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

Just SLIDE Over Here and Give Me a Moment!

Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to go out to Palm Springs for a little taste of Palm Srings Modernism Week.  We woke early and motored out to the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum for a special slideshow presentation by Charles Phoenix.

Mr. Tiny & Mary around the book stalls.
We were there as audience members and active participants.  I've always been told that I have a great face
for radio and I was afraid that I would scare people off,  but I think we actually drew a pretty good crowd.
Okay, okay...Mary and the books didn't hurt either.

The beach ball (one of many) was representative of the show's theme,
"Pools, Patios, & Barbecues" - a celebration of American backyard culture
and an extension of the larger museum exhibit entitled "Backyard Oasis."

Speaking of beach balls, they were flying before the show!

The star of the show, Charles Phoenix, King of Kodachrome,
Ambassador of Americana, Keeper of the Kitsch, Retro Slideshow Showman
Extraordinaire,and dare I say, connoisseur of wacky tacky, standing in front 
of the first slide of the series - a kid caught mid-air as he dives into his 
backyard swimming pool from one of those great, old, springy, diving boards
 that have been banished from existence.

Each image in the show was thoughtfully culled from a collection of over
70,000 slides.  The shrieks of delight from the audience that accompanied
the advance of every frame cemented the fact that it was going to be a
crowd-pleasing show.  There were so many slides that I told myself that I was
going to remember and use as inspiration for design projects that, unfortunately,
have already been lost to age and ADD.  One that really stuck with
me, however, was a slide of people at a backyard luau laying on their stomachs
in a ring around a watermelon spiked with booze and straws.  Each person
claimed a straw and drank from the melon!  I loved it not just for the sheer genius and
novelty of the idea, but also because it showed a group of people actually having fun
at a party.  I think we get caught up in being so sophisticated and taking ourselves so
seriously that we forget to drop the facade and enjoy the party!

Mary, Charles, and Mr. Tiny.
What a colorful bunch of bananas!
Dig Mary's rattan, turtle, basket purse.

After the show, we adjourned to King's Highway
at the Ace Hotel for lunch.

This is what happens when you hand over
camera duties to someone else.

David & Susan, the reigning King & Queen of 3D! 

You can see the 3D camera that David holds has a viewer

attached that really makes the images come to life!

Cool!  Cool!  Cool!

The only way we were able to get a group shot was in the mirror.
It's a modernist take on the last supper.

No trip to the desert is complete without a trip to the date farm.
But which way do we go?

Overall, it was a most marvelous kind of day in our local desert.  If you have never seen a Charles Phoenix retro slideshow or if you are not yet a fan, do yourself a favor and get with it!!!  His surname is no accident, like a phoenix from the ashes, he resurrects not just long-forgotten images, but a pastime once doomed to obsolescence, and turns them into performance art.  His shows are delightful and as a showman, he takes the notion of a "boring family slideshow" and turns it on its ear!  Make a point of signing up for the "Slide of the Week" emails at charlesphoenix.com where you can also see a list of upcoming shows, purchase books, and view videos of his test kitchen and appearances on Martha Stewart and Conan O'Brien.  Also, be sure to like Charles Phoenix on Facebook.  What are you waiting for?


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Desert Oases: THANKFUL for Vintage Roadside

At this point, you are probably giving thanks that this is to be the last post from our whirlwind, desert, birthday extravaganza!  I, however, am somewhat wistful that it is all over.  Nevertheless, on this the official day of gratitude and giving thanks, I am reminded that the whole trip was joyful and, in the immortal words of Irving Berlin via Bing Crosby, "I've got plenty to be thankful for."

"I've Got Plenty to be Thankful for"

***SIDE NOTE***

Speaking of Bing, for whatever reason, our latest post about Bing Crosby's Blue Skies Trailer Village posted out of order.  If you haven't had a chance to read it, just follow the link.

I really do have plenty to be thankful for.  As my natural tendency is towards being a complete and utter ingrate, I must remind myself daily to count my many blessings.  I feel another song coming on.

"Count Your Blessings"

Hmmm, that Irving Berlin was an unnaturally grateful fellow.  Taking a note from him, I will share with you what fills our wacky tacky hearts with gratitude, at this time of year or any - VINTAGE ROADSIDE!!!  I won't go into detail on every attraction as the pictures are pretty self-explanatory.  I will say that we visited all of these spots in a 24-hour period and we are so grateful that sights like these are in relative abundance within a short distance of our home.  Furthermore, we are grateful for the creative minds that gave us these unnatural wonders of the world.  Further still, we are grateful for the nostalgic hearts that maintain these structures so we can continue in our pursuit of all things wacky tacky.

Riverside County Date Festival Fairgrounds

82-503 Hwy 111

Indio, CA

Pioneertown, CA
53688 Pioneertown Rd.
Pioneertown, CA

Beautiful!!
Pioneertown was once a western lot used to film scenes for movies and TV.
Roy Rogers broke ground for Pioneertown in 1946 with the help of
The Sons of the Pioneers, from which the town takes its name.

"Wagon Wheels"

I'm pretty sure this is what Heaven sounds like.

One of you will have to drop me a line and let me 

know as it is unlikely that I will find out firsthand.

Rustlin' some steer.

We would have died within five minutes of being on the trail.

That's one crazy totem pole!

I couldn't stop her...

You don't get like this by sucking lemons!

My new album cover

Boot Hill
So long, ol' friend.

The restrooms at Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown

"Studs" & "Fillies"

Interior of  the Bottle Wall at Pappy & Harriet's

Exterior of the Bottle Wall

Cabazon Dinosaurs
50770 Seminole Dr.
Cabazon, CA

True, the Cabazon Dinosaurs are iconic and
probably deserve an entire post of their own.
What can I say that hasn't already been said?
They are fundamental to the cause of wacky tacky.

If you've never had a chance to be inside a brontosaurus,
this is what it looks like.

Snake charmer

Tell me that you don't find this absolutely breathtaking.

Giant Gumby & Pokey - Norco, CA
4175 California St.
Norco, CA

The best part about Gumby and Pokey?  They aren't a marketing gimmick; 

they are just lawn art in someone's front yard.

Hahaha...he's doing what I'm doing.

Thank you, dear readers, for indulging me in my inherent neediness, childish behavior, and wacky tacky antics; Thank you for following along on our (mis)adventures and sharing your comments.  Lately life has been a bit crazy but with a brother-in-law deployed in the army and some health issues in the family and of my own, it is nice to put things in perspective and examine all that for which I should be thankful.  I have a healthy, beautiful nephew, an amazing family, and the support of friends; I count myself as very blessed and grateful!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny