Travel to the "Center of the World", aka - Felicity, CA

Just 8 miles west of Yuma on I-8 @ Exit 164, sits the town of Felicity, CA - established in 1986 it is the home of the Museum of History in Granite. Features includes a 1889 original section of the circular staircase from the Eiffel Tower, Michaelango's Arm of David sculpture as a sun dial, a pyramid holding the bronze plague which denotes the spot as the "Center of the World"**. The site also has a church which will conduct both Catholic and Protestant services.  

 **Taken from a children's book: Coe, The Good Dragon at the Center of the World

 
Sun dial

Part of the tour  includes a photo standing on the "Center of the World" plague and a certificate.

History of flying/parachuting is just one of the walls on the grounds. There are 416 granite panels in total, some as yet to be etched, but currently there is one honoring Korean Marine Corps/Navy personnel who died in combat, a section with the history of the French Foreign Legion, French Aeronauticals, History of Humanity by ethnic group/language (ie, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic), The Wall of the Ages and separate sections for the States of California and Arizona.

 

 

 A small sampling of the granite panels.For more information and photos: http://historyingranite.org/ - there is a $5.00 fee for the tour/video and certificate. All proceeds are funneled back into the museum and grounds. Open Thanksgiving to Easter...

Dedicated earlier this year.  

Adios amigos.

Castle Dome, AZ

Heading north on US HWY 95, on our
way to Castle Dome, set back from the road about 1/4 - a farmer honors his wife with a chapel...that seats 12. Really sweet and it is open 24/7.





Forty miles from the Foothills of Yuma one has the opportunity to hang a right and drive northeast to the Castle Dome Mines Museum, albeit the last 10 miles is a graded gravel road. You arrive at the rescued pieces of Castle Dome City, home of Castle Smelting (mine) from 1864 to 1979 when the price of silver plummeted and the mine closed.

When word of the government intention to demolish the Ghost Town and return the land to it's natural state of brush and scrub the owners asked for permission to rescue what buildings were left of the original town and moved what they could to their adjoining 27 acres, creating the current museum. Original contents of some of the buildings also were incorporated into the re-constructed buildings. The remaining scattered buildings and a graveyard now stand as the Ghost Town portion of the museum.

Museum entrance

yes there's a jail



Church with pipe organ

Adams cabin...moved on the back of a trailer from the outer edges of the 'lost' city to the museum land. Mr. Adams was the last miner to live and mine in Castle Dome. Some of his possessions are also inside...this was pretty interesting.



Man tool...a big drill.



Even if you aren't into mines, rocks and tools you will find this museum interesting and informative.
And it's a great drive through the desert

Adios for today.

Hola - darting across the border

HOLA - un día a través de la frontera (a day across the border)

We've been hearing quite a bit from friends and new aquaintances about the many benefits of crossing over into Mexico for services and products that are, ok I'll say it, outrageously overpriced here in the states. Now that we are retired, dental insurance is a luxury item that, well frankly we won't be purchasing once my current policy ends next Fall. With friends having done the research and found competent dentists in Los Algodones we made appointments to get our teeth cleaned...$30/each and it took all of 20 minutes. Latest technology, nicely appointed offices and I am certain that once it was determined that I didn't speak or understand Spanish - I was discussed at lenght (grin)!  So now we can spread the word on the dental office/services we received.

Once we were done, we set out to explore the town and attempt to find the patio restaurant for lunch from our visit 10 years ago with friends to have some lunch. We didn't find that one, but the lunch we did have was just fine. We did find a lovely spa services courtyard, which also have some interesting and unusal metalart animals that, if I'd had a way to travel with them, would have been in the truck.

 

 

The owner took our photo, all the time trying to sell us on getting massages. 

Just across the border - advertising billboards for dentists...and about every 3rd person on the street asks you if you are looking for dental services.

Giant pinatas. This guy (dental barker) was originally to the right of this post and when he saw that I was taking a picture asked me to take his too....and then asked to see it to make sure I had.

