5/19/08 Ghost Town Adventure

Ventured to the old ghost / mining town of Jerome Saturday night for some dinner and karaoke with my friends at Mile High restaurant. Afterward, my pal, Alder, led us on a moonlight tour of some of the ghost town’s lesser-known streets. Jerome is built on a steep hill -- Cleopatra Hill -- and, in 1894, it was the second-largest town in AZ. Today, the population is around 300 and the abandoned boarding houses and hotels perched up and down the hillside, most with glassless windows and collapsing walls, give the streets a ghostly aura. (My friend, Greg Lilly, wrote a fictional historical novel about a mail-order bride who came to Jerome during its heyday when 30,000 people lived and worked on Cleopatra Hill. The novel is entitled Under A Copper Moon; if you’re interested in Jerome and the sort of characters who once called this town home, it’s a must read.) Every time I walk through Jerome, I picture the characters from his novel sitting on the abandoned porches … walking the steep, broken sidewalks.

Attended “Conversations in Music,” a concert by pianist, David Vincent Mills, this past Thursday at The Creative Life Center on Schnebly Hill Road. Aside from being my pal, David is an excellent musician, and I highly recommend that you snag any opportunity to listen to him play. Check his Web site for his schedule of performances. http://www.myspace.com/davidvincentmills He will also be performing at Sedona’s Jazz On The Rocks this September.

Temps are up. Yesterday, I had to turn on the A/C both at the store and at home. (First time this year.) The last three days have been our warmest thus far this year. 92 predicted for this afternoon; however, Weatherman says we’ll drop fast Wednesday -- 60’s -- then slowly rise to a perfect mid-70’s and sunshine for Memorial Day weekend -- should be an awesome weekend for some hiking, my friends.

More of Mr. Rodan’s barn wood frames are scheduled to arrive in the shop tomorrow. I can’t wait to see them -- every frame is handmade and different.

Speaking of different: I have four large plants in the store, for display only, just to add to the “green” feel, give the shop some life energy. Well, last week, a lady shopping in the store carefully plucked and collected all the dead leaves from every plant in the store. I considered offering her a trash can to dispose of the leaves, but I didn’t want her to draw attention to what she had done in case this was some sort of compulsion she was attempting to overcome. When she exited the store, she took the leaves with her. In truth, I appreciate her work. The plants look better for her effort.

Must run. Time for a coffee. Blog more at y’all later.

Next Sedona Green Blog scheduled for 5-26-08 (Memorial Day)