17 - MINI TIME MACHINE MUSEUM AND THE ARIZONA INDIAN FESTIVAL

We are currently in Casa Grande, Arizona, a small town that sits between Phoenix and Tucson. Friends of ours from Kansas, Ron and Nancy Lutz are camping here and we are spending time with them. Other than that, there is not a lot to do around here.


Yesterday we drove to Tucson (only about an hour away) to see the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. 

 Now doll houses are not on our list of things we necessarily want to see and these turned out to be a long way from what one would think of as "doll houses."


Our friend, Bill Smith, told us that this place was a "must see," so we decided to check it out.

As we walked up to the pair of huge doors, we noticed a miniature of the big doors right next to them. It all starts before you even go inside.


One exhibit was of famous people and some of the jewels they owned. (All of these exhibits are behind glass so occasionally you will see reflections in the glass.)

This was King Louis XVI (16th) in all his finery, gone to sleep while drinking a glass of wine, dropping the glass on the floor.

This one is Marie Antoinette. Every detail was exquisite. Even down to eyelashes. By the way, how did she ever move in a dress like that?


Yes, there were houses, but not to be confused with doll houses. There were also single "room" vignettes...and more...lots more. Actually 275 houses and room boxes. These look really large but most of these miniatures here are 1/12 scale.

This house was especially fascinating. It is called the Automated House of Emil Wick. 


It is a three story wooden house or hotel, typical of Basel, Switzerland in the early 1800's, and populated with mechanical figures animated by a key-wound and weight-driven mechanism. Inside the cabinet base is a musical cylinder that chimes two different tunes.

The back side shows the intricate workings that make all the characters on the front side move.

This is The Orangerie-Villa di Luce. 

It is a glass conservatory with handmade windows, including a scale copy of a Tiffany Fawn stained glass window.

There was a detailed chandelier in the dining room, complete with individual candles.

This was one of my favorite Vignettes because it made me laugh. It's called, "A Christmas to Forget or Fido Brought Some Friends Home and Mary-Alice Let Them In."

 This is a display of very tiny actual silver pieces, exact copies of large silver pieces. There was a video of how these are made. It was an amazing process and nearly as much work as making a full sized piece, maybe more.

This set of Waterford Crystal has an exact duplication but in extreme miniature that sits on the wood pedestal in the background. Jim Irish is a former Master Cutter at Waterford and now specializes in 1/12 scale versions of classic crystalware.


Sorry I couldn't give you more pictures from the Mini Time Machine, but size and lighting made pictures really difficult. I will say that this is truly a "Must See" stop in Tucson.


Today we went up to Scottsdale, 45 minutes or so away where the Arizona Indian Festival was being held. 

There were a few colorful Indian dances going on...

A Hopi potter (Darlene James) demonstrating how she paints with just the single fiber of the Yucca plant. We are going up to some of the pueblos next week and may see her there.


There were quite a number of booths where Natives were selling their jewelry, rugs, and lots of other items.

 This rug pretty much blew my mind when I saw it. Although it looks like it is a quilt of 20 Navajo rugs, it's not. It is ONE Navajo rug, woven all in one piece by several women. 


This is called The Little Sister rug and measures 25 by 19 feet. There are five different classic styles of Navajo rugs here comprising one entire piece of art. 

The lady in red is having her picture taken with Miss Navajo Nation in front of the rug. It also gives you an idea of the size of the rug behind her.


This is called Little Sister rug because there is another, even larger one that was made first. The first one is called Shima (My Mother). It is 37 feet, 10 inches by 24 feet, five inches. There were 10 weavers who took two years to make it. 


I don't know how long it took to make Little Sister or how many weavers were involved, but it had to be similar to what was involved in making Shima. 


These were both made in the village of Chilchinbeto and the original plan was to come up with something that would put the village on the map and bring in cash, making the community self sufficient.


In the 1970's, Chilchinbeto's Council Delegate, Charlie Billy and President, Billy Charlie (Yes, you read that right.) decided to focus their efforts on tourism. 


They decided to own the largest turquoise nugget. Turquoise mines were hundreds of miles away but the people knew Charlie Billy to be a visionary and he was so much loved, that they went all in. Eventually they all had to deal with the failure of this plan and needed a Plan B.


Billy and his cronies then hatched a different plan. This one would rely on the Navajo's most reliable resource: the Grandmas.


