Road Trip Visiting Small-Towns

(I did not find the name or artist of this painting, but it was done in the 19th century, showing the type of architecture and sidewalks so similar to the old towns We have been visiting. The painting looks like something by Edmund Blair Leighton.)

Most of the small towns we visited when we travelled the old highways last weekend, were established in the 1800's. With the construction of freeways and malls,  these towns were not frequented as much but recently have come alive again as people are recognizing the value in many ways.  We are enjoying the historic towns again and it was nice to see shops and cafes bustling with business, and families casually strolling the brick sidewalks without tension or hurry.

Our travel over the weekend involved a few stops in contemporary places like Walmart, as nearly every small town had one.

I wanted to say how clean the restrooms were and show a few things inside them, including bouquets of flowers on the sinks. It reminded me of some of the original luxury bathrooms in department stores. I bring this up because, in contrast, some of the places car travelers had to stop way-back-when, were not so nice!

Another thing that has been going on in shopping areas for the past few years is the disposable cloth to wipe your hands before and after you touch the handles of shopping carts. Some of my overseas visitors have been so keen on it they send home pictures of the little towel dispenser at the door of the stores.

Here a sign which urges customers to keep the standards high by reporting to the company if it is the restroom is not clean enough:

Some of the decor inside:

Some of the Old Towne shopping:

The facade of the buildings on this street have been modernized.

The building, above, appears to be a western style replica.

Mr. S. Stopped and copied this into his DayTimer. I offered to send him the picture but he likes to do it the old way, for various reasons.

As pretty as a painting, this floral display in an old town shop caught my fancy:

                                                           

                                        Road map showing round trip in Washington State.

From another town nearby:

(I am very sorry about these stat counter ads. I'm going to get some help removing them, as I have already removed them several times since posting today.)

The poem says:

Just a little old frame cottage

With a little piece of ground,

Just a dear old fashioned garden 

With sweet flowers all around;

Just a dear voiced woman singing

As she does her daily chore,

Just a curly-headed baby

Playing on the floor.

There are many stately mansions,

There are residences fine,

But in all this land from east to west,

No other home like mine.

I hope you all will be able to do the things that enable you to feel that way about your home, and I hope you all will have the kind of home and home life you really desire.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will give you the desires of your heart."

 Mr. S. prefers a paper printed "real" map, where he can highlight the roads he travelled. We need to remember to write the dates on the maps, too.