Remembering The Sage Post

It was a small store and it was loved. The Sage Post was located on Company Hill and we started it with hopes of drawing people in that loved everything we loved - old books, good cigars, cool Arizona antiques, new books, great coffee and more.

So here are a few photos from the archives of my old store The Sage Post.

Changing Your Gmail Back to Old School Style

Those of you using Gmail have probably noticed the changes with the automatic filtering. Some of you may be used to having all your email divvied up between Primary, Social and Promotions. For me, having to look through each section is a hassle.

http://bit.ly/151esq9

Dancing At The Spirit Room

One of my favorite things to do - dance in the Spirit Room Bar. I don't go as often as I'd like and now I have narrowed my trips to weekends when Combo Deluxe is playing. So why dancing at the Spirit Room? Because you don't necessarily have to know how to dance. And, people of all sizes, ages and walks of life join in the fun. You probably won't find a more diverse and accepting group than this bar in Jerome on the weekends.

The Spirit Room isn't a large bar mind you, it's like an old saloon pulled right from the Westerns, minus the card tables and player piano in the corner. Despite the subtractions, the space is the perfect size to get lost in, to grab a beer, stand in a corner and people watch until you are toasted enough to get out on that dance floor yourself.

If you haven't tried your new dance moves out, there is no better place than Jerome's Spirit Room.

Haunted Tours of Jerome

For those of you who want to find ghosts in a ghost town, Jerome finally has a tour company called Haunted Tours of Jerome. Why do I like this company - possibly because I'm the marketing director - and because I will be working with long time friend Ron Roope, whom worked with me at the Jerome Historical Society- he as archivist and me as the executive director.

I went on my first 3 hour tour (cue Gilligan's Island music) which started in Cottonwood, traveled through Clarkdale and then ended in Jerome, upon nightfall. Graveyards and spooky buildings definitely have a stronger impact at night, let me tell you.

So - here are a few of my photos of the excursion.

10 Things A Tourist Shouldn't Ask In Jerome

Unfortunately there is a reason toursists are called Tourons in Jerome. What is a Touron you ask? Well, simply it is a tourist who acts like a moron. A touron is a tourist who stops their car in the middle of the street to take a picture, oblivious to other people driving around. A touron walks around in the middle of the road on Main Street, again, oblivious to people trying to drive through. Tourons feel as if the whole town is a pretend community, like Disneyland and that nobody really lives here, they just work here and occupy the many homes on the side - only to return to their real homes at night.

So, with that said, there are ten questions that those who do work in Jerome, get really tired of having to answer. Maybe these ten questions apply to most tourist communities, but if you don't want to get on the bad side of the locals, try avoiding them. I will give you answers so that if you read this prior to visiting Jerome, you won't have to ask again.

They are:

1. Where is the bathroom? (Please, can't you read the signs. Public bathrooms are at the Jerome Co-op, as you enter town, and at the fire station, on the other end of town.)

2. What is there to do here? (Use your imagination. There are few paid tours in Jerome (one includes Haunted Tours of Jerome, otherwise, just walk around, enjoy the sites, dance at the Spirit Room, get something good to eat, watch the sun set, take pictures and there you have it)

3. Have you seen a ghost here, is it really haunted? (Most people have experienced ghosts, especially those who want to. Some people just make shit up for the sake of drawing tourists into their business. Believe what you want)

4. Where is the ghost town? (You are in it - it just so happens that the town that died came back to life - like Jesus or Lazarus. If you want to visit something a little more ghost towny, the Gold King Mine, outside of Jerome, past the fire station is a more like that - but it is replicated)

5. Why does everything close at 6 p.m. (People actually have lives who work and live in Jerome besides selling stuff)

6. Where is there a good place to eat? (People are going to refer you to their friend's restaurant - every place is good, so just pick one)

7. Does it snow here? (Most winters, yes - it is 5,000 feet up. Lately, with global warming, snow is fewer and further in between)

8. Is the whole town sliding down the hill? (If it were, we'd all be in Clarkdale by now. The sliding stopped when the mines stopped blowing up tunnels under the town - this was in the 20s or 30s)

9. Do you actually live here? (Many do, many live down the hill in Clarkdale or Cottonwood, a whole 4 to 6 miles away)

10. How many people live here? (Hard to tell as many have second homes in Jerome and others take in lots of borders who rent from them on the side so they can pay their huge mortgages. Jerome homes are expensive, despite their appearances.)

These questions seem simple enough - maybe I'm just one of those grouchy people who hates redundancy.