Just a Hint

Just got home from a HUGE day at Afton Station, and will wait until tomorrow to tell you all about it.   For now, just a one-word hint for you to mull over until I write the blog tomorrow afternoon.  Think. . .

GAUCHO

That's it until tomorrow......

People... people who like (pictures of) people.....

. . . will be very happy today!   We had lots of visitors and I took plenty of pictures of them.  On the way home, Ron M. and I were talking about how everyone has a story, and that was very true today.   Of the 21 visitors, there were. . .

. . . these two former Marines from Florida (St. Augustine and Boynton Beach) who met at a motorcycle club and decided to make the full Route 66 trip together after several others dropped out. . . .

. . . these six folks who also arrived on motorcycles, all related either by blood or marriage, from Laverne, Minnesota and Sibley, Iowa. . .

. . . this couple from Carterville, Missouri.  He has a Superman museum (!) there and he's visited Afton Station before, when we first bought the building.  He saw a lot of changes for sure!  He's also a member of the board of the Missouri Route 66 Association. . .

. . . this family from Afton (just 1/4 mile from the Station, according to the dad), who came in looking for some Route 66 souvenirs suitable for the 15-year-old-son (the taller one) to take to Okinawa, Japan with  him when he leaves tomorrow for a summer student exchange program there.  Wow, this really excited me since I used to live on Okinawa.   The boy, Will, has the time of his life ahead of him, not to mention major culture shock.  This is a beautiful family and I'm so excited about Will's upcoming adventure. . .

. . . and other visitors  from Noblesville IN, Goreville IL, and Joplin MO, all with great traveling stories of their own.   Yes, everyone has a story, and I feel so lucky to be able to hear and share them.

Tattoo Man and Robin stopped in today, too.  Robin was sick yesterday so Afton Station was closed, but she seemed somewhat better (although not entirely) today.

On our way out of Tulsa this morning, as usual we passed the intersection of 11th St. (Route 66) and Yale Ave.   The area has been under construction for several months as they add a number of Route 66 markers, such as shields embedded in the road bed representing all 8 Route 66 states, and signage, etc.   We've been feeling kind of sorry for that iconic cafe, Talleys, which is on that corner.  It has been almost impossible to navigate the sidewalks and streets in order to find the entrance.  Today, we noticed that a sign has finally been erected to lead the way.   Kudos to whoever put up the sign!

See y'all right back here tomorrow after what I hope will be another stellar day at the Station.  

A Little Relaxation

When we arrived at Afton Station this morning, we discovered that Tripper had found his Fourth of July hat and flag and decided, apparently, to get an early start on his patriotism.  We salute you, Tripper!

It was a fairly relaxing day at the Station, and Ron M. and I had some free time to catch up on work, reading, and other tasks that don't get done on insane days such as this past Tuesday.  Today, we had an easily-manageable 16 visitors, well spaced to allow us to chat at some length with all who wished to hang out for a while.

These six friendly folks were the first in the door this morning.  They're long-time good friends and traveling companions from Minneapolis, MN and this time their travels are taking them down Route 66.  They showed such an interest in our Station and in the cars that they made my day even before the day had

officially begun!   Safe travels, you cool people!

Another enthusiastic and happy couple was the last in the door before closing.  They're from Pittsburgh, PA so I had a chance to reminisce with them about the slightly-less-than-a-year I lived in Pittsburgh in the 70s.  Their travels are taking them down the entire Mother Road from Chicago to L.A. and I predict their smiles will cause them to make lots of new friends along the Route. 

Between first and last, we also had visitors from Oshkosh WI, Springfield MO, and Bernice and Tulsa, OK. Additionally, I had a couple of happy midday hours meeting with Fredrea Cook, the lady who is doing such intense and exhausting research about the history of Afton.  As you know, I'm also interested in the past of this little town, so I could have listened to her all day.   Today, I loaned her my entire Afton postcard collection to scan for her website, www.aftonhistory.com.  Fredrea's friend and fellow historian Luretta accompanied her and added many interesting observations to our conversation. 