Billy recruited 10 of the area's best weavers. Amazingly the weavers were able to agree on a design that incorporated all the major Navajo designs with a unique design in the center.


They commandeered the BIA gymnasium and the men constructed a gigantic loom, 38 by 25 feet to weave the largest Navajo rug.


The ladies sat a certain distance apart from one another, all working at the same time. The yarn had to come all the way from one end of the gym to the other, some times with the help of a come-along. They would roll up the finished part and keep on going.


The details of the smaller rug had to be very similar. 


In case you haven't noticed, we were incredibly impressed by this rug. Sort of made the whole trip worth while.


Tomorrow we are going to Tucson for two days. We will be visiting friends there and I hope to go to the GEM Show that is going on there. However it has already started to rain with more in the forecast so we will see.


Originally after Tucson we were going to head home, but have found something more interesting to do, so stay tuned for future blog postings.

16 - PUEBLO GRANDE MUSEUM AND THE HOO-HOOGAM KI MUSEUM

Our next stop was scheduled to be a visit to the Pueblo Grande Museum in downtown Phoenix. 

After our last stop at the Pioneer Living History Museum, we approached this one with a bit of trepidation. We were hoping it was not going to be a repeat performance...and it wasn't.

In this location, in addition to a museum building, there is a large Platform Mound dated from AD 1450.

This aerial view of the Phoenix area shows the Museum and the Platform Mound in the foreground. Along the right side is one of the many canals in Phoenix. 

The Hohokam Indians were an agricultural people living in the desert.  That required water that they did not have. 

The Salt River runs through the area and the Hohokam people dug, totally by hand, an amazing network of large, deep and long canals from the river to provide water to their crops and villages.

This was Bob. He conducted a tour that began right after we arrived. 

He was very knowledgeable and we were glad to have arrived in time for this. We learned a lot more by listening to him than if we had just wandered around by ourselves.

Platform mounds were probably both ceremonial and administrative in nature. They are dated at around AD 1450.

Near the Platform Mound is a Ballcourt. There are only a few known and excavated Ballcourts in the Southwest. This court measures 82 feet by 38 feet.

No one knows the game they played here, but the courts are all made the same. There is a small opening, probably a "goal" at each end and a clearly marked "center." The inside of the court is made of hardened soil that has the consistency of concrete.

These stone balls were found in various ballcourts. I certainly hope the game wasn't Dodge Ball.

Ballcourts were built and used from about AD 750 to 1200. There is no known reason why they stopped using them. (Maybe it was Dodge Ball!)

There were groupings of replicated pithouses...

...and an adobe compound where the Hohokam lived and built things like pottery, tools and bows and arrows.

The lower level "platform" was made of room-like cells now filled with earth. About half of the mound has been excavated and since they already know what the rest will be like, and of course, a lack of money, they don't plan on excavating any more.

As we walked around the mound, planes kept taking off from the Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport that is very close by. Vibrations from planes and, of course, traffic is detrimental to the excavated area.

In one area, rocks were visible on the base of a wall.

Inside the museum building there were some great examples of Hohokam pottery.

This is a different shaped pot, one which I have seen only among the Hohokam peoples.

This very large "olla" pot was used for cooking.

After the tour, Don talked to our guide, Bob, about other places, maybe on reservations, that we could visit. 

Bob suggested, "Hohokam Key Museum," and even gave me the address in Scottsdale. Don jotted down the museum name and I put the address in my phone so we could find it.

We got in the car and I put the address in the GPS. We followed that to the address Bob had given us and found ourselves at a Medical Center...not a Reservation museum.

Being really frustrated, I put in my iPhone, Google Maps, "Museums, Scottsdale." 

I was very surprised to see it quickly pull us dozens of museums in the Phoenix area, and near the end of the list was, "Hoo-Hoogam Ki Museum. 

We would never have expected it to be spelled that way. In addition, Bob had left a zero out of the address he gave us. 

Anyway, we finally found it, a tiny museum with some great art work.

The pillars that held up the porch overhang are from dead Saguaro cactus. 

When the large Saguaro dies the ribs inside are very heavy and very strong. We have occasionally seen furniture made out of it.

Outside was a Round House. Very early on, the natives lived in "round houses" made from local materials. These traditional houses disappeared by the 1930's. 

The framework was usually made from mesquite, cottonwood and willow. The framework was covered with arrowweed and adobe for insulation. 

