Quirky Chloride Art Part 2

As we were driving around town we saw the sign about the High Desert Drifters. They are re-enactor group and put on shows for events and on the weekends. It was in front of a little town called Cyanide Springs. I found this on line about it. "The Immortal Gunfighters of Chloride, a re-enactor group, built Cyanide Springs in 1997, a ramshackle replica of an Old West town smack in the middle of Chloride. Using only hand tools, either because they strove for authenticity or because they were drinking, depending on who tells the story, they peeled aged lumber from nearby mines and slapped together the rustic town within a town."

We didn't stop and go in but here are a couple of pictures. 

Almost like a movie set.

The Miner's Shack Mercantile - closed.  Need to come back here on a weekend or during one of the special event days.

The Baptist Church

Most of the rest of the pictures are of some of the yard art around town. Almost every house had some. Hard to get really good pictures. Really needed to be walking around town, not driving.

At least the desert around here should be free of all old metal things.

They really have been busy.

Kind of pretty place.

Skeleton hanging from tree.

A whole little town built in this front yard.

Just scenery - flowers were blooming all over town.

Okay!?

The brother to the truck in front of the restaurant. There were several old vehicles scattered around the town.

I absolutely loved this place. Could spend a couple of days just walking around it and checking things out. Would love to talk to some of the people who took the time and energy to build the art. The more I've read about Chloride, I realize we missed a lot of things while here.
There is an RV park in the town, but it seems to be quite full most of the time.
And so ends our Arizona trip. It was really fun. Wish the wind and rain hadn't sent us scurrying home.
Speaking of home. We are waiting to hear from the air conditioning people about when they will be here to install it. By next week it will be in the 100's here. Our old AC is working okay, but is on it's last legs. Making lots of groaning sounds.

Wandering around the little town of Chloride Part 1

From as early as the 1840's men were searching this area for minerals. Chloride got its name from the silver chloride that was mined there. At its biggest in 1920 around 2000 people lived there. From 1886 to 1919 the Butterfield stagecoach operated out of Chloride. At its biggest there were various stores, the weekly Arizona Arrow, and more than a dozen saloons operating in town. In the late 1940's the mine closed down after producing over $7 million. The town is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in the state. 
If you find yourself driving from Kingman to Vegas on the 93 take the time to go to Chloride. The road is paved to the town and it's only about 4 miles off the highway. We have both decided we want to go back and spend more time there. 
Heading back to town from the murals.

All the cacti were blooming. 

Some of the "yard art" that can be found in almost every yard.

Guess the antique/art places are only open on the weekend. We were there on a Friday. 

More art.

This is intriguing. 

 This is outside the wall around the house. Thought it was funny. 

There is a whole miniature town built in front of the Market. 

Chloride has the oldest continuously operating post office in Arizona. 

 We stopped here to eat lunch. Very good. 

Keeping the law and order around here. 

Two large murals on the wall. Very good and interesting. Couldn't get a real good picture due to the reflection.  They almost look like photographs. 

Next door to the restaurant. They only rent rooms to Tourists...as opposed to? 

 Old, old pickup. No idea what make or year.

I don't think the Bud Light sign is original. 

I sure wouldn't want to try and drive this. I like the bags hanging under the side windows.  

 A place for everything. 

One more front moving through tonight and there goes our nice cool weather.  We got a lot of rain and expecting more tonight. Then...summer arrives. Guess I should be glad the cool lasted as long as it did. At least it is not humid and the winds will be letting up. 

Going to do another post about Chloride and that will finish up our short trip to AZ. Lots of pictures still left to sort through.

Bill's Happy Place

Our last couple of great weather days here in Vegas. Today and tomorrow in the 70's then it starts creeping up - will be 90 by the end of the week. It has been nice while it lasted.
Used my slow cooker again last night. Chicken breasts, can of black beans [rinsed], can of corn, can of stewed tomatoes and slices of jar of roasted peppers. Tasted really good. But I made way too much. Also had home bread with it. Today leftovers!
A while back I did part of a blog on Bill's old/new hobby. He is getting back into woodworking. That blog is here.
One of the reasons we stayed in Golden Valley, AZ was - on line Bill found a place that sold different - hard to find at good price - woods that he wants for his hobby. And here it is. It is only open Friday through Sunday. So we had to wait a while before he could go there. Looking through the fence we were wondering if it was the right place.

Sure didn't see any wood there.

Any way on Friday morning we had to go by here on our way to Chloride. The first person Bill saw as we walked in was the seller of the wood. He had two sheds full. One with red cedar and cherry, the other shed black walnut. Bill was grinning from ear to ear as he inspected both sheds. 

I think this is the cedar and cherry.

Checking the grain and patterns on the wood. 

The black walnut.

He didn't buy any when we first went here. So we went on to Chloride and stopped back on the way to the RV. Like a kid in a candy shop. The seller is cutting the board in half so they will fit in the Jeep. This guy was selling the wood for a quarter of what it would cost to buy it on line - sight unseen. [I see some more trips to Golden Valley in our future. Glad it is only 80 miles from home.]

First thing he did was redo the table I've been using for my glass projects. Put a more solid and smooth top on it. 

Here is most of the wood that he bought. It smells so good in the garage now. 

Showing me what the wood looks like when rubbed with mineral oil. Really brings out the grain and color. 

This is a piece of the black walnut - half of it with the mineral oil on it. Got to admit it is pretty. 

This picture is not really good as it is a picture of two pictures of some wood working Bill did when we were in Indiana. They actual items were about 2 1/2 by 4 1/2. All made out of pieces of different wood. They were beautiful - sold them when we left Indiana. 

Anyway - here he is starting small. Just to get back in the grove of using the machinery. A squirrel...

And a cat.

Trimming up the cat.

Just took a couple pics of the garage now.  He is working with a sander, down hat table are mostly every day tools. Until you get to corner - that is my area for my glass work.

My glass work on far left - continuing on to other side where his wood working machines are.

Both squirrel and cart have been trimmed.

And there they are painted and out on one of the pine trees out back. 

He found a pattern on line for a sunflower - my favorite flower. Here is a picture from the pattern book. It is completely made of wood. 

The pattern for it. It is a lot like working with the patterns for stained glass.

Getting ready to cut out the flower petals. 

 Cutting one of the petals. 

 He has rough cut the petals and the base of the flower pot. 

 Lots of work still left to do on them. He should be busy for quite a while. This morning it was only 50 degrees out so it was too cold for him to work out there. But I'm sure he'll be busy all afternoon. 

Right now I don't have any projects going. But hope to get some glass this week so I can make my lamp shades. 
Started this yesterday so will finish it now. Bill is progressing on the sunflower. It is I guess 2 dimensional - the back is flat and it will hang on the wall.

A few minutes ago a big truck pulled up front and stopped. Bill went flying out to the garage...
Another new machine - a planer - has arrived. 

 He'd already built the stand for it. I can hear it running now. 
Boys and their toys!