Dead Man's Curve Wild Hot Rod Weekend, Mahwah, NJ

As I mentioned in my "Introduction" post (found here), even when the Crew and I go on a "traditional" type outing, there's nothing ordinary about it!

Case in point - on Saturday, August 31, 2013, we had the pleasure of attending the Dead Man's Curve Wild Hot Rod Weekend event in Mahwah, NJ!

The event ran for the entire weekend, but we only attended on Saturday. Even so, we were able to see all the cars, hear some great music, and check out some very interesting vendors!  :)

The weather was perfect.  A little on the humid side, but not unbearable.  There were a few drops of rain that fell, but then the sun came out and brightened the day. 

There were so many cool cars!  From classics to "Kustoms" to rat rods, there was something for everyone's taste.  And some famous cars made an appearance as well!  :)

I also have to say that this was one of the most pleasant events we ever attended. There was a good turnout, but it wasn't so crowded that you couldn't see everything that you wanted to see (even the lines for food weren't bad and we had no trouble getting a table where we could sit and eat). Everybody was super nice, nobody was rude, nobody was obnoxious. It was truly a wonderful experience!  :)

They do this event every year and I most definitely suggest checking it out if you are able!  Here is their website: http://www.deadmanscurveusa.com/

And now, some highlights from the day.  Enjoy!:

Miss Myo and her dream car - a Pontiac Bonneville!

The coolest car...a Kustom Rat Rod!

The coolest car...a Kustom Rat Rod!

The coolest car...a Kustom Rat Rod!

The coolest car...a Kustom Rat Rod!

The coolest car...a Kustom Rat Rod!

The coolest car...a Kustom Rat Rod!

Munster Car #1

Munster Car #2

Bat-Cycle!

The Monkeemobile!

Happy Days Hot Rod!

Elvira Coffin Car

Christine!

Christine - She's Coming for You!

A great time was had by all...can't wait until next year! :)

xoxoxoxo

Miss Myo

Railroad Tracks, Southern New Jersey

"I've been walkin' down the railroad...all the livelong day..."

I grew up in a town in southern New Jersey. It's basically a cesspool these days, sad to say, but there are still a few cool sites around. 

One day Mim and I were visiting the place where I grew up and decided to take a walk on the railroad tracks that run through the town. They don't start in in my hometown, and I'm not sure where they end, but they are pretty neat. We also found some cool treasures as we walked along.

I almost didn't include this next picture, but I figured I would use it to make a point. Sadly, no matter where we go on our adventures, we usually end up seeing graffiti and/or trash. Now, whoever did this graffiti isn't a bad artist. Why can't they use their powers for good? 

Okay, enough of that. There were lots of signs people put up requesting that certain areas along the tracks not be sprayed with weed killer so that their plants didn't get killed:

Although, if the plethora of weeds we saw growing is any indication, they probably didn't have anything to worry about:

Here's a cool sign that was nailed to the railroad, and a broken plate that caught my eye:

Lastly, our treasures!

Railroad Spikes

Glass...thing.  I'm going to put a candle in it!

Toy truck!  C really digs it!

I may have more mini-adventures like this to share during those times that we do re-visit my hometown. As I said, it's not as nice as it used to be, but there are always weird and cool things to be seen no matter where we go!

Until Next Time,

Miss Myo

xoxoxoxo

The War of the Worlds Memorial, Princeton Junction, NJ

The martians have landed...

On October 30, 1938, H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" narrated by Orson Welles was broadcast over the radio waves.  Though this was a work of fiction, many folks believed it was the real deal and aliens were invading.

In Princeton Junction, NJ, sits Van Nest Park, in which sits a memorial to this awesome event in broadcasting history, as the main action of the story takes place in Grover's Mill, NJ.

We visited there today, and besides having to deal with "undesirables"  (as you often do when visiting sites in NJ) and graffiti on the monument (ditto) it was a pretty cool site to see!

Maybe one day martians really will invade and they will do something about the "undesirables."  One can only hope...

Until Next Time,

Myo

xoxoxoxo

Beavertown, PA

During the same trip in June of 2013 when the Crew and I visited Centralia, PA, we also had occasion to visit Beavertown, PA.

Beavertown was really our main reason for planning the trip to PA in the first place. As I previously mentioned, I am a huge fan of The Monkees. Davy Jones resided in Beavertown, PA for about twenty years or so, right up until he died on February 29, 2012. On June 15, 2013 a memorial was held in his honor and the Crew and I were able to attend!

Davy Jones

12/30/1945 - 02/29/2012

Beavertown isn't weird or anything, but it is quaint. The people couldn't have been nicer and the view...breathtaking!  The memorial event was held in a field behind the fire station and in the distance everywhere you looked there was nothing but mountains covered in trees. 

Davy Jones was not only a Monkee, he was also a jockey. And he loved horses. He had several and part of the purpose of the memorial was to raise money to take care of "the herd." Apparently it costs something like $1000 a month just to feed them. Contrary to popular belief, Davy was not a wealthy man and his daughters have set up a fund to support his beloved beasts, the Davy Jones Equine Memorial Fund: http://www.djemf.com/.

There were several musical acts at the event, all doing Davy songs, of course. They had a "bed race" mirroring the scene in the opening credits of The Monkees where Micky, Mike and Peter push Davy down a city street in a bed.

A local artist named Chuck LaMark is working on a statue of Davy, and he unveiled the prototype at the event. I know a lot of fans bashed the statue for not looking enough like Our Mr. Jones, but I think it was pretty awesome (certainly better than anything I would ever be able to create). Plus I've interacted with him a little on Facebook, and Mr. LaMark seems like a very nice guy.

The coolest thing at the event, though, had to be The Monkeemobile!  I never thought I would get to see it in person! Our kids, N & C are Monkee fans also and they were thrilled to see it as well (cool side note: my parents took me to see The Monkees in 1986 when I was 12. In November 2012, Mim and I got to take N & C to see The Monkees...I love that I was able to share something with them that my folks shared with me - deja vu all over again).  My good friend Patti attended the event also (we actually met through a fanfiction site where I post my Monkees stories) and it was so cool to get a chance to see her. She was excited about the Monkeemobile, too!

There she is, in all her glory...

Lastly, we stopped at Davy's house. It's a really nice home. Right now one of his daughters still owns it and I do hope that they are able to hold onto it. My only regret is that I didn't think to pick up a stone or acorn or something by the house to save, but I did get some good pictures.

At the end of the musical portion of the event, we all did a "sing along" to Daydream Believer. Members of a Monkees fan club called The Purple Flower Gang handed out bubbles for everyone to blow. It was very moving and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

It was a really great experience and if they do make this a yearly event I hope to be able to return at some point. And even if you aren't a Monkees fan, Beavertown, PA, is a beautiful little hamlet and definitely worth checking out.

This one's for you, Davy:

Until Next Time...

Miss Myo

xoxoxoxo