An explosion of local books

If anything measures the growth in affluence during my lifetime, it must be the availability of Things of the Mind: music ... art ... education ... publications. The number, the variety, especially the quality of what I can enjoy today in a smallish Arizona city would absolutely astound the girl who began coming of age intellectually in the early 40s in a much larger Florida city which was not big enough to keep her.

Right now, I'm thinking about just the wealth of books focused on our little world in Central Arizona. I've pulled these books, pamphlets and monographs from my own shelves.

Geology, wild flowers, critters, history, railroads, archeology, trails -- each subject is covered in one or more of these publications. My most recent addition (a week ago) was Stories of Early Prescott. A chapter on major snow storms piqued my interest -- I wanted to know more about the famous Winter of 19-aught-67.

I realized, in staging the pictures, that there's a good reason the Prescott region in its many manifestations keeps my interest: the whole is not too big to wrap my mind around. Our history here does not have deep roots in time; the population is not large and the number of old families is limited. A good subject for amateur contemplation, in other words. (A side note here -- just for the helluvit, I popped a another local sort of publication, the guidebook to the DeAnza-Borrego area in the picture immediately above just for Gadget and Foolsewoode, who recently returned from a grand adventure over in the California desert; do read about it in their blogs & be sure to scroll down!)

The next three pictures, taken at the Sharlot Hall Museum gift shop, give an idea of the shelf space dedicated to local/Western topics. The Worm on Whiskey Row showcases Prescott and Arizona books at the front of the store. Periodically, the Book Nook will display one or two recently published local items; however, Marilyn also has an excellent section of used books on Indians, the West and its history.

BTW, the museum operates a small press with a handful of titles, all of local interest.

At times, you have to go to a very special event to locate a local book. Here, at a big signing sponsored by the Ash Fork AZ Historical Society, I bought both Marshall Trimble's new book and a previous publication prepared by members of the society. My Paulden Pioneers came from an outdoor event in that Big Chino Valley settlement last September. Of interest is Arcadia Publishing, which lists some 5000 local historic books, from Bangor, Maine, to Ash Fork and Prescott.

In previous years, the Annual Book Festival at the Sharlot Hall Museum grounds was a great place to buy books of the west, though the festival may not be held in 2008. This picture was taken at the Primrose Press display; the press is owned by the ladies Ruffner (Elisabeth and Melissa), who have most recently published Chris Hoy's The Elk in the Attic to benefit the ongoing renovation of the Elks Opera House. The Ruffners have been very active in Prescott historic activities, writing books as well as conducting tours.

Another author/publisher, Agnes Franz here at the Book Festival, also wrote a Prescott history.

At the annual barbecue of the Yavapai Cattle Growers Association, the Yavapai Cowbelles sell copies of their collected tales of ranch life, now grown into a 3-volume set. Other important venues for local books are the outfitter shops, where trail books, maps and even booklets detailing best climbs in the Dells are stocked. It is, indeed, a wealth of information -- and detail about Everybody's Home Town, as the Chamber of Commerce styles us.

Blue skies & mud puddles...

...a perfect recipe for collecting reflections. It's been maybe two weeks since the last of our Winter Weather -- and 8 days since I spied trees and telephone poles on the other side of the surface of the remaining water on one of the local alleys.

How could I resist clicking the shutter?

But here's a puzzle for you: in the picture above, the reflections are out of focus but the alley surface is sharp, whereas in the picture below, exactly the opposite is true, at least in part. I wonder just how that happened.

But then, I love small mysteries as well as surprises.

Yesterday's cars

Chrome. Tail fins. A rainbow of colors. All nostalgic characteristics of classic cruisers, a popular collectible here in Prescott -- and, I would guess, almost everywhere else in the USA.

I see them in my own neighborhood, where several old car fanciers live.

Although Prescott enjoys several antique/classic auto shows, a good place to see and compare cars everyday is the parking lot of American Classic Auto Parts up at Hillside and Miller Valley. I was too shy to pop into the store -- I'd have been totally out of place.

However, that doesn't stop me from admiring the window art -- and the inscriptions on the boxes below. Instead of good, better and best, they offer collector's choice, muscle car and antique tractor. Certainly tells you what's matters to this segment of our crazy culture.

A full view of the two-tone classic pictured at the beginning of this blog -- and (below) a yellow/white cruiser that I have seen around town quite regularly. Big. Beefy.

A shiny DeSoto here...

...an older vehicle that isn't quite so spiffy (above) and one that is truly in need of a new paint job (below). The chrome looks to be in good shape, however. Important, chrome is.

This auto's motor would seem to have serious issues.

