Reckless Abandon: THANKful for Deserted Domiciles

It is that time of year again when we Americans show our gratitude for the abundance with which we live through a glorious display of gluttony and greed.  First we gorge ourselves on a disgraceful amount of food and then we trample each other for discounted electronics that we cannot afford anyway; seriously, every year the news is chock full of footage of people injuring (sometimes killing) their fellow human beings to get a TV/cell phone/video game console with built-in obsolescence.  Can you tell that I am a bit of a humbug when it comes to the contemporary holiday tradition?  Having worked in retail for many seasons, I like to count my blessings as far away from shopping malls as possible.  The furthest locale for my kind of gratitude is the desert and the places that remind me to be grateful for all that I have are the decaying, abandoned houses along the highway. 

There comes a moment in every fervent search for a very particular abandoned, desert house when one realizes that in the search, one has driven past a hundred abandoned, desert houses - all worthy of exploration.  As it turns out, the desert isn't just untamed winds and prehistoric flora, it is a vast frontier of never ending opportunities for exploring abandoned properties.  The combination of the feeling that you're doing something naughty with the opportunity you have to make up a history for the property and its former occupants turns what is really an innocuous activity into something very exciting.  So, with reckless abandon we set out to explore these abandoned wrecks.  

"Danny was here"

Our first stop was this abandoned house in Yucca Valley, Twenty Nine Palms???  Wherever it was, it was a sweet little house.  Based on the remaining fixtures and the style, the house appears to have been built in the late 1940's/early 1950's.

You know those times when you jokingly pretend you're modeling and
the result is a super-uncomfortable photograph that you insist on sharing
 with the world anyway?  This is not that...obviously.

Decorating by paintball - interesting choice.
The scalloped trim and the radius shelves made we want to move
 in and save this place.

Some wallpaper was still intact because it was on the kitchen ceiling.

A large service porch had a sink and room for washer,
dryer, ironing board, and storage.  Is it weird that I have turned
this into real estate shopping rather than a gritty examination
 of this abandoned, and undoubtedly haunted, shack? 

Speaking of all things haunted - even in the full light of day,
 the house was a little spooky and came complete with the obligatory
disembodied doll arm.

The landscaping and lawn ornaments were atmospheric
but all in all they left something to be desired.
I did bring a souvenir home - the Frigidaire name plate.

The climbing tree was pretty awesome though

And then there was the fiberglass go kart body
parked in the breakfast nook and another on the side yard.

It is hard to find logic in an abandoned desert home but we just couldn't get over the go karts; why were they there?  Were the previous residents professionals on the international go kart circuit?   Were they working on a fossil-fuel-free transportation system for city residents?  Were these rejects from Autopia that Disneyland was stashing in the desert?  The answer came a short while later when we followed the lighthouse in the distance.

Our beacon

Even in a defunct state, this stately architecture lit our way to our next abandoned location - a family fun center!

Complete with racetrack and more go karts!!!

Mr. Tiny had the bright idea to bring a bit of the lighthouse
 home but what does one do with a gable full of termites and
rusty nails?

Man, oh man, would I like this for the backyard though.
You know I love a good water feature.

A short but challenging course.

Smith's Ranch, while technically not abandoned, fell into the "abandoned" category because it was desolate when we found it; the dusty floor of this primitive drive-in theater combined with the fierce winds definitely lent a feeling that no one had populated its grounds in many years.

Smith's Ranch plays up-to-date pictures

While there are still plenty of flickers yet to be played at Smith's Ranch,
it seemed like a screening of The Last Picture Show would be entirely apropos.

We were feeling so high on our abandoned adventures that we thought nothing could bring us down...

And then Mary was taken out by a giant arrow.

Whether your celebrations find you heading to the middle of the desert or to the comfort of your family home, we wish you a functioning wacky wagon, a roadside filled with wonder, and a very Happy Thanksgiving - you turkeys!!!  

(Source)

We have much to be thankful for and while we are in a thankful frame of mind, we must again thank you for all of your support!  Thanks for following along and thanks especially for your wonderful comments.  In our next post, we will have an exciting announcement and an opportunity to show our gratitude with a GIVEAWAY!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

The Living Desert: A Birthday Retreat

First, I must say a very heartfelt "THANK YOU" for all of your kind birthday greetings!  I swore off the evils of technology for a very long time (I have always been a bit of a late adopter) but truly, there is much good to be found out there on the world wide web - especially connecting with awesome people like you guys!  THANKS!!!

I wish I was one of those bloggers that was a consummate editor.  I am inspired by blogs that show a few highlights through beautifully composed photographs and leave me wanting more.  I wish I left you wanting more but, alas, that is a birthday wish that will never come true.  I just can't help but share every last detail of our adventures.  

When it comes to birthdays, I actually have a much better time celebrating other people than celebrating myself; the answer to that problem is to simply slip away in the night to a remote destination...but not so remote that we can't be home in an hour or two.  I prefaced my desert birthday plans by saying that I wanted a western/cowboy theme to every celebration but, as you will see, I'm a poseur and many of our activities were decidedly un-cowboy.

Exhibit A
The World Famous Crochet Museum - Joshua Tree, CA

We were hipped to the World Famous Crochet Museum by our pal Crystal Lee at Nakedcowgirl Vintage.  Since we were in the area, we couldn't pass up the chance to pay our respects to the peace-nick poodles and the happy hippo.  If I were a shady-type of character, the hippo probably would have come home with me; the museum has a key left in the lock so visitors can enter at will - with that kind of trust placed in me from the start, I just couldn't bring myself to take it. Yes, the WFCM may not be cowboy but it is a little bit of wacky tacky heaven.

