Critters & cars in the snow

This is what was happening while I distracted myself with summer and tire swings in last night's post. It was snowing. All day. Much of the night. Anywhere from six inches to a foot, depending on which part of town you inhabit. A lot more in Flagstaff, of course.

Certainly not enough here to discourage neighbor dog number one, digging for the frisbee (or is it simply a discarded CD? I'm sure which doesn't matter to the playful pup.)

Here's his housemate, also digging in the snow.

Friend Patty sent pix Bob took of two of their dogs romping as the white stuff fell...

...as well as the neighborhood ravens they feed on a regular basis.

This is the scene I caught from my kitchen window later in the day. The driver of this car was determined to make it up our little hill. He tried backing in, failed...

...and went around the corner get a better start...

...this time driving up headed forward...

...and had to back out again. I didn't count the number of tries; all I can report is that he didn't make it. "This is the worst snowstorm that DPS has ever had to deal with in Northern Arizona," said Cmdr. Dean Nyhart of DPS's Northern Bureau Highway Division in a press release late Monday afternoon. Huh?


This was the scene this morning after yet more snow overnight. What's more, you should read the comments attached to the Courier story which quoted that overwrought DPS officer. Many much more memorable storms were cited by residents (and not just old-timers, either). I can recall quite a few, myself.

However, the mailman didn't even try driving up our street, but delivered on foot this morning.

Max thought he could explore the new white terrain next the porch by climbing up on it. Didn't work and, turning around immediately, he must have decided that his window perch in a warm house was preferable.

This being Arizona, the sun was already working its magic by this afternoon, though a heck of a lot of snow remains on the ground -- and we're promised another big storm next week. Ah well, it's great for the crops.

Linkage: Sometimes, I get the feeling that Prescott is just too tidy a little town. That's especially the case after visiting Chatoyance, who finds awesomely seedy (but highly photogenic) scenes in the obscure backwaters of Texas. Take her NO PARKING -- SAXOPHONIST front porch -- you wouldn't find anything that outre even in Bumblebee or Cleator. On the other hand, wonderful things do happen here. Thanks to Jarart at Prescott Area Daily Photo, I have learned that not only were the stained glass windows from the chapel at the old Mercy Hospital saved when the hospital burned in 1940 -- but they now have a home in Prescott Valley.

Old-fashioned tire swings

With a tidy layer of snow chilling out our world today and this evening, I decided to think summer -- and what can be more summery than a swing?

The standard swing swing, the sort with a flat board as a seat, has been turned into a playground safety officer's prime project and thoroughly wimped out in the process. Fortunately, I've found that there are still a few old-fashioned swings being fashioned from tires. The example above I spotted on a back street near the old fairgrounds; that below was at the Chino Valley alpaca farms I visited late last year.

But what to make of this object? When I grabbed a quick image in passing, I though it was some sort of tire swing. Then, on examining the photo this evenng, it turned into a possible sculpt. A deer or elk or maybe reindeer, huh? Something whispered in my ear to enlarge the putative art object -- and lo, it appears to have been sculpted from tires, possibly to make into a high-class, you guessed it, tire swing.

Me, I was never one for the tire swing, which I considered very much a guy thing. Unlike a board swing, the tire swing primarily wants to go round and round nor is it easy to control. I'm quite sure that Robert Louis Stevenson did not have a tire swing in mind when he wrote his popular poem, but then he was writing somewhat before the automobile had been invented, wasn't he?

This 'n that

It's been cold, with back-to-back storms in the neighborhood the next few days, plus another storm on tap for the following weekend. Not a propitious time for even a short walk around the block. Hence this 'n that.

Number one: about midday on Friday, the knocker was knocked, the door opened to a strange young lady with a small gift bag in hand. She was from the Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home , with a one-year remembrance of my mom's death -- this angelic little fellow. Thanks, folks! Totally unexpected!

Number two: back-to-back winter storms always prompt one (at least, this one) to lay in supplies. Sorta like Y2K, but not quite the same order of magnitude. (Or perhaps I am recalling the many tales from old timers about the great 19-aught-67 snow storm.) The kitchen table got very crowded as I unloaded, which prompted Max cat to plop right in the middle of stuff to supervise. Note that cats, too, suffer red eye problems.

Number three. By this morning the snow had arrived. As you may know, pine trees were invented for snowfall pictures. Too bad they shrug off much of the snow by early afternoon. Just four days ago, when the weather was a good 30 degrees warmer, here's the same pine in a different pose, catching the last bright light as the sun hides behind our hills.

Number four. Just part of our blogger gathering -- before we had to add another table for late arrivals. 18 folk (including two spice) were present. A great get together with most interesting people exchanging ideas and information. We're hoping to do this on a monthly basis. (Note: for more pictures of the gathering, click on over to Oddball Observations, where Catalyst has posted several. There will likely be more & I'll post links as they occur...)

