8/1986 - Picking Blueberries in Alaska

 When my dad Bob and stepmom Meg lived up in Alaska, I would go up there to see them and we did different adventures.  On this adventure we went up to Chugach State Park located in Southcentral Alaska mostly with municipality of Anchorage - 18620 Seward Hwy, 99516.  

We went up into the hills and picked blueberries for the day.  In the pictures that I have it looked like a nice day in Alaska.

My dad and I walking up a trail.

Meg and dad picking blueberries.

Me just looking around.

I do remember we had a couple of big bags of blueberries that we picked.

Here is my scrapbook layout for this day.

Chugach State Park

3/22/2025 - U of A Old Main Building

 

Old Main, University of Arizona, originally known as the University of Arizona, School of Agriculture building was the first building constructed on the U of A campus. This building is one of the oldest surviving educational structures in the western United States.

The construction of the Old Main began on October 27, 1887, and finished on October 1, 1891.  Old Main, then the only building on the campus contained the classrooms, library, offices and dorm.  Six faculty taught 32 students in 1891.

3/22/2025 - U of A Men's Gymnasium Building

 

This building on the University of Arizona campus located in Tucson, AZ.  This is Bear Down Gym, originally known as Men's Gymnasium.  It is a 300 seat multi-purpose arena.  It opened in 1926.  It was home to the University of Arizona Wildcats basketball team.

Bear Down Gym is also famous for its inclusion in the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds.  It was the gymnasium of the fictional "Addams College" and also temporary home to the Nerds after they were kicked out of their original freshman home.

3/22/2025 - U of A Old Library Building

This University is located in Tucson, AZ.

This use to be the University of Arizona Old Library Building in the 1920's.  Now it is Arizona State Museum.  I know I have been there once before but don't remember.  It was closed for maintenance when we were that day.

4/21/2025 - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

In April 2025, my mom and me went to the Casa Grande Ruins NM located in Coolidge, AZ.  It has been a few years since I have been there.

There are some exhibits to look at:

Here is a sample of the layout of the building that were around in the 1200-1400.

Here are somethings that they found at the ruins.

This is called the "Great House."  It was a gathering place for people or a waypoint marker in an extensive of canals and trading partners.

 Builders found building material underfoot: caliche, a concrete like mix of sand, clay and calcium carbonate limestone.  It took 3,000 tons to build the Great House.  Caliche mud was layered to form walls four feet thick at the base, tapering toward the hop.  Hundreds of juniper, pine and fir trees were carried or floated 60 miles down the Gila River to the village.  Anchored in the walls, the timbers formed ceiling or floor supports.  The roof might have saguaro ribs were laid across the beams, covered with reeds and topped final caliche mud layer.

You can see some of the walls that were part of the buildings around there.

Around the trail there is info stands that you can read about the people and what was done around there.  They also have codes that you can scan to listen to someone talk about some stuff around there.  You have to have the NPS.gov app on your phone to listen.

A Meeting Place and Landmark

This multi-storied, earthen-walled structure surrounded by the remains of smaller buildings and a compound wall was constructed by Hohokam, who farmed the Gila Valley in the 1200s.  Casa Grande was abandoned by the mid-1400s.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

4/17/2025 - Ignite Sign Art Museum

 On 4/17/2025, some friends and I went to a neon sign museum.  The place is called Ignite Sign Art Museum located in Tucson, AZ.  The museum opened in fall of 2018.  I never heard of this place until some other friends told us about it.  It was cool seeing all the signs that you saw in Tucson in earlier years.  It was a fun day to see history.

It's one floor building and an outside area to look at the signs.  They also offer classes to learn to make a sign.

There were a lot of restaurant signs, hotel/motel signs and shops.  Here is a few that I liked.

This was one of the old Arby's signs that was located at Wetmore and Oracle.  When I saw it, I didn't realize how tall it was.  It was on a pole up high.

One of the old Valley National Bank signs before it became Chase.  My stepdad used to work at this bank.

This cowboy riding a horse sign was part of El Corral restaurant sign.  This is one of my favorite places to eat.  Best ribs and prime ribs.

This El Con sign was a mall that was closed a few years ago.

