Vintage Vacations...Oatman, AZ on Route 66!

Vintage Vacation...Oatman, Arizona!

Arizona's desert landscape...

My dad and his wife Geri love to spend the winters in Bullhead Arizona...along with everyone from "Beautiful British Columbia" and other cold states and provinces.  He knows of my love of mining towns and told me about Oatman, located in the hills outside Bullhead.  He never mentioned that it was at the end of a 14 mile dirt road...but that's another story.  He also never mentioned that we could also access this town on Route 66 out of Kingman...so we drove from Vegas to Laughlin and across the river to Bullhead.  Actually, it was more fun to take the scenic route...bumping along through the desert.

Roadside Memorial..."Thumper!"

Arizona seems to have more of these than any other state I've visited.

Shopping for Souvenirs...lol!

On our drives, George likes to collect large rocks for his flower beds.  He also purchased a large rusty water pump...from the "Mantiques" department of a local Oatman shop.

The first sign of "Danger!"

Rush Hour...

When we finally reached the junction with Route 66...mercifully paved...we got caught in noon rush hour traffic.  The town is full of burros...descendants of the miners' animals.  When the mines closed the animals were left to their own devices. The local burros are "wild"...but you wouldn't know it.  They all have names and are petted and fed by locals and tourists.  The town wouldn't exist without them.  Every store sells Burro Chow...some kind of hay cookies.  Several smaller burros had stickers on their foreheads...saying something like "I am a baby...do not feed me."

Welcoming Committee!

What happens if you open your window to take a picture...lol!



Oatman is proud of its connection to the "Mother Road."

Sign at the entrance to town tells of its mining history and the burros' place in that history.

They are protected by Federal law as "Living Symbols of the Old West."

My new friend took a bite out of my little brown bag containing vintage cookie cutters.

I didn't know that Burro Chow was sold in identical little brown bags

Random Oatman Architecture...

Inside the Oatman Hotel

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard slept here on their honeymoon.

They were married in Kingman.

The Oatman Hotel Restaurant...

The walls  and ceilings are completely covered with thousands of signed $1 bills!

Lunch! 

Yummiest patty melt and their special "Burros Ears" giant potato chips.

Seriously...some were about a foot long!

A little after-lunch exploration.

The sign says it all...he's mine!

George is losing a lot of weight...but still wears his "fat pants"...lol!

Random rusty artifacts.

On our way back to Vegas via 66 to Kingman.

One more cool sighting on the Mother Road.

In some ways, Oatman reminded me of Radiator Springs in the movie "Cars"...before the characters took renewed pride in their little town. 

Thank you for joining me

on this Vintage Vacation

PS...here are some vintage Route 66 graphics...enjoy!

Stingy Jack...the story of Jack o' Lanterns!

Punkin Love...
What is it about the sight of plump pumpkins in an autumn garden that so gladdens the heart?  At summer's end I crave the golds and oranges...the changing colors.  The sky seems bluer and the light of the sun slants golden across the face of the mountains.  In the farmers markets, bins and tables are piled high with pumpkins of every shape and size.

This morning the air was a bit crisper and I got the sudden craving for my mother's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  Pumpkin recipes are all over Pinterest...fancy cheesecakes and even Pumpkin Snickerdoodles!  In my sentimental heart, nothing could ever take the place of Mom's cookies.  I shared the recipe last fall when my blog was new.  Stay tuned...you'll find here again it after the story of "Stingy Jack."

Stingy Jack...

Halloween originated in the Celtic lands of Ireland and Scotland.

 

The phrase "Jack o' lantern" was first used to describe a mysterious light seen flickering over the marshes at night.  When approached...it always seems to be just out of reach.  The phenomenon is also known as "will o' the wisp."

 

I had always heard that many of our Halloween customs originated in Ireland...especially that of the Jack o' lantern.  So I thought I would find out a little of the history of our pumpkin friend.  I found the legend on Stingy Jack on many websites, but the story on History.com was a little more complete.  The following info is taken from the site...

Vintage Postcard...Scottish?

The Legend of "Stingy Jack"

People have been making jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." 

A traditional Irish turnip jack-o'-lantern from the early 20th century. Scary, isn't it?

From the Museum of Country Life, Ireland.

 

From the legend of Stingy Jack came the Irish tradition of placing Jack- o'- lanterns made of turnips and other vegetables in windows or by doors on Halloween.  The Jack-o'-lanterns are meant to scare away Stingy Jack and all the other spirits that are said to walk the earth on that night.  It wasn't until the tradition was brought to the United States by immigrants that pumpkins were used to make them.  I read a comment on a blog from Scottish reader who said that until a few years ago, pumpkins weren't as readily available as they are here.  He said that many people still carve faces into turnips on Halloween.  He admits that pumpkins are much easier to carve!

Modern Turnip Jack o' lantern.

 

Well...that's the story of Jack o'lantern.  I had never heard the story of Stingy Jack.  I have always loved Halloween but never took the time to learn more about it.  There is a lot more information about the Celtic celebration of "Samhain."  It might be fun to do a little more research...after I make my cookies of course!