While I am sure that collectors are salivating at the prospect of trade opening with Cuba where most vehicleson the street are well tended 60s models, they might try small, struggling towns such as Ash Fork AZ, where I took these pictures. Above, about the most prosperous looking business in town is crowned with a snazzy DeSoto; below, a machine just waiting for the right guy to show up with a check book.

Linkage: Alone on a Limb, down in Georgia, has included my post For the Birds on the March edition of the Carnival of Outdoor Education; thanks, Terrell. Here's yet another Prescott blogger, this time focused on big-time bicycling. And for art in motion, take a look at Kinetic World.

Why worship mistletoe?

Here's one of our neighborhood live oak trees, looking like a half-and-half special. The green half, of course, is the mistletoe; the sere limbs are the oak. I believe they are doing their early spring leaf drop, to be followed by a new set of leaves. Often I've wondered just why early inhabitants of the British Isles worshipped the mistletoe. Because it remained green through the winter, perhaps -- a sign of life?

Or is it for a more practical reason -- because the knot formed by the roots of the mistletoe could be used as an absolutely splendid cudgel? I knew this specimen was to be found in my yard, but had lost its location until yesterday. It's the best I've seen in a long time.

Have you tried this market yet?

Any of you readers out there recall what a neighborhood food market is like? In the big city, we had them, of course; many were ethnic specialists. If you were a regular customer, the owner(s) knew you, which was always pleasant! We have such a market here in Prescott, over in the Goodwin Street Plaza, across from the big drug store.

Yes, the offerings are predominantly Mexican, but I've taken care of other needs at Garcia's, as well. A good produce section, BTW, and not just salsa ingredients.

Interesting canned goods -- including one of my favorites, albondigas (meatball) soup.

The variety of juices is excellent -- and unusual. The other day, I tried out the plum nectar. Quite tasty! Another item I bought to treat my sweet tooth looked a lot like penuche fudge, but was a lot smoother -- it was called milk candy and I ate a very large piece in one sitting. Next time, I plan to buy a pumpkin turnover or two -- they looked yummy.

In the restaurant/deli, I bought a batch of deep fried pork chunks & ribs. One meal with salsa and then the pork went German-style in sauerkraut. It was pork that tasted like candy -- the sort of pork one enjoyed in the old days before the health nuts turned it into "the other white meat," tough and dry. Maybe I'll see you in the store one of these days.

Civic graffiti popping up all over!

Wow! Tombo has unearthed (almost literally) two sites of fabulous graffiti in our fair city. What I've seen around town is pretty pallid and wimpish compared to the brilliant street art he discovered on the downside of Watson Lake dam and in a big diversion sewer near the Gurley Street Compass bank.

Nothing of that sort in my neighborhood. However, now that it's spring, the utility chaps in chino with their spray cans have been out marking their turf. I think I have the code down pat at this point, thanks to the gas guys who put their colors on this alley the other day.

That yellow just has to define the gas lines, seeing as how it leads right up to a meter.

The COP (City of Prescott) uses three colors. Since the blue (below) is the obvious choice for water mains, the green (above) must be the sewers. As for the white? It usually seems to appear where Something is about to happen to the surface.

Further up this street is a positive rainbow of what I have dubbed civic graffiti.

Here are the older signs from the scene above. Red for electricity, fading orange for ??? Possibly telephone lines or cable; it's definitely a hot color and it appears to say "no TV". The chief differences between sanctioned graffiti and guerrilla street art: 1) spray cans in the hands of utility employees are legit; 2) civic graffiti is worse than pedestrian -- it's dull, dull, dull whereas occasionally talent or at least imagination will shine through in works by the outlaws, and 3) there's a team of volunteers standing by to quickly paint over street art, but apparently there is no concern at all about those red, yellow, blue and green markings, which linger on our streets and sidewalks until they are worn out by traffic or washed away by rain. (Or mowed, when the paint lands on the grass. I've even seen it on cactus.) That's a double standard, in my books.

3 days of spring...

...and over 300 images. Yikes! I'm busy trying to rebuild my inventory so that I can be a slacker every now and then! Suffice it to say I've challenged my walking muscles now that we've had a taste of spring. Too tired to think words, but here are a few of the more interesting sights I've seen along the way.

A bent oak tree, courtesy of the electric utility, which cut off the upright bole to protect its lines.

My favorite large ant nest aboil with residents suddenly warmed out of winter lethargy.

A pothole puddle left from our last storm plus the dead traffic cone that obviously wasn't sufficient warning.

An alleyway dwelling....

Sycamore limbs outlined by a bright sun.

A steel wool rosette in the neighborhood grocery store.

And the wonderfull old, old windmill at the Sharlot Hall museum. Enjoy. I did!