerome since 1972, who has a shop at the very edge of a row of stores.  His work is finely crafted and he also features other artists, as well. www.madeinjerome.com

David Hall, long-time resident Jerome potter

A day in Jerome exploring the shops goes by quickly.  Bring your plastic, because you’ll want to purchase keepsakes and gifts!

Note: parking is in demand and hard to find.  Jerome can be a bit challenging to navigate if you are physically challenged.

Come back later this week for the Jerome restaurant we chose for lunch.

Good food at Main Street Cafe and Pizzeria

Main Street Café and Pizzeria

Since we wanted to be done with lunch and to the railroad station prior to 1:00 PM, we arrived at Main Street Café and Pizzeria shortly after they opened at 11:00 AM.  We were the first, but, eventually, not the only customers.

And, wow, what great food!  I don’t usually eat pizzas, but the Chicken Florentine pizza – personal sized – kept enticing me, so I ordered it.  It was a real bargain, too, with many toppings for only $8.  It was terrific and I was so glad I tried it! Hot, fresh ingredients, crispy thin crust, alfredo sauce with just the right flavor, big meaty chunks of chicken, fresh spinach and tomato. I was going to take some with me, but I ate the whole thing – so good!

My husband had the 1/3 lb. Angus burger with mushrooms and mozzarella, cooked medium rare as ordered.  Served on a giant, round, baguette-like fresh roll, it was quite a mouthful and he cleaned his plate.

While we ate, we looked around at the art gallery on the walls.  Our room had some quite interesting elementary school art, but the larger room had what looked like professional artists, who turned out to be high school students.  Impressive work!

Our wait staffer, Linda, is a retiree who works two days a week for some variety in life.  The chef/owner Scott does all of the cooking and is turning out some very fresh and flavorful food in the little burg.

http://clarkdalemainstcafe.com/

Owner, Scott Buckley, of Main Street Cafe and Pizzeria - great food at reasonable prices

Looking around Clarkdale

Before we hopped the train, we drove around Clarkdale, which didn’t take long.  It truly looked like America of years gone by.  The town square with its gazebo could be a set for “The Music Man.”

Clarkdale Town Square

Most of the tidy homes are built with brick, unusual for Arizona.

The Clark Memorial Clubhouse, which is on the National Historic Register, had unusual features like a bowling alley in the basement.  There is a museum in the complex, plus a library. William Clark, the founder of the town was also the owner of the United Verde Copper Company, which was the reason for the town, since he needed a place to locate the smelter to extract copper and Jerome wasn’t working well for that. (More on Jerome next week.)

In the distance, snow-covered mountain peaks that give a view of Jerome make you feel like you might be in the Alps.

Our short visit in Clarkdale ended with our trip on the Verde Canyon Railroad and, if you can imagine a location even tinier than how we’ve described Clarkdale, Perkinsville tops that.  Perkinsville is only a few buildings, one family and some cattle.  Pretty lonely except for the visits of the Verde Canyon Railroad.

Join us Wednesday for our short travel from Clarkdale to the Blazin’ M Ranch.

As you drive into Bisbee from the north, you enter through a tunnel, as if you are going back in time.  To an extent, you are.  The town is nestled into a hillside and the feel is of the 1950s – or before.Bisbee was an old mining town.  When the mines closed, the town became a refuge for hippies back in the 1960s.  The crafty – as in “artsy-craftsy” friends of the hippies showed up, so Bisbee became a unique craft center and, consequently, a Mecca for tourism.

Unique Bisbee - their own historic manhole cover

Bisbee has settled down a great deal since its heady miner days when there were 50 establishments serving liquor in town.  The population of 20,000 in 1910 is down to around 6,000, with the census showing a somewhat mature age skew.

Bisbee now

The old mine, the architecture, and the hillsides create an almost surreal environment.

One of the most noticeable things about Bisbee – The natives are friendly!  Actually, it seems that most people in Bisbee are transplants.  While there, we met a woman who moved in after the mines closed. She spoke about the town and how tourism is a major center of employment, as well as the county government, which is located in Bisbee.  It is clear that without the tourism, Bisbee would probably be a ghost town. As it is, Bisbee claims to be the home of many ghosts.  (More on that next week.)

For such a small population, we found people drawn to stay. Our waitress at Dot’s Diner (review coming up next week) came to Bisbee for a visit and has stayed for two years.