They were used primarily for sleeping and escaping severe weather. Most daily activities took place outdoors.

 This was a display of basket making materials.

 There were also varying pottery styles.

There was a case with some jewelry for sale. This medallion caught my eye as I knew what it was. It was about 2-1/2 inches across and made completely of horsehair. 

You will notice the price of $390.00. That's a bargain for the work that goes into these things. I can't even imagine how long it took to make it.

A good friend of mine who is a very talented maker of pine needle baskets once made a medallion also of horsehair. She told me she nearly lost her mind before getting it done.  

In the meantime, there is a horse running around somewhere with a big bald spot in his tail.

The Superbowl is being held here on February first.  We drove down to Glendale past the Arizona University Stadium where the Superbowl will be held. 

To begin with, this stadium is not the most impressive or spectacular as far as looks go. It kind of looks like a flying saucer in need of some serious time at Weight Watchers.

 Of course they wouldn't let us drive into the parking lot, so my best pictures were from the nearby streets and the Freeway.

One of the neighbors here in the park have what they call "Happy Hour" at their rig every Friday afternoon. 

So most of the RVers nearby bring their chairs over and we sit and talk for a couple hours getting to know each other a little better. We have enjoyed this camaraderie for all three Friday's while we have been here.

We are leaving Phoenix tomorrow morning and heading about an hour or so south to Casa Grande. 

Dear friends of mine from Topeka, Kansas, Ron and Nancy Lutz, who I have known for way many more years then any of us wants to admit, are camping there. We are looking forward to spending a few days with them.

Next blog posting will be from Casa Grande.

15 - DEER VALLEY ROCK ART, PIONEER LIVING (huh?) HISTORY MUSEUM & PRESCOTT, AZ

The day before yesterday, we went back for another visit with my cousin, Orlin Oehler and wife Sandra. 

They live in a wonderful community not very far from our RV park called Sun City Grand in Surprise, Arizona. They took us on a tour of all the amenities of their community which was very extensive and amazingly beautiful! We were very impressed.


Yesterday was a trip to Deer Valley Rock Art Center that was also not far from our RV park, but in a different direction. 


This location is on the National Register of Historic Places and operated by Arizona State University School of Human Evolution & Social Change. 

(All signs here are on rust covered pieces of iron which fits in with the area much better than a shiny sign would.)


Deer Valley Rock Art Center is the location of the Hedgpeth Hills petroglyph site. There are more than 1,500 recorded petroglyphs on almost 600 boulders. Research is still being conducted on the 47 acre site.


I know I have told you a lot about petroglyphs, but the information at each location is a little bit different.

The rocks at Hedgpeth Hills were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. As lava cooled, it cracked into large boulders. This kind of volcanic rock is called andesitic basalt.


In arid regions, a thin dark film called desert varnish builds up slowly on rock surfaces. It consists of minerals such as manganese and iron, cemented on the surface by bacteria living on the rocks. Desert varnish typically forms about a micrometer-thick layer every 1,000 years.


Ancient people made the petroglyphs at Hedgpeth Hills using stone tools to peck the dark desert varnish off and expose the light-colored rock beneath.


After the desert varnish has been pecked away, a new layer slowly begins to accumulate. A petroglyph becomes darker as the varnish on top of it thickens. Eventually, over thousands of years, the desert varnish will completely cover the petroglyph.


The Center does not hinder this natural process, but protects the petroglyphs against unnatural deterioration, such as vandalism and graffiti.


As we walked down the path toward the petroglyphs, there was an area where the Arizona State University was doing experiments with Agave cactus plants. 

This one is about to bloom. At this point it is sometimes called a "Century Plant" because some thought it bloomed only once every hundred years. Not really true, but after it blooms, seeds from the spent bloom spawns new plants nearby while the original plant dies.


There was a nice smooth and flat path about a quarter mile long from the Visitor Center out towards where the petroglyphs were mostly located. I always appreciate flat smooth paths as we have found so many that are not like that at all.


Suddenly we see petroglyphs on the boulders near the trail.

There are glyphs on three or four of these rocks. Look closely as some are not easy to see.

Petroglyphs here are on two large rocks and are pretty easy to see. Most are high up on the side of the lava rock pile that makes up the hill.

This looks to me like an attack from a bunch of snakes...or maybe a lightening storm...but I'm suspicious of the snakes...

