Thursday Doors – Retirementally Challenged

Taking it Easy at La Posada

When most people think of Winslow, Arizona, standing on the corner and flatbed Fords probably come to mind.

But if you visit Winslow, don’t just take it easy, take a selfie, and go running on down the road. Although the Corner is a fine sight to see, you’ll miss what I consider the true jewel of Winslow (sorry, Jackson Browne), La Posada Hotel.

La Posada was opened in 1930 as part of the Harvey hotel and restaurant chain built to cater to railroad passengers. The architect, Mary Colter (famous for her buildings at the Grand Canyon), blended Native American and Spanish cultures into the design. The hotel survived the stock market crash but closed in 1957, as fewer and fewer people traveled by train, opting instead to go by automobile.

In the early 1960s, the empty buildings were repurposed as offices for the Santa Fe Railway. In 1994, when the railway announced plans to move out, it was scheduled for demolition. Fortunately, before that could happen, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added it to their endangered list and a new owner was found.

I first fell in love with La Posada in 2015, when our Route 66 road trip took us through Winslow. My husband and I spent an hour or so touring the public areas and gardens, and watching the trains. We couldn’t book a room back then, but I hoped it might be possible in the future. Last spring, on the return leg of our east coast road trip, we had our chance.

As we explored the historical hotel as guests, I tried to envision La Posada as it must have been in its heyday, when it was filled with long-distance railway travelers. Although those days are gone, I am grateful that we can still experience the beauty and romance of this last, great railway hotel.

The Interior

In 1997, the estimated $12 million restoration of La Posada began, slowly bring it back to its former glory. Arched ceilings, faux adobe walls, period furnishing, and unique doors can be found throughout. (Slideshow)

Our Hotel Room

Despite being close to train tracks, our room was quiet and comfortable. We appreciated the touches of Southwest design and colorful tiles. (Slideshow)

The Exterior

Beautiful iron gates and vintage doors invite guests to wander the property. (Slideshow)

Watching the Trains Go By

The hotel provides several sitting areas for guests to watch the trains. Twice daily, trains on the Los Angeles/Chicago line stop at the hotel to pick up and drop off passengers. (Slideshow)

I found the history of La Posada, railway hotels, and the architect, Mary Colter, fascinating. If you are interested in learning more, check out these websites:

La Posada

Legends of America

Pioneering Women of America

Please visit Dan at No Facilities to see more beautiful doors. His Sunday Recap (to be posted on January 19) will include submissions for the 2025 Thursday Doors badge contest, including mine:

A Book Lover’s Wonderland

Several weeks ago, my husband and I spent a few days in Los Angeles. The main reason for our visit was to see family but we also wanted to explore the downtown area.

When I research an unfamiliar destination for things we might want to do, I often turn to the website Atlas Obscura. Unlike other tourism resources, Atlas Obscura highlights lesser known, but fascinating places of interests. They call themselves “The Definitive Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders,” and I have found their recommendations invaluable.

That’s where I learned about The Last Bookstore.

Housed in a hundred-year-old bank building, The Last Bookstore is known for its huge selection of used books and a well-curated collection of first editions, rare, and vintage books (complete with the deep, musty smell that bibliophiles cherish). Customers can also browse through new fiction and non-fiction books, as well as an extensive selection of vinyl records.

Almost as impressive as the books themselves, are the way they are displayed and the visual delights sprinkled throughout the two-story building.

The marble pillars of the former bank’s atrium support a beautifully carved and painted ceiling.

A bank vault serves as one of several themed book nooks.

The stairs leading up to the second floor.

Harry Potter meets Fantasia.

The door into a genre-themed room; this one focuses on True Crime.

The Book Tunnel.

One of several Book Loops found among the shelves.

In a time when so many independent bookstores have disappeared – and even the huge chains that spelled doom for the indies are closing – The Last Bookstore has managed to hold its own. Even at an impressive 22,000 sq. feet, it’s not as large as Amazon, but it has a lot more heart.

If you love books, check out the What’s on Your Bookshelf? linkup, hosted by Donna, Debbie, Jo, and Sue.

