the 1917 Santa Maria Inn

Early this summer we received a wedding invitation from two very good friends who were getting married in central California in September. It was exciting to know we'd be able to attend, and also that we'd be visiting a part of our huge state that I hadn't spent time in before. 

I couldn't help but start to look right away for a place to stay near the ceremony location that was up our alley. With a kidney shaped pool, neon sign out front + preferably with "motor lodge" in the name. It didn't take long for the fact that it's not 1940 to kick in + for me to realize that many of the quaint motels of the past are a little less savory these days (no offense, Barstow, but I am looking right at you). 

I left the lodging decision up to my husband, who got us a room at the historic (and likely haunted) Santa Maria Inn. As Santa Maria is about half way between Los Angeles + San Francisco, the Santa Maria Inn, built in 1917, became a well known destination for celebrities traveling back and forth. It was the perfect place for us to stay.

A couple weeks after booking our room at the Santa Maria, I was scanning postcards from a recent haul + I came across the one below. What a coincidence! By the time this postcard was sent in 1958 the Santa Maria Inn was no longer on the main road through town, as it had been rerouted a short distance away to accommodate the increase in travelers through the area. Despite this major impact, the Inn remained a desired destination point.

Nearly 60 years later, the umbrellas may be gone but the pool and nearby gardens remain.

The Santa Maria Inn has long embraced its history, which is a key contributor to its continued success. There is memorabilia from the history of the Inn in the lobby and sitting area, everything from newspaper clippings to room keys and countless photographs. Rooms in the "old" section of the Inn -- as opposed to the "new" tower that was built in the 1980s -- that Hollywood stars were known to stay in have a gold star with their names engraved on the door above the room number. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, W.R. Hearst and Marion Davies, Katharine Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Temple... the list is endless. We stayed in Clark Gable and Carole Lombard's room, a lovely corner room on the second floor with a wonderful little balcony. It was perfect. I am so glad such a special occasion provided us the chance to have a weekend away at a place I know we'll visit again someday.

(A quick aside for anyone interested in Hollywood history: the spectacular podcast You Must Remember This did a series of episodes about stars during World War II. The Carole Lombard and Clark Gable episode is absolutely not to be missed, click HERE to have a listen) 

The Mother Road

Our trip to Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch was bookended by stops on Route 66 in San Bernardino County. Our end destination was the Route 66 Museum in Barstow (which is well worth the trip!). On the way up we kept our eyes peeled for anything interesting to stop and photograph. 

As I mentioned in the Bottle Tree Ranch post, in was an uncharacteristically humid and therefore cloudy day, which made exposures a little challenging. Nonetheless, it was so exciting to hit the road on a new adventure. I'm looking forward to revisiting many of the places we saw that day (including Barstow's 1911 Casa del Desierto railway station, which I did photograph... but the roll was devoured by my 65-year old Brownie camera in an incredibly violent way that, weeks later, makes me shudder to think about).

And because Bobby Troup's "Route 66" is one of the most well known and often covered road songs, here are links to two of my favorite versions to enjoy while taking a look at the photographs -- by Yo La Tengo & Depeche Mode. Enjoy.

The 1941 El Rancho Barstow. It is currently for sale. 

All three of our car doors locked in unison as we approached the Cactus.
The seedy exposure of this photograph pairs nicely with that of the residents of this motel.

Truthfully, the Casablanca is not technically on Rte. 66. Nor is it "open", despite what the sign says.

Barstow's Skyline Drive In, alive and well.

All photographs © Monika Seitz Vega, 2015.

Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch

One of the most unique and interesting places I've ever visited, Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch in Oro Grande, CA, is a "must stop" location for travelers from all over the world. 

We visited Elmer's late last month, on an incredibly hot and uncharacteristically humid morning. The weather didn't stop us, nor did it stop the dozen or so other visitors we saw during our visit, including a Japanese couple interviewing Elmer for a televised segment. Elmer Long inherited the property and the eclectic collection when his father passed away, and what he has put his heart into to create is absolutely not to be missed.

Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch is located at 24266 National Trails Hwy, Oro Grande, California, 92368. Admission is free, although he does accept donations. 

All photographs © Monika Seitz Vega, 2015.

the $4 Honeywell projector, part 2

A few months ago I shared some slides that I had found in a broken projector I had purchased at a local estate sale. Here are a few more images from that collection.

"Dogwood, Ozarks, MO". Slide stamped May 1965.

"Arizona". Slide stamped April 1966.

"View of Palm Springs from top of tramway." Slide dated July 1963.

"Holly Sugar, Hereford, TX". Slide dated May 1967.
 I looked into the history of this plant and found out that it was in operation from 1964-1998.

Slide stamped May 1966.

"Zaloudek J.I. Case Dealer, Kremlin, OK". Slide not dated.
The F.W. Zaloudek Machinery Company is still in business in Kremlin.

"Old railroad station in Vaughn, NM". Slide dated May 1966.

"Queen Creek Tunnel, Superior, AZ". Slide undated.

a box of photographs... part 4

"June 1959"

"Old Faithful, June 1959"

"Grand Canyon, Arizona June 1960"

"Statue of Liberty, June 1961"

In case you missed them --

A box of photographs.... part 1.
A box of photographs.... part 2.
A box of photographs.... part 3.