Cogs 'n Wheels

About an hours drive from my house is what appears on the surface to be an old western town. But in reality it is a recreated set of buildings designed to be used as movie sets in in the late '40s. Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and a cast of others used this location for a myriad of movies and TV shows. Named after the musical group, "Sons of the Pioneers", Pioneer Town even has it's own zip code and post office. There's a bowling alley, several saloons, a church and assorted other stores and private residences. I spotted this old rusted printing press and loved the combination of all the colors of rust and the geometrical shapes.

"Cogs 'n Wheels" © Kathy Dunham 2008

Shoe Tree

It's the holiday weekend and I decided to do a little driving to check out the landscape in this part of California. I've seen a lot of the state but there are parts of the desert I still haven't been to. I know, gas prices are high but this is business for me. An artist needs to search out new subject matter and get inspired. In a wide spot of the road called Amboy, 48 miles north of Twentynine Palms, is a gas station, and what used to be a motel. But a humorous spot is the "Shoe Tree". I don't know how it got started or why people keep throwing shoes up in the tree tops but they do. And most of them look new. There were even slippers in the tree. Further down the road was the "Jockey Short Tree" but I couldn't find a safe place to pull over to take a picture. Maybe next time.

"Shoe Tree" © Kathy Dunham 2008

Early Condominiums

Canyon de Chelly is a favorite spot of mine and its unique history adds to the charm. This is Antelope House, so named after the nearby petroglyphs on the canyon walls depicting antelopes. This was home to the ancient Anazasi. No one knows exactly why or when they left but what remains offers us a small window into their lives. These ruins are a marvelous wonder of architecture considering what building materials were available at the time.

"Antelope House" © Kathy Dunham 2008