And, if you love doors (and tunnels and mysterious loops), visit Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge to see more.

Buzzing around Bisbee

In a recent Thursday Doors post, I highlighted our visit to the Arizona mining town of Jerome. We had been there a couple of times before and we enjoyed another opportunity to poke about the quirky community perched on the side of a hill.

In south-eastern Arizona – almost to the border of Mexico – is another fun and funky old mining town called Bisbee. Over a period of almost 100 years, Bisbee produced around 8 billion pounds of copper. Silver, gold, lead, zinc and manganese were also mined in significant quantities. Similar to Jerome, after the mining interests pulled out (the last operation ceased in 1974), artists and hippies started moving in, attracted by the inexpensive real estate and wide-open scenery.

As a wanna-be artist and hippie at heart, I love these types of communities. At home and on our travels, we see too many big box behemoths, interchangeable chains, and soulless strip malls. It’s nice to visit a place that values out-of-the-ordinary and one-of-a-kind. Bisbee had been on my want-to-see list for a while, so I was happy to finally make it there.

It’s pretty easy to get around Bisbee on foot, as long as you don’t mind a few hills. Most of the shops, restaurants, and art galleries can be found along the main street so once we parked our car, it didn’t move until the next afternoon when we left town. Our hotel was in an old building (all buildings in Bisbee are old) but it was the nicest room we stayed in during our 2 ½ week road trip.

Between the historical buildings, street murals, galleries, and colorful town folks, there was a lot to see and photograph in Bisbee, including a few doors… in fact one of Bisbee’s slogans is Be Inspired. (I also saw a bumper sticker that read “Bisbee… like Mayberry on acid” but I’m going with Be Inspired).

A garage owned by someone who worships motorcycles, I guess.

Bisbee’s Cochise County Courthouse is a prime example of the Southwest regional variation of the Art Deco style.

A beautifully patinaed gate and stairs leading to an artist’s home, no doubt.

Bisbee is known for its Art Cars and we were happy to spot one close to our hotel. Nearby Douglas, Arizona has a entire museum dedicated to this artform.

This faux painting of a staircase was behind an actual door in an art gallery.

After many years of hearing about Bisbee’s rich history and thriving art scene, I was thrilled to finally see it for myself. It really is Bee-utiful!

Please check out Dan’s blog to see some more Thursday Doors… and maybe link a few of your own.

Roaming in Jerome

My husband and I had been looking forward to taking a road trip to Arizona to see friends and sightsee. Since the summer temperatures can get rather brutal, we put off our trip until November, when things cool down quite a bit. As a bonus, we got to experience an extra ten days of Daylight Saving Time, since most of Arizona doesn’t practice the crazy twice-a-year clock dance.

One of our favorite Arizona destinations is Jerome, an old mining town perched on a hillside at an elevation of about 5,200 feet. The 2-hour drive from Phoenix features winding roads and twisting hairpin turns which makes it a destination for motorcyclists – not our mode of travel but it looked like it could be fun.

In the 1920s Jerome was home to one of the world’s most lucrative copper mines but plummeting prices in the 1950s led to its downturn. Fortunately, in the 1960s, the town experienced a renaissance when hippies and artists – attracted by the open vistas and cheap real estate – moved in and began to open shops, galleries, and restaurants.

We love to wander the hilly streets, peruse the shops, and take in the views that stretch across the Verde Valley to Sedona’s red rocks and distant San Francisco mountains. In 1976, Jerome was designated a National Historic Landmark District so you won’t find a gas station or a Walmart there, just a funky blend of fine art and steam punk, saloons and restaurants, old hippies and older buildings… and ghosts (although we didn’t see any of those while there).

The setting sun lighting up the distant hills.

Jerome can also be an avid picture-taker’s paradise and I found a lot that captured my attention.

I was taking a picture of this:

A mysterious gate to nowhere, locked with a lion’s head padlock.

When a man stepping out of his truck said that I might be interested in taking a picture of the doors located behind a locked gate:

The owner of the building is a big fan of Greek mythology and snakes.

It turns out that man was the artist and craftsman of both that door and this one:

The artist talking to my husband about his work.

He invited us into his woodshop and treated us to a personal tour of the historic building it is located in.

Our hotel once served as Jerome’s hospital from the 1920s thru the 1950s:

Unfortunately, the Asylum Restaurant was closed the day we were there… but I hear it is crazy good.

The original Otis elevator still services all five levels of the hotel.

Some more openings around Jerome that caught my attention:

At first it appeared there wasn’t anything behind the gate…

Who knows what these old doors used to open into… a bordello perhaps.

I hope you enjoyed a short tour of Jerome, Arizona. It’s definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

Please check out Dan’s blog to see some more Thursday Doors… and maybe link a few of your own.

Stepping Out In Santa Barbara

Last week, my husband and I drove a couple of hundred miles up the California coast to the seaside city of Santa Barbara. We were looking forward to spending a few days exploring the area and celebrating our 20^th wedding anniversary. Other than having booked a B&B for three nights and making dinner reservations for our anniversary, we had no specific plans… just like we like it.

Santa Barbara is very walkable and, once we parked our car at the Inn, it sat there until we headed home. Just about everywhere we walked, the city’s beautiful architecture – ubiquitous red-tile clay roofs, whitewashed walls, ornamental iron work, and colorful tiles – reminded us of our recent trip to Spain. Although Santa Barbara’s Spanish roots can be traced back to 1542, it was after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake reduced much of the city to rubble in 1925, that Santa Barbara was mostly rebuilt in a unified Spanish Colonial Revival style.

(To see the pictures of beautiful Santa Barbara, make sure you scroll through each slideshow.)

The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is one of the most beautiful public buildings I’ve ever seen. Completed in 1929, the courthouse features elaborate hand-painted murals, wrought-iron chandeliers, and a clock tower that offers panoramic views of the city, bookmarked by the nearby mountains and ocean.

A more modern twist to the city’s architecture was introduced by Jeff Shelton, a local architect whose buildings playfully reinterpret the traditional Spanish Colonial design style. Lucky for us, he created a self-guided walking tour that took us by eight of his most noteworthy buildings, all located in a 10-block area of the downtown core.

Cheers to 20 years!

Now, head on over to No Facilities to see Dan’s Thursday Doors and links to others.

Dem Bones

When we crossed over the border from Spain into the Algarve, Portugal’s sunny and picturesque southern coast, we were excited to explore another new-to-us country. Our first stop was the seaside city of Faro where we had scheduled a three-day stay before heading on to Lisbon. We were looking forward to enjoying fresh seafood and beautiful scenery, but we didn’t expect to encounter one of the strangest sights on our trip.

Our Lady of Carmel was just a few blocks from our apartment, but we might have passed it up as we were on serious church overload after spending three weeks in Spain. It wasn’t until someone mentioned the Capela dos Osso, or Chapel of Bones, that we put it on our “must-see” list.

The church’s whitewashed Baroque façade was lovely, and its richly gilded interior impressive, but the real draw was the small chapel in the interior courtyard behind the church. As we approached the chapel, we saw this inscription over the entrance: “Para aqui a considerar que a este estado has de chegar” (loosely translated as: Stop here and consider that you too will reach this state).

Upon entering the chapel, we found ourselves surrounded by bones and skulls… lots of bones and skulls. In fact, in 1816, the skeletons of over 1,200 Carmelite monks who once served the church had been exhumed from the nearby graveyard. They were used in both the construction of the ossuary and to artfully decorate just about every surface. The effect was both stunning and profound.

I’ve read various descriptions of bone chapels (there are several in Portugal, including a larger one in Evora) where words like “creepy” or “macabre” were used. I don’t agree at all. The original intent was no doubt religious—some say to encourage people to think about the life beyond this one—but my secular self took a couple of other important lessons from the display:

Despite our different sizes, shapes, and colors on the outside, inside we are pretty much the same. We spend way too much time focused on what in reality is just a small portion of who we are.
Life is fleeting. We only get one life before we too become a pile of bones. Make the most of it.