Louis, a gentleman from New York City, retired to Bisbee for its climate.  He also discovered a welcoming community where everyone was willing to include you and be friendly.  He was just returning from a trip to Germany and seemed right at home in another favorite regular’s hangout, The Bisbee Breakfast Club.

We found Bisbee friendly.  Wandering into the “fiber guild,” housed in the basement of the YWCA, a group of weavers regularly congregate from their membership of 80!  There had to be at least 20 looms in the large room.  Some of the inventive and recycled fabrics used in the weaving include old jeans, sheets, and other worn out materials.  There were also some really gorgeous knitted hats, gloves and other items for sale, but, since we live in Arizona, our need for those are minimal.

We stayed overnight at the Copper Queen Hotel, a stately old reminder of how hotels used to be.  Service was courteous – rather old-fashioned these days, too, in these times of diffident service – and the rooms were definitely evocative of the early 1900s when the hotel was built to serve the upscale mine management.

A day or two in Bisbee to take the underground Copper Queen Mine Tour and shop, shop, shop were fun diversions.  The very unusual thing about Bisbee – I don’t remember a single chain store in the entire town!  (Finding a gas station was a bit of a challenge until a friendly local told us where to find the Circle K – possibly the only chain in town.)

So, if you’re looking for a unique, old-fashioned experience, join us next week while we explore the food, the mines, the shops and the experience of Bisbee, Arizona.

For 10 years, Casa Grande has been holding their annual car show and street fair – very successfully.  In 2009, they counted 40,000 attendees and this year the mild weather is likely to draw more. And, the show is free.

For a small city, the vehicles they attract to this event are remarkable:  Autos in “like new” condition from as far back as the early 1920s, motorcycles tricked out with amazing paint jobs and trucks you would never believe exist.

The street fair is a complementary part of the event since – well, you know, you have to eat!  The food has some unusual offerings, like Tornado Fries and Fry Bread, that you won’t find just anywhere.  Also, there were emu burgers and every kind of edible, portable food you can imagine.

Plus, the crafts range from jewelry to pottery to garlic graters and several flute vendors –  as well as almost any kind of gift you’d like to purchase.  (Too early to holiday shop for December 2010?– probably not!)  All together, there were nearly 150 vendors with food, drink and crafts to see.  Just big enough that you could see everything and not be worn out.

But, what really impressed us, though, were the cars…

Vintage vehicles of every description

Casa Grande has quite a few “vintage people,” so it was no surprise to hear people say, “I had a car like that when I was young” or “My Dad had a car like that!”

Hup, two…

Frank Fretheim (grey hat) and his 1932 Hupmobile

One car that was a particular focus of attention was the 1932 Hupmobile owned by Frank Fretheim.  The green, mint-condition vehicle has been obviously, lovingly kept.  It has 98,000-plus miles and, Frank maintains, had only 80,000 miles until 1980.  The car purrs – Frank started it up to prove it!  Other fun features are the button on the dashboard that shows how much oil is in the engine, the “trunk” (that is really just a shelf on the outside of the car’s rear,) and a special accoutrement that Frank has casually put on the rear seat.  The special feature is an old machine gun, such as a gangster type might have used.  Frank jokes that he gets “really fast service when he drives up to the bank window and asks for money.” (Frank definitely has a sense of humor.)  He also has another Hupmobile that he bought on EBay.

Unusual car accoutrement in back of Hupmobile

Hupmobile's trunk

Other vehicles

What auto show is complete without a 1925 Ford Model T, all boxy and upright.  There were older cars, but they did not look as elderly as they were too shiny and modernized.

1925 Ford Model T

A Kaiser, vintage 1954 caught my eye (“Darrin “ model) with leather seats. And, a 1941 Pontiac coupe was impressive.  There was a 1933 Plymouth sedan on display in green that really looked well-preserved, too.

1954 Kaiser "Darrin"

For the sportier car fan, there was also a vintage 1969 VW Karmann Ghia in a carmel color.   And, movie buffs could also revel in seeing several DeLoreans, such as they featured in the “Back to the Future”  movies.

1969 VW Karmann Ghia - one of the newer cars on view

1982 DeLorean

My vote for the strangest looking vehicle – which actually works – was a stagecoach – motorized, that also serves as a limousine.  Very weird-looking, but people were loving having a seat in it.

Stagecoach - available for hire

Casa Grande’s fair occurs annually in February.  Check it out if you’re in Arizona.

Come back later this  week for an unusual restaurant in Casa Grande.