going Back thirty-fouty years

Well, I 'm sitting here at Mom's place in The Parkview on Poplar here in Memphis:

The parkview started out as the Parkview hotel in the 20's,and now is paying hosts to folks who can remember when it competed with the Peabody for the Elite traveler. Inside, it still can run with the Peabody:

But, no fountains and no Ducks(and more impotantly, no downtown), so the Parkview becomes assisted living, and the Peabody:
>I took my Mother there to see the ducks. Was too busy with Liberty Bowl fans, so we went down to Beale Street:
and had lunch:


Next to Robert Johnson's: But it was little too busy, and Beale has gotten more touristy. I smiled at the "Vintage" Pepsi ad in the background here:
considering the generic term for soft drink here is "Coke"
Anyway, let's leave the king On Bellvue at the Jungle Room and head over to Overton Park.

That's E.H."Boss" Crump. Unlike most folks from swampeast Missouri, my first visits to an Art Museum weren't at Forest park in Saint Louis, but Overton park here in Memphis.
Brooks Museum.

and the Zoo:

The Solider's memorial.

and The Memphis Belle.I can remember it sitting in front of the Armory on Central

Back to the parkview, and some Black-eyed peas and Corn bread. I need some luck, If I'm going to do everything that's been set before me for 2012:

too cold to ride

Well, I could if i had the clothes.
Instead I wrote Java and ruby surfed info about Memphis.
one of the best places is MallofMemphis.org, which,I admit, is a strange name for History.
The Actual Mall Of Memphis was a Star-crosssed place -It started out in 1981 as the "the" mall but neighborhood demographics (only Mall with Prison Guard Towers in the Parking lot!) caught up it, causing to be stuck with the nickname "Mall of Murder". I can remember going there right after I got my Bachelors and it had opened during the early 80's - another difficult economic time

It was finally torn down about 2003

A Wal-mart was going to go there, but it still a vacant lot.
At least some thing do get re-used, like this former auto dealership and of course, where My mother is moving, The Parkview, used to be the parkview hotel. At first I thought the dealer was the old Oakley-Keesee ford, where dad insisted on buying his cars despite the fact that we lived in the Bootheel. I thought I could remember it being on Poplar, not Lamar. And I was right. The Dealers has moved out to Bartlett, but the building is now a self service facility.
Maybe next week I'll get out

simpler is better

I got a chance to ride the Fontana section of the PET this weekend, a lot better donw, even thought it's not as "Fancy Pants" as Rancho Cucamonga's section
Old depot from 1915:


The bridge over Foothill (Rt66) They re-used the original bridge, whereas in Rancho we had the "Rex Gutierrez I can still be your councilman from prison bridge"

Another good reuse old Sunkist warehouse - still a warehouse, but now for Fontana Unified Schools:

Until next week, keep the rubber side down: