Yea, you know what I’m talking about, accidents clogging up I-17, starting early on Friday and lasting until late Monday afternoon. Worse part is, the mess is usually caused by people selfishly changing lanes with no room, and no concern for what’s going on behind them.
The accident you see here happened just south of the exit you get off at Black Canyon City to go to the Rock Springs Cafe. I was headed up to Prescott to pick up my daughter and I had to get by two accidents…at five miles an hour for a mile.
I’m convinced that most accidents are “intentionally caused” by selfish drivers who want to be one car ahead even though it gets you where you’re going by just a few seconds. I’m pretty good with the horn, and my favorite memory of preventing another accident on I-17 came several years near the Camp Verde rest area. Traffic was bumper to bumper, and some guy pulling a big horse trailer…and a bunch of Maricopa county Sheriff’s Dept Posse stickers tried to jam his way in to the “fast” lane. Now I’m no rocket scientist, but even I know a pickup pulling a few thousand pounds of horses doesn’t go uphill very fast. So I laid on the horn, chugged right past him and even though he was visibly angry, I’m still convinced I kept another I-17 accident from crashing in his aftermath.
Arizona
This was another busy weekend for the working stiff of Good Morning Arizona…but boy was it fun. I recorded my first ever single, and now Brad’s music career seems over.
It was an idea that first hit Tara when we all stayed at the Hacienda de la Mariposa during our road show stop in Camp Verde. The place is owned by two wonderful people Rockin’ Reggie and his wife Kat. Rockin is an old rockin roller, and his studio credits include John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Liberace and eve Elvis. He has a terrific music studio in his house and we thought we needed to live out our fantasy of recording a CD. Well, we’ve done it, the world has seen and heard us, and now it’s time to settle back in to the reality that none of us are destined for greatnes. But boy was it fun.
Arizona
I was pretty happy to finally get home from the road trip on Friday, but my relaxing afternoon lasted exactly 31 minutes. Just minutes before my big nap got underway, the phone rang warning us that the house next door was on fire with flames jumping from the roof.
Apparently some roofers using a heating torch caught the roof on fire, and just as I got to the front yard, one roofer jumped from the roof, slightly injuring his leg. Other workers were moving their trucks, swearing and just generally having a bad day.
It took just a few minutes for the fire trucks to come rolling in, and the firefight was on. It took a while to get the fire out because attic fires are stubborn but Phoenix fire got the job done with no injuries. Unfortunately our neighbors house will have to be gutted, and it will be a year before they can return home. I’m guessing that with the neighbors we have, that will be quite the welcome home party.
Arizona
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Long after the rest of the crew hit the road to Phoenix, I was still hanging around Prescott Valley visiting with people. Not that I wasn’t ready to go home, but I always figure if people take the time to come out and say hello, I should take the time to say hello back.
First, Dennis Jahner from Trikes by DJ stopped by to show off his John Deere three wheeled motorcycle. We had met a couple of months ago, and he wanted to show off his latest work of art, and it was beautiful but useless for mowing.
Then as I was talking to DJ, and lady in a red pickup came waving and all excited. But in her excitement to come over and visit, she locked herself out of her truck. And as I headed back to the hotel, she was still standing there calling someone on the phone to bring a spare key.
Finally I had to make one stop in Dewey before heading for home. I had promised spur maker John Kittleson I’d drop off the spurs I had shown earlier. After talking to some people who were looking for an escaped horse, and dropping off the spurs, I spot a neighbor heading my way waving for me to stop.
It was John’s neighbor Orville Franklin, and he was so excited for me to see his two antique John Deere tractors. In all honesty, I was anxious to get home, but I went with him because I could tell it meant a lot to him. And it really did. John mentioned surviving cancer and it appeared that he had suffered a mild stroke and I don’t think he can drive his tractors anymore. But when he fired up his M model from the early 50’s his whole face lit up and I was glad I took a few extra minutes to stop by. It didn’t take much, and it made his whole day to be able to share one of his loves with his friend from 3TV.
Arizona
Just before leaving Williams on Thursday, I got a hot tip that there was an old DeSoto on the roof of a beauty and barber shop in Ash Fork. Naturally, I had to go see for myself.
Sure enough, down old route 66, past the sign that says “Ash Fork Flagstone Capitol of the World,” was DeSoto’s Beauty and Barber Shop. No question about that. It’s a 1958 DeSoto with Elvis behind the wheel and it’s a sight to see.
It got me curious too, so I checked out www.DeSoto.org and found a lot of these cars are collected and still run. This one doesn’t but it’s sure easy to find, and worth a look.
Arizona
The busiest time for any of our road shows is definitely before the show ever begins.
Our production crew has a crew call time of one o’clock in the morning and it’s a whirl of activity pulling cable, setting up the sat truck and getting everthying in place for the talent to show up.
My job is much simpler. I just need to get on location early enough to hold Tara’s mirror for final primping, have some coffee and start talking.
Good way to make a living.
Arizona
I know we’ve only been on the road a day and a half, but I think I’ve already taken my favorite picture.
I call is Self Portrait In The Making, and I think you can see where we’re going with this.
We were doing our walk through Sunday night, and I spotted this Japanese couple clearly working very hard to take the right picture.
We’ve all been there, but it sure is good people watching when speed is of the essence in getting that self portrait.
Arizona