Look, Ma, no hands!

The building at the NE corner of Gurley and Cortez Streets was originally built as the Prescott National Bank back in the 19-aughts. It remained in the banking biz until 1957, when the Valley National moved down the pike to the premises at Granite Street now called JP Morgan Chase. Most recently, this corner building housed a real estate office promoting the American Ranch development. Of course, RE operators are pulling in their horns these days and the 1st floor offices/showrooms have been vacated. However, one matter has me quite puzzled: why did the RE folk take the time to remove the hands on that corner clock? To me, it looks embarrassingly naked.

Were the hands perhaps removed by the building's owners who didn't want to be responsible for keeping the time correct? Or might it have been the high price of electricity to keep the clock running.

Further question: will that rather elegant sign (above) painted on the Gurley Street side of the building remain, to weather through time, thus joining the ghost on the north side of the structure (below). Rather hope so -- it's a great reminder of our current follies.

Blogger Get Together: Unless we're hit by a half-foot of snow tomorrow, the local contingent of bloggers is scheduled for another get together. In honor of the occasion, I've updated the links to our local posters in the right hand column. Some of the blogs new to the list include Bindle Stick, Dove and Snake, Inner Eye, Prescott Past, Romance Magic, Simplewise and Victorian Vices.

Downtown critter still life

Amongst the other kitsch that catches my eye as I walk about down to the Square are the still-life critters. Take this jay, for example. Not that I think the representation is all that great -- but, on the other hand, the scrub jays that occupy my yard move far too fast for me to photograph them, so I have to make do with this less lively bird in a neighbor's yard.

However, when I pulled today's pictures from my archive, what I really had in mind was critters I see downtown, near the Square. Like the firehouse hound dog who points this way and that over at the Old Firehouse Plaza.

Or the rooster sitting on the fence at, yes, Rooster's, the little cafe over on South Montezuma. And while on the subject of foodservice, there's this announcement about the new occupant of what had been Fazzoli's on Sheldon Street (below). Yep, Panda Express. I hope they do better than their predecessor, though I've been surprised at how drivers who pass by this location keep asking if I've heard what's going in at that spot. They just don't see that huge face staring at them. I find myself inclined to ask whether or not this is one of those locations that is doomed from the get-go for whatever reason.

Admittedly, the electioneering elephant isn't currently in season, but I felt he was a member in good standing of the downtown zoo, and there'll always be another election and another GOP candidate.

And now for the newest -- and greatest -- addition to the collection: the ring-tailed tabby cat at the library. He/she is the companion of the library's new horney toad sculpture. Don't you just want to scratch behind those ears?

Prescott Collections: There are times I get nostalgic for previous posts, figuring that I've already photographed and written about the choicest subjects. This time, I decided that it was time to list some of those favorites, right up near the top of the right hand column. You might like to look at these old posts, too. They're just a click away.

About that building...

This was Catalyst's adventure. I had often wondered about an unidentified single-story building just south of the Hassayampa on Gurley Street. No ID, no activity, nothing to suggest what might go on behind that door. I chanced to mention this in a post and thereby piqued the curiosity of our prime PV blogger.

Next thing you know, he just happened to be in the vicinity and...

I walked down to the building and, lo and behold, saw a man come out the (unmarked) door with a big box which he was struggling to load into his truck. I stood behind him watching until he got it all where he wanted it and turned around. I said I was going to offer to help him but it looked like he had been to that rodeo before.

Then I asked him if he knew what this building was. He responded that it was a "family office." I said something like "so that means it's an office for one family?" He said that it was and in fact was HIS family. My reporter skills apparently convinced him to tell me that it used to be the parking garage for the Hassayampa (and indeed there is a large garage door on the east end of the building in the alley). He said one of the many times the hotel had gone broke, his father managed to buy the building from them and made it his "family office." He didn't seem to be more inclined to tell me what the "family business" was and I wasn't inclined to ask him.

Thank you, Catalyst. A final wrap-up: I checked the county information site and found out that the building belongs to one of the major local ranching families.

Walk hints at spring

Well, more than hints. The first blossoms of the year are always on the domesticated jasmine, followed shortly by the wild manzanita. It's funny -- I never anticipate the jasmine flowers; they happen as a surprise every year. Nonetheless, it will be another month or likely more before those empty tubs below are filled with new plants.

But then, as I am out walking, last year's pods are a reminder that the trumpet vine will bloom anew. While I'm about it, why not a picture of the shadows of last year's pods?

Another reminder that time passes: Eros ready for Valentine's Day. Question: red eyes? I thought that red eyes were merely an unfortunate artifact of digital photography that we could all do without.

Here's a sentimental touch at one house in the neighborhood -- a plaque proclaiming the driveway to be Emily Drive. What is your guess: daughter or wife?

