Monthly Archives: January 2022

Historic Park Theater

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I’m a sucker for an old theater. When my friend Johnna and I were in Estes Park, Colorado last year I whined until she pulled over so I could get a closer look at this beauty. It’s not like any other theater I’ve seen before.

The historic Park Theater was built in 1913 but the landmark neon outlined 80 foot tower wasn’t added until 1926. In addition to being one of the coolest theaters you’ll ever see, it’s the oldest operating cinema that was built to be a movie theater in the western United States.

And yes, it is a wood building.

It was locked up tight the day I stood there gaping in the snow and wind so strong it would knock you down.

According to the theater’s website, the construction was begun by J.L. Jackson but completed by C.H. Bond in 1913. It was Ralph Gwinn who added the tower thirteen years later. He dubbed it “the Tower of Love” because he built it to represent the beautiful love of his life.

How many gals can say they have a tower built in their honor?

This theater changed owners a couple of times before landing in the capable hands of experienced theater operators Mickey and Ola Stranger in 1968. They leased the theater until purchasing it in 1982. Mickey and Ola passed away in the early 2000s but their descendants continue to operate the theater as a family business today.

Estes Park actually has an ordinance banning neon lights but an exception was made for the theater and their neon has been restored. I imagine it is magnificent after dark but I missed the nighttime view because we got out of dodge before the roads got bad in this mountain town.

The current flick they’re showing? Casablanca.

Can you imagine seeing a classic film in a 1913 movie theater? Be still my heart. I’ll add that to my bucket list.

What A Difference

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What a difference a day makes! The top picture was made at Lake Alma Saturday. It was 26 degrees and windy but the sunshine and blue skies made an outstanding backdrop for pictures and for a brisk walk.

The next photo was made at about the same time on Sunday. It was 35 degrees and calm. Snow was moving in to the area and the sky was positively white. Luckily, the extra nine degrees made it seem almost pleasant.

I couldn’t help but think how nice all my pictures would look in black and white. They’re not nice so much as a bit haunting.

Here’s one more for good measure.

This is your friendly reminder that life is a series of trade offs. Some days are beautiful but so cold it chills you to the bone. Some days are much kinder despite the gloom and grey.

Whether the skies are brilliant blue or washed out white, find a way to enjoy it all.

Yesterday

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Yesterday was sunny and beautiful with blue skies and 26 degree temperatures that the weather app said felt like 19. Luckily, that little chill in the air didn’t deter me from heading out for a walk at a local state park.

I mean, what’s a little cold when it’s such a pretty day?

The wind off the lake was frigid and it was mostly me, the Canada Geese and a few other hardy souls out soaking up as much Vitamin D as you can absorb through a hat and three layers of clothing.

If I were working from the office, I would likely be swinging by the lake after work at least some nights to squeeze in a walk. Unfortunately, in my work from home routine, it’s hard to pry me out of the house on a cold day save for feeding the birds. That’s only because they sit on their empty feeder and stare at me sitting at my desk until I do something about it.

While I didn’t cherish the thought of going out in the freezing cold, I relished every moment of my three mile walk and realized that I haven’t smiled so much in ages.

I need to do that more often.

Do more of what makes you smile, friends. I promise you won’t regret it.

A Time To Recover

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Winter is a season of recovery in my world. It’s when I slow down and rest. I stop running around and enjoy the art of hibernation. It’s when I enjoy the quiet and recover from months of adventure and work alike.

Today I will do just that and hope that you find some peace today as well. Happy Winter Saturday.

I Learned Something New

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I learned something interesting this week. Well, it’s interesting to me.

One of the individuals responsible for painting all those Mail Pouch advertisements on barns across the Midwest and Appalachia was a fellow named Harley Warrick.

His name is well known among barn enthusiasts and for good reason.

During a career that spanned about 55 years, Mr. Warrick painted or retouched over 20,000 barns in thirteen states. He was actually the last of the Mail Pouch painters when he retired.

What I didn’t know is that Mr. Warrick was from Londonderry, Ohio, a burg just a few minutes from my home. He grew up on a dairy farm before serving in World War II. In 1946, he decided that painting barns sounded better than milking cows.

These iconic barns had already been around since 1891 when he started out for $32 a week. I read that he could do a new one in six hours and touch up several in a day, starting always with the “e” in chew. He always completed the HEW first because those were his initials.

The 1965 Highway Beautification Act prohibited billboard advertising within 640 feet of an interstate highway, basically ending the Mail Pouch barn program along the nation’s major highways. Luckily, they are designated National Historic Landmarks so these great barns should be around for a while.

As for Warrick, he was able to continue painting barns along lesser roads for Swisher International Group, the company that owned Mail Pouch. He was the last of the Mail Pouch painters and the program was suspended when he retired.

After retiring, Mr. Warrick painted Mail Pouch bird feeders and mail boxes from his Belmont, Ohio workshop. He died in 2000 at the age of 76.

The image above is from a farm along a country road at New Salem, Ohio. I made it in 2020 while out on a nice socially distanced drive. After all these years of admiring these landmark barns, I had no idea that the artist was from my very own area!

Isn’t it wonderful that we can still learn something new every day?

Mail Pouch Covered Bridge

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One of the most special covered bridges I’ve seen in person is in Guernsey County, Ohio. It was built on private property but is fortunately visible from the road.

Constructed in 1981, it is a short 42 feet and features a Mail Pouch advertisement. The farm is picturesque but the bridge makes it even more beautiful.

I swung by here on my way home from Jamestown, New York last spring and I’m so glad I took the time to go find it.

Have you seen a covered bridge featuring a mural or advertising of some kind?