Greetings, dear reader!
I am back again to regale you with tales of our recent travels on Route 66...of course, our travels last summer were the focal point of my "Wish You Were Here" tags for Elizabeth's swap:
I sent online 184 photos ... many of which were used on these tags...most tags have at least 3 or 4 different images on them...The Route 66 in the foreground? An actual piece of the old highway in Oklahoma! And I couldn't just let you see the pictures of the places without an explanation...or a STORY I should say. There's ALWAYS a story!
The back of each tag tells the story of the picture on the front...so many of the places out west have been restored...(the further west you go, the more you find restoration...hubby and I were sad to discover so many places in Missouri restored, but left abandoned) Behold:
Beautifully restored...but abandoned. For sale signs in the windows...
The Route 66 Cafe...an adorable little coffee shop and "greasy spoon" right on the square...why would THIS place not "make it?"
Again and again we saw wonderful places that should have been full of tourists and camera snapping fools, and instead we found empty streets, "building for lease" signs, and a little town struggling to stay alive...
(My personal favorite...the story of Amelia Earhart...(my maiden name and long lost relative...I figure I get my sense of direction (or LACK of direction) from this heritage!)
On a Saturday afternoon, no one snapping pictures, no one walking their dog or wandering the streets...just...us. Very sad.
More tales of our trip home (through a wild animal safari!) tomorrow! By the way, those of you who have yet to send me your vintage camper tags, remember that the deadline is July 4th. I'd like to have them sent back OUT to you by then, but if you can't get them in the mail any sooner, that's fine. No pressure! Summer's all about being laid back and laaaaaaaaazy...
Speaking of lazy, in July my sister and her family will be here from Sudan...along with my youngest son and his wife...as a "treat" we are taking them all to Holiday World in Indiana. I thought a family who spent the last two years in a desert might enjoy spending the day in a water park! Check out the new ride:
Hugs,
Paula Clare
