US-60/AZ-77 is a treasure chest of old rustic vintage cars left to rot, or old hotel signs being reclaimed by mother nature…or maybe some of many abandoned buildings from the 40-60’s era.  The first time I took this route to Show Low was last weekend.  I noted some things I wanted to take pictures of because I would be going up there the very next weekend with Jenny.  Globe and Miami are so run down you’d be hard pressed not to find vintage buildings/vehicles every 30 feet.  I was most impressed going through Salt River Canyon though.  Yes, it has areas that wind with sharp turns and if you’re tired I wouldn’t suggest it especially at night.  Luckily for me, I love driving long distances at night.  But coming back is where I got to stop and take pictures of two places that caught my eye going to Show Low the first time. But driving during the day is very scenic—portions of the mountains very reminiscent of the grand canyon in fact.

Next to a small gas station (which was abandoned) you’ll find the Salt River Jail.  At first glance, it looks like something built for tourists, but there is a jail cell inside, complete with hefty steel bars.  I noticed that there are wooden posts directly out front to connect your horse to it.  Just like the old saloons used to have which may indicate how old this place is.  Only the idea of the words “Salt River Jail” is there.  The words have been for the most part peeled away.

In no order, you can see the first picture features an old stove for keeping warm.  It looks like they have put some new boards up in the background because you can see fresh lumber. The second picture is not mine.  It’s one that I found on the net.  It shows the old jail maybe a few years younger because in picture three the horse ties aren’t even visible… they’ve actually fallen down (sad).  Even less of the words are visible here.  Two benches out front in picture four.  Well, one for sure, the other gone but it’s supports still visible.  Picture five peeks through the front door.  It’s pretty cramped in there but the jail cell itself is pretty well built.  The bars are very solid. Picture six shows the remains of the horse ties. Picture seven is my favorite.  You really get a feel for this place here.  Old bed springs are all that remains of the bed with some shredded fabric.  A nightstand and toilet with water.  The toilet must not be that old because they are very common in today’s jails.  My only regret was not looking into the toilet.  Was the toilet just placed there or does it really go down into a sewage system?  Picture eight has the steel bars that are on all windows.  Is this jail still in use?  Probably not considering there’s a highway patrol station just down the highway, but this is on Apache Nation land and they have their own policing.

Going into Globe/Miami there’s an old ‘50’s era roadside Diner. At first glance it looks like a converted rail car, but that’s not the case.  It’s a standalone building albeit small building.  The front sign is long since gone.  I wonder what it was called.  I imagine an old neon sign with a flickering arrow inviting truckers in for a late night snack.  Maybe it was 24 hours?  Whatever diner it was, it was SMALL!  I didn’t wanna climb the fence because there was some police activity just up the road from this but I got the best shots I could.  Picture two shows the front door.  You can see the counter and there are still things on the shelves and old dining table that spans the length of the diner almost.  Surprisingly there’s not much room to sit if there were tables in here at one point.  The distance between the counter you see and front door is only a matter of 5 or 6 feet.  In picture four you can see the reflection of our car, and maybe my wife who doesn’t understand why I do this. LOL You may not see it from the picture, but this is where the counter ends.  On the back wall you can see the range’s classic metallic back splash.  This building is so sad you can just feel it.  I’ll take more picture of other buildings when I go up there next.

Thanks to April, we were able to make a trip to her hospital where she works with sick babies as an RN.  We were granted a chance to go in and get an ultrasound.  It’s soooo good to have the hookups like that!!  THANK YOU APRIL!!  We wanted to share with you the video and pictures we took.

Here’s a picture of the room we had the ultrasound in:

The baby now is 13 weeks and we’re nearing the end of our first trimester. 

Here are some videos

The holiday season always brings out the best in people. If you know me by now, you know I just said that first sentence with a hint of sarcasm.  I was almost not even going to comment on this story that initially broke Friday morning as I’m sitting at work (SUCKS) having coffee reading the news…but I think I will because there seems to be another story developing about the same type of thing.