I came home with 3 pieces of pottery and yes, one has a face on it...It's a Sun with heat waves and will be put out in the garden once at home. Wish I had taken a photo of it prior to the "wrapping for travel"...live and learn.

Adios, amigos!

Anniversary Day exploring...

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

We walk around our neighborhood pretty much every day and we discovered this sign a few days ago --- (we were driving at the time of the photo) -- today as we strolled by we discovered that to the right of the sign is this beautiful garden with water-pond feature, a small bridge and very possibly Koi, when the owners are in residence...hence the sign now makes sense.

We went to Quartzsite yesterday, about 65 miles north of Yuma. Having heard about it from our snow-bird friends, what better way to spend our wedding anniversary than strolling through a gigantic flea-market. But first we had to stop at The Farm, a unique store out on the edges of Yuma on Hwy 95. This is a seasonal store with "Date" Shakes, a diverse variety of dried fruits and vegetables, seasonal crafts for sale and washing machine tubs turned into fire-pots (see photo below)...those round white objects on the right are washing machine tubs....yours for a mere $75.00 ea.

But we did order our first "date" shake, which was delicious. The taste was reminiscent of home-made ice cream, the dates had been ground up for a smoother texture and I let Mike enjoy the bulk of it given my lactose intolerant body.

 

We had no idea how big the whole flea-market area at Quartzsite was/is - so we only saw a very small section of it - the important section - PIE! WE had a lovely chat with the new owner of Gran'ma's Apple Pie cart...laid off 18 months ago from a university in So Cal, she took a leap and purchased this cart. November was her first month of making pies, 6 days a week. Now, making pies may appear as fun and I thought so for the first few moments...then I discovered that she only makes APPLE pies, just apple pies for now. However, with the hot caramel sauce - DELICIOUS! Stop by and sample...she also sells the whole pie.

We are going to go back, probably next week...I'll take my camera and provide an update on Quartzsite's unusual mix of shops under tents.

There is more than just sagebrush and sand out here in the desert...the occasional old sagaro stands guard on the highway like a sentinel. An arm like this = 50 years of weathering the elements. Isn't it grand?

Hummingbird outside our RV

Praying Mantis on the screen door. (Magnified as he was very, very small).

I love that nature loves us enough to visit. Ciao!

Bits and pieces of Oldtown Yuma, AZ

Friday-December 10, 2010

we discovered this sign on our morning walk this morning...made me laugh. (lots of 'beware of dog' signs, so this was noteworthy)

We tried to visit the Quartermaster Park (1800's supply depot
for Utah, New Mexico and Arizona forts) - but they were
preparing it for a Christmas Village and therefore was closed
to visitors today...it's been added back into the "to-do" list.







 
 
 
 
 
Sadly, (like So. Dak) we women apparently need visual aids....
this inside the Quartermaster Park restroom stall.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So instead, we toured Oldtown Yuma and it's odd collection of shops and art galleries



Roosters are outside



Miss Piggy model....

Hens indoors

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Everyone needs a 'barbwire' corset....$45.00 and this beauty is all yours

Owner of this '39 Chevelle was 75 and had owned it for 60 years...and yes it runs.



This chair was for sale - $100...yep, I decided that - while pretty - not $100 pretty....so it's still holding down the cement outside the store.

While we were out playing today - Lola doing what Lola does best....

Ciao! 

Bits and Pieces out our windows

December 2010

Here is what one finds when you grab your camera and take a million pictures and then sort through them days later....only to find treasures!

A golf course at the Salton Sea...doesn't it just scream "come play here"?

This guy was driving backwards and crossed 4 lanes of divided CA Hwy 86....and lived to deliver these crates!

mattress anyone? his pickup is just to the right of the photo....

Humanity living in every imaginable type of housing known to man....Senator Wash (BLM Land) outside Yuma, AZ

Visiting with Jerri - our model vagabond friend - learning from those who have gone before us....

and our crib in the foothills of YUMA below....and we have the use of a washer/clothesline. We are in heaven.