As we hoped, the three weeks we spent in Portugal were filled with wonderful food, scenery, and adventures (and I will share a few as my non-existent post schedule goes forward). Looking back, though, we were fortunate that our first stop was Faro, where a small chapel behind a church held a good reminder to enjoy our lives while we can.

Please visit Dan’s blog No Facilities to see other #Thursday Doors.

Thursday Doors – James Hubbell’s Doors and More, Part 2

Last week, I shared some photos from a recent tour my husband and I took of the property owned by internationally renowned artist, James Hubbell.

When I booked the tour, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was confident there would be a lot to see and tons of photo opportunities. At the end of our 1 ½ hour tour, we were happily tired, and I had taken over 100 images.

Since I wrote a bit about the compound’s history in last week’s Thursday Doors post, I’ll skip right to sharing more of the marvelous doors, windows, and art that we saw.

I wish I could have gotten a better shot of these three doors together… they were incredible.

I love how the stained glass window on the side of the door flows into the glass art embedded in the door.

Whimsical door – with hand-forged metal art and hardware – and a stained glass window above.

One of the several art studios on the property.

Another art studio with a large stained glass window framing the view.

This just-completed door was commissioned by a very lucky homeowner (sadly, not us).

I hope you enjoyed the tour. If you’d like to learn more about the artist and his amazing property, visit ilanlaelfoundation.org.

Dan Antion hosts door lovers every Thursday on his blog, No Facilities. Check out this week’s Thursday Doors submissions from around the world.

Thursday Doors – James Hubbell’s Doors and More

Several weeks ago, I saw an announcement about upcoming tours of a local artist’s compound. After closing the property to outsiders for two years due to Covid, they were once again opening it up to a limited number of visitors. In the past when I had read about these tours, I was interested but, for whatever reason, hadn’t gone. There was always an excuse, however, if I’m being completely honest, it boiled down to “Maybe I’ll go next year.”

If Covid has taught us anything, it is that “next year” isn’t guaranteed, and that things can change seemingly overnight. Even though this is true for everyone, at every age, it is especially true for those of us with more years behind us than in front of us. With this in mind – and not wanting to risk my inner procrastinator taking over – I went straight to my computer to reserve two tickets. I am so glad I did.

The compound, designed and built by James Hubbell, sits on a 40-acre ranch near the mountain town of Julian, California. An internationally renowned artist, poet, and architectural designer, Hubbell is widely known for his organic-style buildings which are works of art. His hand-crafted doors, stained glass windows, gates, and sculptures using wood, stone, metal, glass, and clay can be found throughout the property. Although most of the structures were built in the 1950s and 60s, several had to be rebuilt when a wildfire raced through the area in 2003. Now in his 90s, Hubbell no longer lives on the property, but his sons and the foundation he created, carry on his vision and his legacy.

Here are a few of the fabulous doors and windows I saw during the hour-long tour. I will share more next week.

Not only was the stained glass created on-site but the door hardware was also hand-forged on-site.

Mosaic and stained glass in one of the restrooms.

All windows and doors were unique works of art.

One of the several studios found on the property.

Close-up of the studio door. Note the beautiful hand-forged hinges and door pull (and cute kitty).

Meeting room door with hand-forged metal work.

I hope you enjoyed this peek at James Hubbell’s compound. Please come back next Thursday to see more of this incredible artist’s work. In the meantime, check out Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors post and see the doors that others have shared.

Thursday Doors Writing Challenge– Under the Rainbow

This short story was written for Dan Antion’s (No Facilities) Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. It was inspired by a painted door I saw at a local artists’ village. A little warning, this story is a bit darker than the other ones I’ve shared.

Under the Rainbow

Dorothy shifted uncomfortably in her hard plastic chair. The air in the room was stale, smelling of early morning coffee breath. She looked down at her watch and was irritated to find that she still had 15 minutes left of this slow death.

Edmond, the insufferable little English prig was droning on and on about his brother and sisters, a closet (or, as he called it, a “wardrobe”), and some people who were turned into stone. We all have problems, Dorothy thought, why should I care about yours? She was about to fake a heart attack just to get out of there when Edmond said something about a lion and a witch. What the heck? Had he been there too?