Police Seek Shoppers in Wal-Mart Trampling Death
NEW YORK —  Police are reviewing surveillance videos of a post-Thanksgiving shopper stampede that trampled a suburban Wal-Mart worker to death

Basically what happened here was as the doors opened, massive hoards of people gang rushed the Wal-Mart in Nassau County trampling a temp worker to death. Police said the temporary worker, Jdimytai Damour, was mowed down as about 2,000 bargain-hunters surged into the store at Friday’s 5 a.m. opening, leaving a metal portion of the door frame crumpled like an accordion.  I mean these people actually removed portions of the door frames as their autopilot brains navigated them to that hot Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69. This came on the wake of several other injuries at the same Wal-Mart.

Read more of the story from FoxNews

In a related story..
. Two People Dead In Toys “R” Us Shooting
Two Men Armed With Handguns Started Shooting At Each Other In Crowded Calif. Toy Store.

One woman says she was in the store looking at coloring books with her two young boys when there was a commotion in the next aisle. She thought it was a scramble for a sale, then heard gunshots. She says her four-year-old grabbed her leg and said he didn’t want to die.  Now here’s what I propose.  If you’re a parent…let’s say you’re this lady okay and you HATE going into Toys “R” Us, then you should use this moment to your benefit.  When the child asks to go to Toys “R” Us in the future, just say: “Are you crazy???  Do you wanna almost die like last time?!“  Well, that’s what I would do.  One lady went on to say that “Some people got into a fight [and that] one of the guys here thought it was over a toy, but it got louder and louder and then there were gunshots.“

Read more of the story from CBS

This is certainly the world we live in.  When I talk to my mom about these kinds of things she is just in complete disbelief over how people act these days.  I remember when a lady fell down in a convenience store I think in Wichita but can’t be certain, and what does the surveillance video show?  It shows people walking over her to pay for their gas, or get that super big gulp…it shows people taking pics of her with their cell phones to upload to their myspace….it shows a lady dying and she did die.  Well, people have certainly become more evil there is no doubt about that.  You have to rise to that threat and always be mindful of your surroundings and other people or you’ll end up as that temporary worker at WalMart whose last words were probably “ahhhhhhhhhhh.“

So the next time you’re out on Black Friday keep in mind about the real possibility of getting trampled by a herd of rabid people willing to kill for a discount.  And I mean kill in the most literal sense of the word.

Sent directly from my cell phone.

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Last week we got curtains for our room only.  We did this because it is just so bright in our room, especially since no painting has been done upstairs yet.  So with blinds and curtains it’s at least dark enough to not wake up early.  I’m talking about where we used to wake up at 2pm on a Saturday, recovering from the week getting up at 6am every morning, I was waking up at 8 or 9 feeling groggy and then totally feeling like I didn’t get any rest when the next week began.  This past weekend was the true test.  I was waking up at 11am and 12pm even.  This morning, I felt so rested that at 5:38, 20 minutes before my alarm, I got up and was able to make lunch, water the lawn and take a shower and still not be rushed for the bus.  What a refreshing feeling to wake up that early and just feel ready to go.

This past weekend we had April/Sam and the kids down.  It was great to see Patrick!  Love those kids.  Jenny got to hang out with her mom on Sat which was cool.  Later that night we played Rockband and everyone who played had a blast! Even Sam was rockin’ out on lead guitar.  I am entertaining the thought of boarding when I go up there in December, hit the slopes which would be awesome.  After everyone left, Jenny and I just kinda sat around and got caught up on some of our DVR shows.  A favorite of mine is Ghost Adventures on the Travel channel.

I almost forgot, but I did set the turkey out on Saturday for 5-6 days of defrosting in the fridge.  This sucker is 24lbs…which I think is the biggest turkey you can buy.  We’re going to buy a banquet table at Ace hardware tonight for thanksgiving…  We’re saving up for a nice table but won’t be purchasing that until probably after the new year.