On your way to (or from) Tucson, Arizona's cactus-tacular Sonora Desert Museum, you'll pass by an unassuming but delightful eccentric roadside attraction on North Sandario Road: J E D's Rock Treasures. I'm trying to get a fix on the correct spelling of their name -- the letters J, E and D are usually capitalized but not always and sometimes they're followed by periods, as if they're abbreviating a proper name or phrase. But not always.
J E D's is a mineral, sea shell, fossil, crystal, jewelry and gift emporium of the highest order, surrounded by a funky rock garden strewn with antique implements and a table and chairs shaded by what looks like an ingeniously inverted former TV satellite dish. Mixed in with the agates, polished rocks and geological wonders are a quirky assortment of earthy objet d'art, many with a Arizona desert theme, and all at reasonable prices.
I did an internet search on J E D's and found this sad note posted on 5/26/10 attached to an EBay classified ad: "These people lost their home to a lightning strike. They can use any sales they can get. I am posting this ad to help them. The rock shop escaped damage, but their home was gutted. Thank you for your help. They would never ask."
Places like this are a true treasure, indeed, and we hope the proprietors of J.E.D.'s get over their troubles and will continue to rock on.
I call your attention a local ECCENTRIC Road, right here in Little Rhody - On Rt 116 in Lincoln, not far from the Lincoln Mall is the home of - as we here are fond of saying "Crazy Rock Guy." This homeowner has all kinds of little rock creations in his front yard. Hundreds. People, animals, things. Come to find out, it is actually "Crazy Rock GAL", and the story goes that when the the new exit ramp from 146 was being built, she would visit the rock pile made by the workers digging in the dirt. Lots of limestone in this area, so the workers would find all kinds of cool rocks and keep them separate. She took some home made some kind of creation in her yard, and kept coming back for more. After a while, the workers would just dump the rocks at her home and save her the trip. Very weird site, but, really very cool. So, save some gas and stay local, boy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill...I'll have to give you a finder's fee for this one. I think Rhode Island has more eccentricity in it's pinky than the rest of the country has in its, er, where was I going with this?
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