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!

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…

Hyatt Place

We checked into the Hyatt Place Boise on North Milwaukee Street not too far from the highway, our first experience at a Hyatt Place.  We were impressed!

The friendly staff was smiling and efficient.  If we hadn’t had so many questions as first-timers, we could actually have used the automated check in.  However, our host was eager to show us around in the lobby.  Everything is easy to access.

The décor is sleek and inviting.  We really liked the room, too.  Technology is very much accounted for- you can use the free wireless Internet connections or dock your iPod. The bed is in an alcove-like arrangement so there is a feeling of a suite.  The “living room” has a fabulous couch that wraps around with an ottoman.  In the “office area” a desk with connections faces away from a small fridge with a wet sink and a coffee maker. http://boisetownesquaremall.place.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/place/index.jsp

Great space!

Boise Farmers Market

If you’ve been reading the blogs, you know that we wouldn’t miss a Farmers’ Market.  Boise’s Farmers Market is certainly worth seeing!  Such fun – and four blocks worth of scrumptious fresh produce, hand made items and entertainment in downtown Boise every Saturday, from 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.

Boise Farmers Market

A fun way to spend a Saturday

The atmosphere is entertaining and everyone seems to be in a festive mood.

Entertainers at Boise Downtown Farmers Market

Fresh cheese, delicious brittle pine nut candy, and some hand-carved wooden items were some of the great items we purchased.  If we had lived there, we would have chosen fresh eggs, meats, flowers and – well, it would be hard to hold us back!

Boise Farmers Market has almost everything everyone would ever want to eat - cheese, eggs, meats, fresh produce, candy - and crafts

Then, we decided on a fun café/pub-like restaurant, the Brick Oven Bistro, at 801 Main Street.  After review of an enormous menu of soups, salads, main dishes with so many choices I had trouble choosing, I had some terrific food.  The portions were enormous and the staff was competent, efficient and friendly.  I spilled my soup as I sat down and a staffer was so nice about cleaning up my messy spot at the table. Reasonable prices, great food, fun atmosphere – we recommend Brick Oven Bistro! http://www.brickovenbistro.com/

Come back next week when we take a jaunt to a penitentiary where they cultivate flowers!

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.

Run by the Mabery family, Blazin’ M offers an old western town, plus a petting zoo, an all-you can-eat dinner and a rollicking cowboy show.  They have a sense of humor, too!

Just punishment? Think about it!

So, it’s a family attraction, now in its 16th year, and one that appears to have a lot of repeat visitors, plus people who come from far away.  The prize for the furthest distance traveled at our dinner show was a South American visitor!

We finally got his "good side"

The petting zoo had a llama, some turkeys, goats, chickens, donkeys, and horses.  None of them wanted to pose.  I guess we finally got their ”good” side, but they didn’t make it easy.

Petting zoo turkey didn't want to pose

We wandered by the roping practice area where a guest was learning how to rope a horse – and doing a good job, at that.

Roping practice at the Blazin' M

Several shops offered some typical tourist memorabilia, plus you could have your photo taken.  There was also cowboy attire like clothing, hats and boots in the shops.  Crafts, food items and especially women’s clothing were available.

Cowboy boots lined the wall of this shop

The Dinner part of the Dinner Theater

Magically, when the dinner bell rang, staffers who had been helping in the shops suddenly appeared in the dinner hall.

Dinner service was accomplished efficiently by taking guests table by table (everyone is seated family-style at long tables) through the food line.  And, magically, the staffers also doubled as food servers.  Those family members and staff really work hard!  It was funny seeing the rough-and-tumble looking “cowboys” wearing plastic gloves for the food service.

Dinner was much like cowboys might experience on the trail.  Lining up to receive your tin plate, you joined the line. There is a choice of chicken or beef brisket in barbecue sauce. (On the first round, then you could have whatever you wanted.) With that came cowboy beans (vegetarian), coleslaw, baked potatoes, rolls, applesauce, spice cake and basic drinks in tin cups. (Specialty sodas extra.)

A vegetarian could have most of the meal, an unusual concession, since in the Old West you ate what was available.  While not fancy, the food was filling and good.  I didn’t find the barbecue sauce cloyingly sweet like some places serve and I ate the whole slice.  The cole slaw and applesauce were very good.  Everything, except the applesauce, is made on the premises.

During dinner, a master of ceremonies works at getting people in a convivial mood.  Then, they start the dinner show.  That’s the fun part that we’ll share with you later this week.

http://www.blazinm.com

Come back later this week for the Blazin’ M dinner theatre – a rollicking, tuneful, fun time!

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.

Portland Saturday Market - or part of it

And, this is one of those places that is a must-see if you’re coming to Portland. The array of hand-crafted items to see and purchase is dizzying. Creativity abounds!Also, there are enough food vendors to start a mini-United Nations of food. Starting with burgers, ice cream, coffee and pizzas, the food then heads into Asian, Creole, Greek, Lebanese, Mexican, Polish and Thai choices. There are also ATM machines in the vicinity, so if you have money in your account, you won’t go hungry!

On to the crafts…

The glass work of Richart Glass was especially colorful and appealing, but there was also pottery, twirling metal mobiles, and other original items to catch your eye.

Richart Glass is one of the Saturday Market artisans who creates attractive original artwork

Candles and other crafts

 Children were playing in the water at the street fountain, drummers were playing plastic buckets – quite the viruosos! – and there was a sense of festivity even though it was drizzly. The street musicians can be very talented as well as the scheduled musicians who span genres including blues, jazz, hillbilly, funk, ragtime and more.

The dancing fountains

About the Portland Market

In operation since 1974, Portland Saturday Market is a fun way to spend part or all of a day. Getting there is easy since a light rail stops right in the midst of the area at the Skidmore Fountain Max Station. If you’re trying to find the Portland Saturday Market, it’s near the west side of the Burnside Bridge. (It used to be under the bridge, but it was recently relocated just a little bit south.

 
After you shop, a stroll along the Willamette River on the Westside Riverwalk is a great place to see the scenery and stop for a few minutes to nibble your food or review your purchases.

View from Riverwalk of Willamette River

Hours: Saturday 10-5; Sunday 11-4:30. This year, it has been open from February 28-December 24.

 
The Portland Saturday Market is a great outing for a family!  And, it’s a good feeling to buy something directly from the craftsperson who made the item.

http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/

Rose shows traditional family "storm" pattern

Although her weaving time is confined to evenings and her spare time, the intricacy and proficiency of her work is exceptional. She learned the skill from her mother, who is a published author on weaving. Her mother’s special pattern is called the “storm” pattern. If you think that these works are easy, you would be wrong: it can take a year to produce one rug.

Her great grandfather, also known for his weaving proficiency, is “Big Horse the Warrior,” of whom a book is written, Bighorse the Warrior.

Rose Big Horse shows her loom and her weaving

Rose’s wool comes from an uncle’s family farm, where sheep are still raised. The wool is carded (see photo) and then spun into the strands that later become the pillows, blankets and designs that are sold.

Rose moves quickly, demonstrating wool carding

The quality, since the wool is derived from her family’s animals and the designs are individually woven, is exceptional. Rose sells her pillows for $300 per pair. A full-sized rug can be priced for as much as $10,000. However, the many hours of work just preparing the wool, dying the wool and weaving certainly make the finished product worth it!

Rose was missing a family reunion to volunteer at Wupatki National Monument. National Geographic magazine was filming her family reunion, taking place in Northern Arizona.

Rose does not currently have a Web site, but plans to get one up soon. Her contact information, if you would like more information on her weaving, is: rlbighorse6@msn.com

Keep looking for her designs on the Web!