Chocolate Soap!

First of all, here's a picture of the courthouse in Vinita that's actually the one that they're considering for demolition. It's about 2 blocks off Route 66, so for some reason I keep thinking that since it's not on Route 66 I shouldn't care as much about it's demolition. What kind of preservationist am I? I'm ashamed of myself! Now, I know that there are many old buildings which have been destroyed wrongly and without concern for history, but there are also those which have served their purpose and have died gracefully. In the case of this courthouse building, it seems a perfect edifice for repurposing. All it would take is some money and a good imagination.

Just a few blocks away, there's "Ladybug's", a clothing boutique that began it's life as a firehouse. This is an excellent example of reuse of a building. It's charming, and the old fireman's pole is still in place. Just a thought.

Down the road in Claremore, I finally got around to taking a photo of "Spirits of Route 66", a liquor store. I've always loved the clever name. Hey, any way to give Route 66 a little publicity, right?

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It was a great but not busy day at Afton Station, at least not busy in terms of numbers of visitors. When I arrived, before the place warmed up, I warmed myself up by doing a little manual labor (ugh!). I dusted and Windexed the display cases, then I actually mopped the floor. I'm lazy so I usually leave that task to dear Ron M., but he wasn't with me today and I couldn't stand the muddy footprints for another minute. Shortly after I finished, Betty Baumann came by with yet another batch of cute things she made for me to sell. My favorites are a pair of oversized "fuzzy dice" made from some cool Route 66 fabric. They'd look great hanging from somebody's vintage vehicle at a car show. Betty stayed for a while so we had a nice chat.

Later in the day, Josh Bowen from Fayetteville, AR stopped by and stayed for a couple of hours. He was a visitor once before (See Sept. 17, '09 entry), a very Route 66-savvy young man whom I hope will visit often. He loves to take Sunday drives, so I told him he'd have to make us his destination as often as possible. He brought me a gift. . . a beautiful and beautifully-scented bar of soap made by his wife. She has quite a soap business going. You can see her work at www.luxuryfalls.etsy.com. Please check it out. It's unique! The bar Josh gave me is Chocolate Mint. Oh, yum! Thanks, Josh.

My only other visitor today was a man from Toronto, Canada who is in the area for a few weeks on business. He had a look at the cars, but didn't stay too long. I also had a call from someone who scheduled us as a destination for a Vintage Chevy cruise in mid-October. Love those early bookings!

My drive home was sunny and clear, quite a departure from the foggy ride to Afton this morning.