Whom do you ask for information in a Ghost Town? Clearly, the ghosts are no longer around, but the sign still is a marker (winking at you, really) that this is a “historical recreation” of a Ghost Town and not the stuff of Scooby Doo cartoons.

This sign can be found in Goldfield, Arizona, about 40 minutes drive from Phoenix. Goldfield was a real ghost town twice – once, after a gold mining bust in 1895, and again after an attempt to revive the town in 1926.

The historical recreation part started in the late 1970s when it became sort of a rustic theme park. Nifty place, and fun to visit.

It’s very cool to see the retail machine that is the Apple Store in full motion.

I fancy myself a retail anthropologist, and on a recent trip to Chicago saw this window display and thought it fascinating. Ok, you say – you’re probably an Apple fanboy – but there are a couple of things here that are particular interesting in the way that they amplify the Apple Marketing Message and make it real.

First, this display really brings the promise of the iPhone 4 video calling feature “Facetime” to life. Never mind that the call is not actually live and that you are seeing video sourced from an Apple commercial. In fact, the video is probably recorded from two iPhones, yet seeing it much much larger than life gives it greater impact.

Second, the video catches your eye and brings you into the store. Many displays in store windows are static and don’t utilize video. This video is attractive, well-lit, and tells a great story: “Come inside, you’ll really want to try this.”

Finally, the giant iPhone 4s reinforce the marketing message that Apple is broadcasting in its TV ads. Never mind the actual phone you’ll receive in the box is much smaller — it’s a compelling story that brings you inside the store.

It was a great day — sunny, and no place to go really except back across I-90 to Western Washington. Little RB and I were crusing along in George when I realized that we were near to a really cool sign I’ve seen before but never stopped to notice.

The Martha Inn and Cafe has a flat out cool sign. Not only does it have a truck in motion, arrows to tell you where to go and some nifty neon with the name of the establishment, it’s also really big. Like big enough to see from the highway.

I’d love to go back and see the Martha Inn and Cafe sign lit up at night. I haven’t eaten there, but I’m guessing the pie is good — especially the Cherry Pie. Maybe that will be for another trip.

-RB

This week, walking around Pioneer Square, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before: historical markers on some of the buildings. It’s fascinating that even in a “new” city like Seattle, structures have been around for 100 years or more, and the commercial history of the city lives on even as a mercantile outfitter of the Gold Rush now houses a restaurant where technology workers go to hang out.

Cool stuff, and worth a look if you’re hanging around Pioneer Square.

This was a really neat sign that we saw on the way back from a trip to Oregon.

I love the conbination of shapes and neon. It makes me want to visit a 40s style nightclub.

It’s not every day that you see a park (street corner/empty lot) that’s lit up like a Las Vegas hotel pool.

The other night, while strolling with friends on Queen Anne, we passed this nighttime light show. For a moment, the illusion was perfect — note the folks in the background testing their acrobatic skills by doing headstands on the lit-up wall — and then we remembered it was just a sidewalk attraction.

But it’s a pretty one, and a neat way to beautify a city spot with a bit of glitz. When you consider the rainy season we’re about to (or have already entered), it’s nice to have some neon, some palm trees, and some beach chairs to remind you of summer and travelling to Las Vegas.

Mo's Annex, Newport, OR

Mo’s Annex, Newport, OR

This is a companion piece to my other illustration, and was done in the way that I would normally try to complete watercolors. I penciled in the drawing and then painted the result. I used a pen to touch up the finished watercolor and added some accents to punch up the contrast.

All in all, I’m pretty happy with the result. If you want some of the real chowder experience, you’ll have to make a pilgrimage to Mo’s yourself. (But you won’t be disappointed.)

Otis Cafe, Otis, OR

Otis Cafe, Otis, OR

I decided to try something new today. Normally when I do watercolors I try to draw the subject very carefully in pencil, then determine where the colors and light sources should be, and then build the painting in two or three coats. I started by drawing the subject from a photograph using pen; then worked on it with watercolor; then put it aside; and finally finished with pen accents and a light wash.

The result is a combination of the best aspects of mixed media drawing.  The sketch has the lightness of watercolor and the hard line of a pen drawing.  It conveys the feeling of being at a roadside cafe at the end of a long journey, having driven all day to get to a destination.  And it seems like a friendly place to have a meal.

I think I’ll start more drawings/paintings this way.  (Though I think I need a new name for them, because they are somewhere in between watercolor, painting, and drawing.)

First Discovery of Gold in Montana

Historical markers are an interesting for the history that they mark. This may seem a circular statement, but it’s indicative of the truism “History is written by the winners.” In a world where state budgets are being cut, who should care about regional culture? I think regional culture still matters because it shows us about the way things develop and reminds us that the mass-produced world of Burger King and McDonald’s is not the only culture that we care to export to the world.

A new iPhone application promises to help remind us — wherever we are — of the regional culture that’s all around us. Imagine if you could find out that you just passed an important landmark in a state’s history. (It would be even better if the app worked by alerting you with a noise or by reading a pre-recorded “tag” of the importance of the location. It would be as if you had the museum guides that you can purchase to see an art exhibition, but in the great outdoors. I’m looking forward to trying Drive By History just for the fun of it, but I hope I learn something about the highways and byways at the same time.

Perhaps by remembering and learning more about the things that are around us we will be more inclined to try the corner restaurant, visit the local art gallery, and support our businesses in our own town rather than reflexively supporting the easiest, most convenient option. Slowing down a bit and seeing the markers on the byways is a good start toward this end.

I’ve opened an account on Twitter (@roadsidebliss) and we’ll see what kind of ideas it helps stir up.

The goal’s still the same: enjoy posting and writing about topics in roadside architecture, art, or whatever else comes to mind.