The Country Kitchen, now that's looking a little more like it.

What does a hungry cowpoke order at the Country Kitchen?
A crispy tofu, peanut salad, of course.  De-licious!

After the Country Kitchen, we started getting a little warmer in our pursuit of cowboy activities.  Having had our lives changed and our world enlarged by attending the largest square dance festival in the American Southwest last year, we knew that revisiting the square dance subculture was a definite bullet point on our weekend itinerary.

The festival is held at The Riverside Date Festival fairgrounds.  With a decidedly
Arabian theme; the smash-up of cultures is wacky tacky perfection.

Lea Veronica (left) became our new friend and a sewing mentor for me.  She makes all of her own dresses and gave me all kinds of tips for making perfect ruffles!  The couple on the right was an outstanding example of the homemade, couples' ensembles that make the festival something extra special!  They had an under-the-sea/mermaid theme!  I seriously think square dancers should be the heroes of the next Christopher Guest movie.

Shields Date Ranch - Indio, CA
A must-do as Shields' dates are the only dates I ever get.

I'm hoping that it pays to advertise...

Up to that point, we had seen much of the populated desert, but we wanted to feel truly out in the middle of nowhere.  We headed south by southeast for the real living desert (unofficial/not associated with the botanical garden)!

No matter how desolate the area, the hand of man is always present.  Industrial

 supplies and giant metal sculptures make for picture-perfect roadside photo ops!

I think that I was checking to see if they were Dromedaries or Bactrians???

My other car is a grasshopper.

As a Scorpio, it seems to me that I should have
had my picture made with the giant scorpion. Fail.

Crossing under the highway and rising and falling through the desert floor, this snake/dragon/desert monster is HUGE!!

I'm not a really dragon guy, but the level of detail and artistry is pretty incredible!

The father, the sun, and his faithful companion Spirit.
The desert is a holy place.

Is Spirit the creepiest dog you've ever seen, or what?

See what I mean?  This mosaic is awesome!!!

The desert isn't all spiritual beauty, however.  Plenty of dirty, rotten, filthy, stinkin' liars have made their way through this arid clime, including Peg-Leg Smith.

"Peg-Leg Smith Monument Register, Erected by Desert Steve, Feb. 12, 1949"
Desert Steve sounds like he should have a monument of his own!

According to the Lonely Planet website,

"The Peg Leg Smith Monument This a monument to Thomas Long 'Peg Leg' Smith: mountain man, fur trapper, horse thief and liar. Around 1829, Peg Leg passed through on his way to LA and supposedly picked up some rocks that were later found to be pure gold. Strangely, he didn't return to the area until the 1850s, when he was unable to find the lode. Nevertheless, he told lots of people about it, and many came to search for the gold and add to the myths."

The tradition when visiting the monument is twofold.  First, seekers of gold must add ten rocks to the mounting rock pile.  Second, visitors must leave a note or memento in the mailbox. 

"Let those who seek Pegleg's gold add ten rocks to this pile"
You better believe I added my ten rocks; this fool needs gold!

Mary's contribution to the visitors' log

"Liar's contest first Saturday in April"
I told everyone they could definitely count on me for the big Liar's Contest.
I think I've already won the contest...I'm not going.

Feeling a little penitent for our lying, covetous ways, we found one of those
 meditation maze/labyrinths so we could spend time pondering our misdeeds
 and Peg-Leg Smith's bad example.
Mary was a little slower to reach enlightenment than I.

One would think that reaching oneness would make one less susceptible to entering places of unholy and unhealthy vibrations, but we just had to see the sea.

Mr. Tiny and Mary testing the camera's timer at the Salton Sea Beach Marina

The Salton Sea is many things, not one of them is "a great place to go have a nice fish dinner."  It is eerily calm and I would be loathe to eat anything there, let alone fish.

The strangest sight is seabirds in the middle of the desert; giant white pelicans floating serenely in a foul-smelling, desert lake is weird.  The unearthly haze that hangs in the air is even weirder than the smog to which we have become so accustomed.  Weirder still is the moment when one realizes that the shoreline isn't strewn with leaves, branches, and the usual flotsam and jetsam of the sea; it is strewn with thousands and thousands of rotting, festering fish carcasses!!!  I guess that accounts for the smell... 

"Fish heads, fish heads, roly-poly fish heads..."

I call this one Nemo.

Walters Restaurant & Lounge "Where Nice People Go"
Would you believe that in tiny script at the bottom of the sign it read, "to get
killed and turned into some kind of horrible loose-meat sandwich?"

It seemed odd that the large, readable "Salton Sea Beach" sign was
partially covered by a smaller sign reading "Salton Sea Beach."
Truthfully, there is nothing about the Salton Sea that isn't odd.
  The desert is weird!!!

Yeah, it's weird, but I could live there...in an anchor house.

Or the Sea & Sun Motel - they have COLOR TV!!!

Yes, friends, I love the desert, I am not a cowboy (darn it), and I had a swell birthday weekend.  It did take multiple showers to remove the residue of the Salton Sea, but I would happily go back and visit all over again.  As always, we did our best to see a lot but if you think this post covered everything we did, then you have another think coming.  Stay tuned for even more desert fun!!!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

p.s. As a light bit of housekeeping, you are cordially invited to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at wacy_tacky.  Who's poo-pooing technology now?  More importantly, we really appreciate your following along and we invite you to tell your friends, neighbors, and loved ones about all the good times we have here.  Remember, when we reach 150 official blog followers, there will be an awesome giveaway!!!  We just need ONE MORE!!!  We can do it and you can help!  Thanks!!!