Is it August already?
One of my favorite months has begun.
(August, September, October are my favorite months)
I have a lot of old photos that were all taken in August. I want to put them on one post - - but I decided to start by doing the Jack Rabbit on a separate post.
The first time I ever saw the mysterious Arizona Jack Rabbit I was three years old.
The second time I was six.
Over subsequent years, during numerous family trips to Arizona, I saw the Jack Rabbit countless times. I have photos taken there at a variety of different ages - - but so far I only found two.
And, yes, both photos were taken in August.
My first visit to Arizona happened when I was three years old. My parents took a trip out west from New Jersey. The original, unblemished old Route 66 was intriguing and amazing back then - - especially for unsuspecting easterners.
Billboards along the often-deserted highway were always a source of entertainment - - especially the ubiquitous humorous Burma Shave signs.
There were also occasional wooden crosses along the roadside - - sober reminders where people had died in car accidents.
Somewhere around Missouri, a series of strategic, mysterious signs began appearing, and they became more numerous as we entered New Mexico and, later, Arizona.
They were small signs along the road that merely had the silhouette of a black rabbit and the distance.
200 miles
95 miles
56 miles
Having no clue what it was intended for, the signs became more and more intriguing.
The suspense knew no bounds when we were nearing the mystery in Arizona.
20 miles
10 miles
And then a huge sign that announces
HERE IT IS!
Seemingly out of nowhere - and in the middle of nowhere. On Route 66, five miles from Joseph City, Arizona.
It was the Jack Rabbit Trading Post. A curio shop/gift shop and tourist attraction.
Perhaps a slight letdown, but definitely an interesting landmark.
At the time when I was three years old the Jack Rabbit Trading Post was completely unknown. Miraculously it has survived all these years and is still in existence. Nowadays you can find information about it on the Internet.
The place opened in 1949 (before my time, boys and girls). When the original owners bought the building, they found a large black statue of a rabbit on the property and that became their trademark.
The original black jack rabbit remained there for many years, before it slowly began to deteriorate (it was still there when I was in my twenties and thirties). It has since been replaced by a new rabbit - which is no longer black.
The original trading post building hasn't really changed at all - - except it seems to have a new roof. The paintings on the sides of the building are the same as when I was a child.
_previnew.jpg)
The first time I saw the Jack Rabbit when I was three.
I was six when this photo was taken. We were in the process of moving from New Jersey to California. I was wearing a Mickey Mouse t shirt.
The rabbit that has now replaced the original black jack rabbit.
