The story below was constructed using found photographs and postcards from today’s trip to the Alameda Antiques Fair. Photos #3-4 are from the Union Oil Company’s Natural Color Photographic Scenes of the West (1939), and the Death Valley Viewmaster reel is pretty good!
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- I was retiring from my job. We had a nice party.
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- I hadn’t been feeling well, and thought a trip to the desert might help.
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- The joshua trees were beautiful.
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- The landscape was stunning.
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- My pictures didn’t turn out, but I had a great time.
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- The beauty of the desert will be etched in my memory forever.
I had to laugh, Joe – love those vintage images of Death Valley – been thinking about DV and our discussion – then I saw the cartoon about Tecopa Springs (just outside the south end of Death Valley, past Shoshone) – ever been there? Trippy place, seems strangely Salton Sea-like. And, further south, family-owned China Ranch! – It’s just out the Old Spanish Trail past Tecopa). Date milkshakes to die for, amid the hot desert sun – in an isolated narrow little canyon. They have a little cottage there that they rent out to groups – mostly film production crews from Los Angeles – always thought it’d be an interesting place for a Workshop!
Hey Tim – I was thinking about Tecopa because Mark Tucker went through there recently and I was impressed by the Salton Sea-esque vibe of his images. Haven’t been to China Ranch either, and I’m a big date shake fan, so I’ll make it a point to roll through there on my next trip!
Ha. Love that first ‘costume party’ shot. And this Viewmaster reel. Very nice find!
I agree with djll…. That first shot is priceless.
Have you still got a Viewmaster viewer to look at those reels? We’ve got one around here somewhere. My daughter was a collector for a period of time.
Tom & Andy – thanks!
Kent – I do have a viewer. Photographer Brian McCarty did a Viewmaster reel for an issue of Hi-Fructose Magazine that I also shot for, and the nice folks at Hi-Fructose gave me a viewer.