“Drive, He Said”

Thursday, July 24, 2008, 10:00 am

A short post as there is little to report. Today’s title is a pretty good song by Steve Taylor. It’s about a guy who’s out driving over a holiday weekend when he learns that his vehicle has become possessed by the devil. He tries unsuccessfully to exorcise him, and he eventually abandons the vehicle in the desert (yes, really).

Driving is about all there is to say about the last couple of days. Tuesday we drove from Sedona, AZ to Deming, NM. We had two brief diversions. First, we stopped by Taliesin West, the desert home/studio/architecture school of Frank Lloyd Wright, just east of Phoenix. Kathy is a big fan, and her front door window is a stained glass replica of one of his designs (started by our Pop and finished by his and Mom’s neighbor and good friend Stella Powers). We didn’t take the time for a tour, but Kathy took a few pics, and we browsed the book store. Wright’s designs are usually geometric and linear – very appealing to anyone mathematical or logic-minded, like computer programmers.

Next, we took a 30 minute detour to stop by Tombstone, AZ. At first, we were pretty disappointed because driving through the town, all we saw was a small sign noting the site of the OK Corral Shootout. Kathy, who had been advocating the stop, took some heat (and then gave some heat) over the wasted time. But as usual, she turned out to be right. Main street was actually a block off the highway, and it was what we were looking for. Dirt street, oversized store fronts, wooden sidewalks and hitching posts. Here was the Tombstone we sought. The find of the day - Big Nose Kate’s Saloon (yes, really). It was one of the original hotels in Tombstone, built in 1880, and the place showed every year, art and pictures on every square inch of wall space.

Wednesday we drove from Deming to Junction, TX, two hours outside of Austin, our next destination. This was an even longer driving day, though we didn’t break our Kansas record. Only one diversion today – an ‘authentic’ Mexican Pottery shop in El Paso. Kathy saw its ad in the RV park. The shop’s location gave the artisans the option to avoid becoming illegals in order to pedal their wares – all they had to do was lob them over the Rio Grande to the shop owner, as the store was alongside the river/border. The place was chock full of clay sculptures, pots, woodcrafts, and rebar formations. The grounds for the entire lot were covered in pecan shells, an interesting and effective ground cover. Most items here were very reasonably priced, and Kathy found a wall sconce and sun decoration that she took home for a song.

Two items caught my eye as well, but neither made the cut. A 25’ weathered wooden ladder tied with leather straps would have looked great next to my front porch, but there was no good way to secure it to the top of the RV. The other item, a rebar wall hanging of the NM symbol with a saguaro cactus, would have fit my front rock garden well, but it was one of the few items that didn’t have a price tag. When asked, the shop owner tried to put one over on the tourista (me) by quoting a price that was more than double any of the similar rebar wall hangings that were tagged. I tried to haggle, but he stayed firm. No sale. I was ticked, but I felt better after a phone call to the Border Patrol as we left.

Night and day difference between the last two campgrounds. The Roadrunner RV park in Deming was a dump, while last night’s Junction KOA was one of the nicest we’ve stayed at. True, the KOA was more than twice the cost of Deming, but it proves that you get what you pay for (even at a campground), and KOAs are almost always a good choice.

Lastly, we had a positive report on Aunt Mary that the alternative treatment went better, and she had a heart cath with favorable results. If a follow-on treatment today goes similarly well, she will be able to go home.

Next up - Austin, and Hello, Dolly!