When the group leader ended the session with his usual feel good, namaste BS, Dorothy made a beeline for the door. As soon as she stepped outside, she lit her fourth cigarette of the day and inhaled the fumes as if they gave her life. Scanning her surroundings, she felt as flat, dusty, and depressed as the landscape. “I flipping hate Kansas” she mumbled under her breath.

“What’s that?” Damn, it was that new girl. Pretty, blonde, and another English accent. “What did you think of the session?” Miss Priss asked smiling.

“I’ve been coming for three years and still haven’t gotten anything out of it,” Dorothy answered, hoping to cut the conversation short.

“Alice, my name is Alice,” Miss Priss said, extending her hand. “I feel like I’ve been chasing down rabbit holes my whole life and would really like to stop. I hope these meetings can fix me.”

“All of us are here for the same thing but I’m starting to wonder why we would want to leave those other worlds and exist permanently in this one,” Dorothy replied. “They might have contained dark magic and evil forces, but at least they were interesting.”

“You’re right,” Alice replied. “It wasn’t all Red Queens and madness. I had some opportunities for personal growth too.”

“Well, good luck,” Dorothy offered as she stubbed out her cigarette on the side of the building. “I hope you find what you need. I think this will be the last Rentering Reality support group I’ll attend.” Dorothy walked away without a backward glance.

As she headed home, she thought about her sad, miserable life and how everyone she loved was now gone. First, Auntie Em wasted away from cancer, then Uncle Henry drowned in bottles of cheap gin. Toto One—her only witness to her adventure—was dead. Even Toto Two had the good sense to run away and never come back. Why bother sticking around this god-forsaken place? she asked herself. Why exist in a black and white world when you can live in color?

Approaching her house, Dorothy fully grasped the property’s decay for the first time. The garden, once Auntie Em’s pride and joy, was covered in weeds. The barn and livestock pens—where the terrifying pigs had been kept—were almost as flattened as the Kansas topography. Her house was headed in that direction too; missing roof shingles, rotted siding, and dangerously uneven front steps. The sudden wash of guilt Dorothy felt nearly brought her to her knees.

Once inside, Dorothy knew exactly what she needed to do. Before she could change her mind, she headed for the cellar. As she descended the steps into darkness, she could see a faint red glow in the corner.

The ruby slippers were waiting for her, just as they had been for many years. Dorothy carefully put them on, not surprised at all that they fit perfectly, despite her shoe size changing over time. Looking down at her feet, Dorothy started to click her heels together: one… two… three…

“There’s no place like Oz, there’s no place like Oz, there’s no place like Oz.”

Don’t forget to check out the other submissions for the Thursday Doors Writing Challenge and – who knows? – maybe you’ll be inspired to add one of your own.

Sunday Stills: Looking Back at 2021

One of my favorite times to scroll through the photos on my phone is at the end of each year. I find that it’s a great way to remind myself of things that I’ve done, the fun I’ve had, and what I’ve accomplished (and, if taking a lot of pictures is an accomplishment, I’m a rockstar) over the past year.

For this week’s Sunday Stills theme, Rear-View Mirror, I chose one picture from each month in 2021 to remember what brought me joy – and there was a lot – during this very strange year.

January

Our first vaccinations! It felt monumental… like we were really, really going to beat this thing.

February

Despite some activities being curtailed, we still enjoyed getting out to explore our beautiful city.

March

Less actual grocery shopping and more experimentation with kit meals shipped to our home.

April

Good times and interesting conversations when friends Kathy (SMART Living 365) and her husband Thom came for a visit.

May

Our blueberries begin to ripen.

June

More good times and interesting conversations when we visited Kathy and Thom at their mountain get-a-way.

July

Sunflowers and bees with pollen booties… is there anything better?

August

We crossed the Canadian border the first day it opened. A month of blogger buddy meet-ups, hiking, and experiencing the beauty of Vancouver Island commenced.

September

After our stay on the Island, we ferried over to the city of Vancouver for more exploration and fun.