Michael Scruggs' photo show (in our auto showroom) still isn't quite finished, but it should be by this weekend.  Come see these very nice black-and-white images.  

Jim Maloney

Robin called from Afton Station this afternoon and sent along this picture of a visitor she thought I might like to hear about.  Cincinnati Reds fans may remember Jim Maloney, a pitcher for the Reds in the 1960s.  Known for his blazing fast ball, he pitched two no-hitters in his career.    Baseball fans might find this visit interesting. Here he is with his wife Lyn, putting his autograph on our very full door.  

Robin tells me she had another very good day today.  I can't wait to get back to Afton tomorrow!

All Day, All Down Under

Due to my ridiculous and seemingly unbreakable habit of waking up between 3 and 4 every morning, I'm often much too early getting to wherever I have to be that day.  On the way to Afton on days when I drive up there alone, I frequently have time to kill.  Although I try not to shop much at WalMart, I do avail myself of the parking lot at their Vinita store, where I sit in the car and read the paper and eat my breakfast bagel from Braum's.  Generally, a semi or two and an occasional motor home are my only company.   Today, however, much to my astonishment the lot was full of big trucks, car carriers, travel trailers, etc.  It took me a moment to remember that the huge Vinita turnpike rest area (the giant McDonald's that spans the road) closes today for a one-year remodeling.  I guess the WalMart lot now becomes the new stopping place for big rigs.  There goes my morning peace and quiet!  Looks like I'll have to find another nook or cranny to pop into for my morning retreat.

I needed all the rest I could get to face today at Afton Station!   Holy Cow!   The whole world beat a path to our door, and it was one of the few days I've been alone up there.  Here are the facts and figures:  46 visitors, 32 of which were a big group of  New Zealanders from Noddy Watts' "Kiwis on Route 66" group.  Unexpected, but always most welcome!!!  After I left, Marly came and worked for another hour at which time he greeted another 14 visitors, a motorcycle group from France.

Those not from New Zealand today while I was there came from Margaret River Australia, Port Augusta Australia, St. Louis MO, San Jose CA, Mansfield OH, and Grove, OK.

Here are the folks from Port Augusta, Australia.

These are three of the 32 people with the New Zealand tour.   There would have been  more folks in the picture, but you know how hard it is to herd Kiwis into a group!   Ha ha...

One of the Kiwis, Malcolm Dean, is a Packard lover, and here is his car.   What a beauty.  He's a member of the Packard Antique Auto Club, as am I.  He also brought this cute little key chain, which he gave to me.

The fern is the symbol of New Zealand and the key fob is in the shape of a flip flop.

The St. Louis visitor was dear Jane Dippel, who always stops by on her frequent Route 66 trips.  This time, she's headed to Tucumcari for a festival there.  The Grove, OK visitor and his wife are railroad buffs and were headed out to check on train activity in the area.  While they were there, a train went by and the husband hurried outside to see it.

Michael Scruggs' photo show is almost entirely mounted.  By the weekend it should be ready for viewing. Hope some of you will come and check it out.  I'll try to shoot the whole display on Thursday so you can see how nice it looks.   For now.... good night.  ZZZZZZZzzzzzz.......

Have you ever. . .

. . . had one of those days when you just felt discombobulated all day?   Today was that day for me.  I can't pinpoint the problem.  I just felt disorganized and kind of "messy" from the time I woke up until just now.  It's not that anything really unusual happened today.  In fact, it was a rather ordinary day at Afton Station.  By "ordinary", I mean a busy day filled with mighty cool visitors.  Here, then, are some of them.....

These early morning visitors were from Hungary, a town that I certainly can't pronounce and actually couldn't read in the Guest Book.  It appears to be Vestprem,  I'll look it up on Google later.  One spoke pretty good English, and he let me know that not only were the foursome going to do the full Route 66 trip, but they had already been on quite an extensive exploration of the southern U.S.   Very nice!  [Added later -- their town is Veszprém.  Ron M. looked it up.  Thanks, Ron!]

This couple from Ashland, Missouri is heading for Tucumcari, New Mexico to spend a night at the world-famous Blue Swallow.  Lucky folks!

This gorgeous '76 Caddy was transportation for two couples from Melbourne, Australia.  They bought the car in Chicago at the beginning of their Route 66 trip and plan to ship it  home when they're done.  I love the color of this car, although the shadow doesn't do it justice in the photo.  They had negotiated for the Cadillac for a month, sight unseen, but are quite happy with how the deal came out.  The car's in great condition.  The only problem is fitting the luggage of four people in a trunk that's mostly taken up with a big spare tire!

We also had visitors from Miami OK, Kalamazoo MI, Branford Ontario Canada, Broken Arrow OK, Black Hills SD, and Bargerville, IN.  The Canadian men are truck drivers headed to Texas who had been past the Station many times before but finally had time to come in for a visit.  The South Dakota men are working across the street, tearing down the old feed mill.  They let us know that the grain elevator towers will remain standing.  That was good to know, as Afton town folks had been worried about the loss of their only "skyscraper".  :-)

Among the gang of regulars who stopped in today were Betty, Tattoo, and Marly.   Ron M. was with me again as well.    See you on Tuesday, when I trust I'll feel a little less undone.   

After the Storms

Having survived another wild night of tornado warnings, hyperventilating meteorologists, and fitful sleeping, I was grateful to awaken to the knowledge that neither Tulsa nor Afton were affected by the tornadoes and storms that hit Route 66 towns in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois.  Unfortunately, others were badly impacted, in particular the Oklahoma City area where 9 deaths have been reported.

Ron M. and I drove up under cloudy skies and observed a bit of field and stream flooding in the Vinita area. But shortly after we opened Afton Station the sun peeked out and introduced one of the most glorious days we've had this year -- sunny and cool and perfect for touring the Mother Road.

The first person to come through the door was Tattoo Man with the bad news that his beloved and brand new Stallion Trike was rear ended in  Tulsa yesterday and sustained a good bit of damage.  The good news is that neither he nor the woman driving the car that hit him were hurt.  I feel terrible for him.  The trike means so much to him.

David and Marly were moving vehicles around this morning, and the little red Citroen came home to roost.  Here she is, looking spiffy.

It wasn't a terribly busy day, although it seemed so.  Michael Scruggs was with us most of the day setting up the photo show he's having in our showroom for the next couple of months.  He has framed a lot of his best black-and-white Route 66 photos (and some others), and the works will be available to admire, and maybe even to purchase, every day we're open in June, July, and part of August.   Come see!   Here's Michael working on the invitation.

Our 14 visitors came from La Crosse WI, Fayetteville AR, Edna KS, Miami OK, Dusseldorf Germany, Muenster Germany, Padua Italy and Lawrence, KS.

This Lawrence, KS family had the most interesting (and envious!) story of the day.   They were in Tulsa to attend the Paul McCartney concert at the BOK Center on Thursday night.   They had purchased four of the more economically-priced tickets to save a little money and still see Paul.  While waiting on line, they were taking photos of each other when an employee of the arena approached them and asked if they might like "better" seats.  Once they established that this wasn't just a common garden variety scalper, they said yes, at which time the man told them they could have front row center seats -- free!  He said they had a few tickets to give away and the family seemed like the kind of  "enthusiastic" people they like up front.   Can you believe it?   They said they could never imagine having such luck!   Despite being jealous, I wish to congratulate the Barnett family for such good fortune!  They had a great time and took many pictures, of course!

Another perfectly delightful couple came from Kansas, too.  These two from Edna, KS  rode up on their motorcycle and seemed to be genuinely enjoying this perfect biking day.  The motorcycle is new to them, but they said it's been very comfortable, even on long trips.  We sent them off to enjoy the rest of their Route 66 vacation.

The three men from Germany and Italy rolled in with a big motor home and bought lots of souvenirs of their trip.

Some time ago, Robin procured a nice glass display case when she quit her job at the post office, and it's been hiding under a shroud of dust in the back room until it was brought  into the light today.  A little cleaning with Windex and it's looking great!   We need more items to put in it, but at least it is out and where it can be admired.