 

This is the prettiest pumpkin...makes me want to bake!

Mom's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies...recipe makes a lot!



Mom's Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter or Margarine
3 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 16 oz. Can Pumpkin
2 Tsp. Vanilla
2 Tsp. Cinnamon
2 Tsp. Nutmeg
5 Cups Flour
2 Tsp. Soda
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
Nuts and Chocolate Chips (As many as pleases you!)

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen.  If you freeze some...you might be able to enjoy them throughout the fall season.  Take some leaf-peeping! 

 

P.S. I found some fun fall baking images to keep to the pumpkin theme...enjoy!

 

Happy Fall...Y'all!

 

 





LIFE Magazine, June 21, 1937...A Lost Plane Timeline!

A Timeline of Events...

          LIFE Magazine, June 21, 1937              

Putting LIFE into perspective...

I have an old copy of LIFE Magazine from 1937.  I bought it because there was an article or picture concerning the "Lost Plane."  I often will do a Google search to see if I can find any more information about the plane crash that has figured so prominently in our family stories.  I was pleased to find a full-page lay-out...

Page 27

 LIFE Magazine is so large...11" by 14"...that it's too big for the scanner. 

The article was to be found on page 27 in the "LIFE ON THE AMERICAN NEWSFRONT" section.  I had hoped to find some tidbit of information that was new to me...maybe even a mention of my Grandpa Mel.  But no...that which is of vital importance to me and my family, was deserving of only a passing interest to the American public.  This is where "perspective" comes in.  The years 1936 to 1937 were filled with turmoil and amazing historical events.  It's important when writing Family History to be able to see the timeline of events around your family story.  When you know the history of the time...you can visualize how those events affected your family. 

Imagine a late-1930s housewife reading this issue of LIFE.  When she gets to pages 26 and 27...which story do you think she will find most intriguing...finding a missing aircraft, or...

Page 26...Jean Harlow dies.

... the death of blonde bombshell Jean Harlow, whose "platinum blonde" hair made her famous overnight?  It's a no brainer.  I'm not saying that the housewife has no brains.  In that time of economic woe with rumbles of war on the horizon, she can be forgiven for daydreaming about the lives of  Hollywood stars and all of the glitz and glamour that were out of reach for so many everyday Joes and Janes. 

Grandpa Mel and Grandma Zetta could barely make ends meet...scraping a living from the mountain soil of their little fruit farm.  They couldn't even afford a radio so they could be more aware of what was happening in the outside world.  When Mel wanted to hear the latest news, he traveled down the canyon to Alpine to get the news from the local store.  No wonder a radio was on Mel's wish list after receiving his share of the reward money. 

Page 7

$36.95?  That was a king's ransom back then.

I want to share with you...my readers and family...some of the things going on in the world during the years of 1936 and 1937. 

1936...

Dustbowl

Drought and depletion of the soil worsen the dustbowl in the midwest.  Desperate farmers pack up their families and possessions and move to fertile areas further west...like California.

Hindenberg takes flight.

It was a wonder to behold.  Measuring over 800 feet in length, the dirigible Hindenberg makes the first of its transatlantic flights as it arrives in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Hoover Dam is completed.

Bruno Hauptmann.

Bruno Hauptmann, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering the Lindberg baby (Charles Lindberg III) was executed in April.

In May "Gone With the Wind" was published.

In August Jesse Owens upset Hitler by winning four Gold Medals.

December 15...Western Air Express plane crashes on mountain above Alpine, Utah.

This was copied from Grandma Zetta's scrapbook. 

Not best surviving newspaper page, but included date and time in her own handwriting.

1937...

In May, the Hindenberg explodes as it nears its mooring in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Page 19

LIFE Magazine story on "Cinderella Man" James Braddock.

Joe Louis knocked him out for World Heavy Weight Boxing title.

Golden Gate Bridge is dedicated.

June 6, 1937...Grandpa Mel finds first pieces of missing plane.

July 2, 1937...Amelia Earhart disappears.

The following is a paragraph from the first blog post I wrote about the Lost Plane. The Lost Plane  This version was written for my grandchildren:

"The first victim was found on July 4, 1937. Her name was Hazel Skinner and she was just returning home to Chicago with her new husband. They had been honeymooning in Mexico. Gradually over the next few weeks the rest of the bodies were located. Do you want to hear a strange coincidence? On that very same Fourth of July, the Salt Lake Tribune announced that Amelia Earhart had disappeared somewhere between Lae, New Guinea and Howland Island in the Pacific and was never heard from again! What happened to Amelia is one of the twentieth century's biggest mysteries."

In the grand scheme of things, we each live very small lives.  Isn't it wonderful to know that there is One who is greater than even kings and presidents...and He knows us.  And knowing this helps put things into perspective for me.

2012...

When you sit down to write the stories of your family, what will your timeline look like?  What was going on the year that you were born? How did the history of our country and world events influence the way you lived your life?  Maybe it's time to start writing that story...before it's too late.

I want to thank Meri from ImagiMeri's Creations for this darling typewriter graphic...it's just my type! =D