Then there's this high hatch in a garage, perhaps formerly a barn. Suitable, perhaps for bales of hay to be tossed in? As for the door leaning up against the window below: 1) the window is right on the alley and thus not very private and 2) it might well be the bathroom. So why not an informal cover?

The final surprise of this walk was meeting up with un-Max, another Siamese/tabby mix who was looking a bit lost but then settled down in the middle of the alley to consider his situation. There are not-so-subtle differences: un-Max hasn't turned as dark as my favorite cat and he is wearing a collar. I don't know whether to hope I see this fellow again or not.

Yet More Links: Have you ever heard of a bourdalou? Me neither; however, Judith at Not Dead Yet has a series of pictures of these dainty little urinals for m'lady plus a bit of the history of the object, its need and its use. As you are only too aware, I am a bit of a cat fancier, however, I'm not going to let Max take over my photographic duties as Cooper has in his household; you can get a load of his picture-taking at Cooper--Catphotographer. Among the curses of our throw-away culture -- what to do about dead big boxes and abandoned malls. Here in Prescott, it took a surprising number of years before the empty Fry's out West Gurley found a new use; Popular Mechanics has a article about what might be possible. And, before I collapse for the night, I have to report that I just visited LindaG's new Prescott Past postcard blog; she's featuring a view of Gurley toward Thumb Butte -- but the greatest thing is to take a look at the picture blown up to catch detail, such as the little bridge across Granite Creek or the gent on the rear platform of the streetcar or the single auto among the horse wagons and carts. Great fun and a cool "you are there" feel to the picture.

Intimate landscapes

That is what artist Tony Reynolds calls these small, scenic sculptures that may include tiny houses, trees, a dog and even skyscrapers. They are currently part of the featured show at the Arts Prescott Co-op on Whiskey Row, through February 14.

It's difficult to see in this photograph, but there's a tiny, lost little cottage amongst those looming condo or office towers. But my favorite is below -- what sheer chutzpah to envision a tornado made of clay, but there it is, with Dorothy's house blowing away and little Toto left quite by himself in those flat fields of Kansas.

Much better studio photographs of these and other works by Tony are on display at his web site; he also writes two blogs, one at his web site and a new one at the Daily Courier. As a strong advocate for public art, he has done a terrific job of photographing outdoor art around the Prescott area for his blog; be sure to to view all the pages of this collection -- he's been all over the place!

One mystery solved?

I promised (sort of) Ms. Anon of AV that I'd report back when I found out what those pink ties on the alley guy lines were all about. After today's short stroll, I may have figured it out. (Everything but this coil, which remains a mystery. Does cable always come complete with pink ties already attached?)

So -- as you see, a post has been installed to hold the line higher than its previous position. If you look closely, it is evident that there is a driveway next the shed.

Peer down that driveway: lo and behold, a major project involving trucks to-ing and fro-ing, loaded with decades-old siding, fixtures and such. Obviously, it was necessary to lift the guy line to let the vehicles through. Though I note that there are still pink ties on the lower end of the support line. How come???

Another view of the big project from a side alley.

And from the front, on Park Avenue. It is quite rare to see so a major a gentrification project in this neighborhood. As a finale, a peek through the upstairs window into a bedroom.

Not so incidentally, this vintage vehicle appears to be part of the new arrangements at this address.

I'm up to number 82

In honor of the occasion, friends treated me to a lovely dinner at Murphy's. Can't say as how I feel any older than I did yesterday, tho for sure I'm not feeling any younger. Bother! However, I did get a picture taken, courtesy of the restaurant management, which had also honored me with a birthday piece of bread pudding to die for. BTW, the picture gave the lie to something I read later on the web, to the effect that Polaroid had closed down its analog film operations; the company still has a good thing going with firms and people that win PR points by taking a picture and presenting it on the spot. Is there a digital equivalent on the market as yet?

Our party sat beneath a dark, looming bust that we all decided must be Beethoven (whatever he might have to do with the olde tyme Western theme of Murphy's), but when I asked the waitress, she explained that, no, it was Louis XIV (whatever he might have had to do with the olde tyme Western theme of Murphy's). Naturally, I had to take a picture of the Sun King, shining brightly on one and all, once he was lit by the camera flash.

Still More Links: I missed the boat on a proper tour of the Ecohood over on Dameron Street; it seems that Andrew Millison, the guiding light for the concept locally, has moved to Oregon and put his property on the market. Doing a little nosing around, I found two interesting blogs from down in the Verde Valley. Pamela Ravenswood of From My Point of View ponders those hokey piles of stone that visitors leave all over the Sedona area, sees one that looks like a woman -- and adds boobs. Nick's CrAZed Ramblings tells the saga of a solar installation over time and several posts.