The path is right next to these lava rock hills. There are several signs saying to stay on the trail because this is "Rattlesnake Habitat." 


"Rattlesnake Habitat?"  That makes it sound like they actually want them there and are protecting them from people. I suspect it may be the other way around.

This rock shows several glyphs that are usually associated with the sun along with numerous others. 


Not surprisingly, we did not see all 1,500 petroglyphs. Probably because we didn't want to crawl through the "Rattlesnake Habitat" to see them.


That evening we went to dinner at a great steak house that had been recommended to us. As we walked across the parking lot there was a brilliant sunset that made the restaurant almost look like it was on fire.

I don't know when I have seen a sunset so vivid as this one.


Today we once again drove north of Phoenix first thing in the morning...

...and of course there were hot air balloons floating silently through the air.

Finally we arrived at the Pioneer Living History Museum.


I had looked this place up on the web and it sounded really fun. 


"Live demonstrations, battle reenactments, a comical melodrama, costumed interpreters, including cowboys, lawmen, and lovely Victorian ladies await you at Pioneer Living History Village, Arizona's most authentic Old West Town." It also said there was a saloon that serves food.


Now doesn't that sound like fun??? We thought so.


We arrived at 9:15, fifteen minutes after the stated opening time and the parking lot was completely empty. I wondered if I had mis-read the information and it was closed.


Apparently it was not closed as a young lady finally came to the window and took our eight dollars each and handed us a map of the park. She said, "You have ninety acres to explore!" Wow!

She didn't happen to mention this little matter...


I asked if we were the only ones there and she said, "So far, yes, but 25 kids are showing up at 10:00 for a field trip." Oh, great. We don't really enjoy sight seeing in the midst of a group of screaming 10-year-olds. 


So off we went looking for the costumed cowboys, lovely Victorian ladies and the melodrama before the kids arrive.


I photographed a lot of things...in the silence of the country. We only heard the wind blow and an occasional bird, (certainly no battle re-enactment sounds!)

Here is the dress shop...

...the blacksmith shop had really huge bellows...

...the church that is still occasionally in use for services and weddings...

We saw the school house...

...Don teased me because when I went to grade school, I sat in these kind of desks. He says he wants to see my birth certificate.

 There was a jail...

...which had two huge cells, along with office space for the sheriff.


There was a lot of other buildings, many recreated, a few that have been moved there.


However, none of the entertainment that was promised ever materialized. Neither was there a Saloon serving food...or anything else for that matter.  


We renamed the place the 'Pioneer Dead History Museum.' In other words, it was a total disappointment, a basic waste of the 45 minutes we spent walking around.


We suggest that if you are visiting Phoenix, there are lots of really great things here to see. Just pass on the Mystery Castle and Pioneer Living History Museum. Save your money on both of these.


Don commented that we are running out of things to see...that we are hitting the bottom of the barrel.


So now it is 10 am and the question is, "What to do next." Don suggested driving 20 miles further up the road where there is a cafe famous for their pie. 

The Rock Springs Cafe turned out to be far more interesting than the Pioneer Living History Museum.

This is only a very small number of the pies that were in several coolers that we saw as we entered the cafe. (Check out the meringue on the lemon pies on the lower shelf of the left cooler.) 

The dining rooms were old, authentic and quite rustic.  


They weren't serving lunch yet when we arrived so we split an order of biscuits and gravy with pie for desert. The "Breakfast of Champions," without a doubt. Nothing like breakfast and pie!


Oh, and the pie was really, really good! This stop was way more interesting than the Pioneer Living History Museum.


So after the pie and coffee we still had half the day left. Since we were already half way there, we decided to drive on up to Prescott, Arizona just to look around.

The weather was a bit strange, part of the sky was sunny, part was dark and preparing to rain. We did hit a few sprinkles along the way.

When we arrived in Prescott, we parked near an old Firehouse, now housing several shops. I enjoyed the eclectic display of fire hydrants.

We walked down the street of the Old Town area. It is a square built around the courthouse like they used to do years ago.

The sidewalk was lined with stores and galleries. We talked to one gallery owner, a photographer, who had pictures on the walls of petroglyphs. 


We shared locations where we had found glyphs and he told us where he had found some. It was a fun conversation.

Before we left the gallery area, I found someone who asked me to dance. A girl just can't turn down a good looking guy like this!


Next blog posting: Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park in downtown Phoenix.