A sign of Furr's restaurant.  One of the best buffets meals.  This was one of my grandmother's favorite places to eat in town.

This is Ghost Ranch Lodge sign.  The place was located on Mircle Mile.  The building is still there but the lodge is gone.  My dad used to stay there when he would come and visit me.

This is the interstate that goes through Tucson, I-10.

IGNITE SIGN ART MUSEUM - Neon and historic sign museum

4/11/2025 - Arizona Heritage Center

 

This museum the Arizona Heritage Center is located in Tempe, AZ.  The heritage center is part of the Arizona Historical Society that is located in three towns in Arizona.  I have never been here before and I got some free passes from my dad. So, my mom and I decided to go up there.

Has you can see in the picture it is a huge building.  There is a museum and big library that you can find a lot of info about Arizona history.

Here are some things you can see at the museum.

Barry Goldwater's Ham Radio Desk: Barry Goldwater was a lifelong ham radio enthusiast.  His civilian call sign was K7UGA and military call sign was AFA7UGA.

Shaping Arizona: The exhibit highlights how the state of Arizona gained its current shape and how the influences us today.  The land and shape we know as Arizona was formed by different negotiations, violent disputes, agreements and purchases.

There are two exhibits that talk about the Desert Cities and WWII.

This car was made out of four different parts of the car.

My stepdad worked for Valley National Bank aka Chase.  When I ever see a sign, I have to take a picture of it.

Do you remember Bob's Big Boy restaurant?  I have seen the figure, but I don't remember if I have been to the restaurant.

Here is a war plane.

USS Arizona battleship piece

Arizona Heritage Center | Arizona Historical Society

4/11/2025 - ASU Matthews Hall Building

This building was built in 1918 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Matthews Hall is the oldest intact dormitory on the ASU campus.  It was designed by L. G. Knipe and dedicated in 1920 as a men's dormitory.  It was named after the president Dr. Arthur John Matthews.

By 1930, it was a women's dormitory, and the dormitory was renamed Carrie Matthews Hall for the president's wife.

The building currently houses a photography gallery and offices for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.  Also, the home to the ASU Forensics (Speech & Debate) team.

 

4/11/2025 - ASU Gammage Auditorium a Frank Lloyd Wright Design

ASU Gammage was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's final designs.  Constructed in 1964, the building is named for Grady Gammage, the legendary ASU president who led Arizona State College's campaign in the state legislature for a change to Arizona State University in 1958.

For decades ASU Gammage has been the heart of the arts in the Valley of the Sun and the crowning jewel of ASU's Tempe campus offering top Broadway Series shows each year.  It's also the location for many university traditions and special graduation celebrations at the close of each semester.

I do remember when I was a little girl and living in Chandler my family and I would go to this auditorium and see the Nutcracker Ballet during the holidays.

 

4/11/2025 - ASU Science Building

Names of great scientists grace the front of the art deco Discovery Hall.  This building was originally the home of the science department on campus.  When the science department grew too large for this building to accommodate it.

Now the building is home to classrooms and units from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.  American Indian Studies, American Indian Student Support Services and American Indian Policy Center located on the second and third floors.

 

4/11/2025 - ASU Danforth Chapel

Danforth Meditation Chapel serves the university community as a place for quiet rest and meditation.  Built in 1947, the chapel was funded with an original gift from William H Danforth and additional gifts from 75 Valley individuals, churches and civic and business organizations.  The chapel is used for worship services sponsored by student religious groups, weddings and memorial services.  As well as for individual or group meditation, prayer or rest.

 

4/11/2025 - ASU West Hall Building

Directly west of the Hayden Library lawn is West Hall.  It was originally a women's dormitory, West Hall was built in 1936 with support of the Works Projects Administration, part of President Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal.  Built as the last of four dormitories that created the quadrangle, a place that hosted many early student traditions.  West Hall is the only of the four building still remaining.

 

4/11/2025 - ASU Matthews Center Building

This building was built in 1930.  Served as the school library until 1966.  It also housed university administrative offices until 1950.  After its replacement, it became home to a variety of offices, currently including student media and disability resources.  This was one of the buildings that got named after the seventh President Arthur John Matthews of ASU.