Eccentric street name of the week

I'm guessing this was the developer's favorite color color.
(Thanx and a tip o' the hat to L&M)

Doing Battle: Scenes from Battle Mountain, Nevada

Interstate 80 is a long, lonely stretch of road when traveling through the great state of Nevada. Many miles separate the small points on the route, with hours of pretty but desolate scenery in between. We had the pleasure of stopping in the gloriously melancholy little town of Battle Mountain, between Elko and Winnemucca, for a night's stay at the Super 8. There wasn't a heck of a lot going on, but there was one honey of a sky that day -- dark menacing-looking clouds with bright shards of sun illuminating the worn landscape. They have some terrific mid-century signs here, courtesy of the Owl Club casino and the Nevada Hotel, which boasts of both food and fun, and one of the nicest water towers I've ever seen next to the fireworks emporium. Their name is derived from a clash between the white settlers and the original Shoshone inhabitants, but it's a peaceful community now and provides a place to gas up, get some grub, a good night's rest, and a hand or two of Texas Holdem before hitting the open road in the morning. That's their Battle cry and they're sticking to it.

Eccentric street name of the week

Apparently, there's a hill of roasted meat in Connecticut and this is the road that takes you there.

Happy birthday, Leith

Today is my brother Leith's birthday and I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one could ask for a better sibling. He's also the coolest cat I know. He's so cool, in fact, I'm sure he doesn't want me to say so.

The really cool people don't become cool, they're born that way. Here's to the real deal.

We will, we will rock you: Scenes from Plymouth, Massachusetts

Plymouth Rock sits under this Greek-looking temple

Those numbers were embossed on the rock in more modern times.

Massasoit's peace pipe.

The Mayflower 2.

...and The Mayflower, too.

A local sweet shop makes chocolate covered potatoe chips (the recipe must come from Dan Quayle)

Looks like this founding father got a little too close to the firecrackers on the Fourth of July.

Happy Thanksgiving, Pilgrim

Today being Thanksgiving seems an appropriate time to chronicle a recent trip we took to Plymouth, Massachusetts, about 40 miles south of Boston and site of the colony founded by the Pilgrims, who arrived from England on the Mayflower back in 1620. It was also the site of the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621 (let's hear it for Squanto). You'll also find the famous Plymouth Rock there, a souvenir of the place where the Pilgrims got off the boat when they arrived after their long trip, although no historical references mention a rock being at their disembarkation site. Picky, picky, picky... it makes a better story to have a rock there and the tourists (and shopkeepers) love it. It sits in a protected pit under a Greek-looking pillared shelter to keep souvenir-seekers from chipping off pieces. There's also a huge National Monument to the Forefathers statue in a park nearby, and a replica of the Mayflower, the Mayflower 2, in the harbor. And Plimouth Plantation (that's the Old English spelling, so shut up, spellchecker), a popular tourist attraction where people dress in period costumes and tell you all about the history of the area, is also nearby.

What am I thankful for? Those clever people of Plymouth for coming up with Thanksgiving. Now, will somebody pass me the gravy?

Presents from the past: Mid-Century mementos from the open road

The hep cats at Mid-Century Style Magazine gave us a nice tip-o-the-hat recently which inspired this Greatest Hits Volume 1 of retro sights we've seen along the way. Just our way of saying Thanks, Daddio, we dig you the most.

A Big Boy from Baker, California. Artistic cropping courtesy of the sun in my eyes.

A fine example from our dear relative/friend/awesome guy "Uncle" Stephen's Channel Master collection.

Jell-O with fruit in in from downtown L.A.'s incredible Clifton's Cafeteria.

Last chance for booze before Death Valley.

This from my hometown of Hamden, Connecticut. I grew up seeing this sign and, happily, it's been beautifully preserved. Way to go, Hamden!

From Las Vegas, home of tons of retro signs.

A Norge Ball from North Platte, Nebraska.

A cool old sign from downtown Chicago.

The Palm Springs visitors center, a former googie gas station.

From the Marx Toy Museum of Moundsville, West Virginia.

A fine 1950s Shasta trailer from the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana.

The Las Vegas Neon Boneyard is not to be missed.

The Wigwam motel of Rialto, California.

One of Wildwood, New Jersey's mid-century motel marvels.

Zip's Diner of Dayville, Connecticut, a steel and neon masterpiece (and the food is good, too!)

Spare time: Bowling signs seen along the way

These old signs strike my fancy, are right up my alley, are neat as a pin, are a trip down memory lane, put me in a good frame of mind, are a gutter delight and are in a league all their own.