You never know what you can find right under your nose. Well, in this case the cedar wood shingles on my neighbor’s roof, which now serve as a beautiful ground cover in my garden as wood chips.
First, do you know that cedar wood chips are not only helpful in keeping bugs away from your plants, but that they are really expensive? They are the Cadillac of ground cover for gardeners.
It so happened that my next door neighbors were renovating their guest house, which had an old cedar shake roof. It was not in great shape after probably 50 years up there, to the point that a strong wind would sometimes blow an old shingle or two in to my yard.
Being a total recycling/composting nerd-ball, I was eye-balling that roof for years. I knew from speaking with roofers and reading a bunch of articles that the shingles are non-toxic, assuming they are treated with things like linseed oil. Local roofers told me that typically in Phoenix they are.
I have a small garden wood chipper to manage the huge ironwood tree that provides shade to my garden. I hatched a plan, a scheme, a vision.
My neighbors were generous enough to tell their roofers to give me some of the shingles, rather than sending them to the dump. With only about 1/4 of the shingles from that guest house, I covered most of my back garden area.
I could have used more, but I only have so much time.
I didn’t use them in the planter boxes. Not because the cedar wood chips are toxic, but that wood chips can actually pull nutrients away from plants as they break down. But, it is still wise to play it safe unless you are pretty certain the shingles have not been treated with toxic stuff to only use them around non-edible plants.
It looks great back there and even my friend Greg Patterson of The Urban Farm gave me his stamp of approval.
As I stood there with my little wood chipper, I thought what a great “circular economy” business it could be for somebody in town with a wood chipper, a truck and contacts with roofers and urban gardeners.
Well, a bigger wood chipper than I have, that is.
It is a great way to keep wood out of the landfills, where the anaerobic conditions just make methane, which is 80x more harmful to the earth than CO2.
And, by my estimate, I probably got anywhere from $400 to $600 worth of good wood chips for only the cost of my own labor.
Which brings me to this important question. Do the British call them “wood crisps?”
Donna Reiner has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about Phoenix history and memorials. She is a regular contributor to our newsletter. This month, Donna tells us about the Arrow Motel.
For most of us driving along Grand Avenue in either direction, we notice the train tracks, lots of commercial buildings, and a scattering of motels/hotels, some derelict and some showing new life. Once a major highway to the west (Highways 60, 70 and 89), the businesses and motels catered to the automobile for many years. But it was not always that way.
In the early days of Phoenix, farmland lined the road once called the Phoenix-Glendale Highway. One of those farms was owned by Abraham Lincoln Andrews on the eastern side of the highway near what is now Encanto Boulevard. Better known as A.L. Andrews, he died in 1936 and his widow, Olive started to sell off part of their holdings. A particular parcel, now listed as 2262 Grand Avenue, was sold to Earl Zion in 1937.
Often in trying to establish dates, researchers rely on permits. But when a property was built outside the Phoenix city limits, finding a permit is often futile. And in this case, we suspect that this cute tourist court at 2262 Grand Avenue was built in 1937 with six units.
Not familiar with the term tourist court? It is what historians call small, one room units with a space between each unit for a car. A tourist court appealed to the traveler for its simplicity and convenience to a highway. And the new Arrow Motel fit the bill. Zion owned the land. Did he have this small motel built? Probably, but we cannot be sure. We do know that he sold the property to Joseph and Mary Castellano in 1944 and there were buildings on it.
Another mystery appears as documents indicate that the Castellanos lived at 2402 Grand Avenue at the Polly Auto Court which only appears in the Arizona Republic in 1944 and 1945. Were these two auto courts the same place as street numberings did change and neither address appears in the city directories at the time? Probably not.
In 1951, the Arrow Motel was listed in the Phoenix city directory at 2262 Grand Avenue. Yes….and Joseph Castellano is the owner. The pieces are beginning to fall into place. But, the Castellanos sell this small enterprise in July of 1951 to two couples: John McCarty and Oney Varbel and their respective wives, Ella and Fay. The 1961 historic postcard shows additional units constructed on the west side of the property and the spaces between the east units have been filled in. And, the new owners have renamed the property The Rainbow Motel.
So, what’s the big deal about this small tourist court? To be bold, it is a rare surviving example, in Phoenix, of this property type. And, it’s in great condition!! At the request of the owners, this property is a “member” of the Phoenix Historic Property Register. If you see some construction on the site, it will all be in accordance with historic guidelines.
Here’s our curated list of upcoming May events and good reads.
Oral History at the Phoenix Trolley Museum. Phoenix Trolley Museum is doing an oral history project, with a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council, interviewing people who remember riding the streetcars that ran here prior to 1948.
There will be a public premier at Phoenix Trolley Museum, 1117 W. Grand Avenue, on First Friday in May. Afterward, they’ll have a panel discussion with Betsey Bayless, Terry Goddard, Scott Smith, and Jessica Bueno. Like all events underwritten by Arizona Humanities, it is free.
It’ll be outdoors.
Gas in the home. It’s tough as a realtor to discourage folks from having methane gas stoves and water heaters in their homes –even when it means saving money and breathing cleaner air. After all, we’ve all been told for years how great they are. But the more we learn, the more important it is to switch to induction. See this entertaining article from Scary Mommy. “Very simply, burning natural gas produces toxins like nitrous oxides, carbon dioxide, and formaldehyde, which in turn have a significant effect on our health when we breathe them in, even in small doses that we don’t notice at all.” Also, you are not likely to burn down your house with an induction stove.
See also: Heat Pump. While we are talking about money-saving home improvements, consider the all-electric heat pump. Basically, it is an A/C unit, run in reverse in the colder months. They work best when you also increase your insulation in your home. You can get a home energy audit to help there. As I know from personal experience, you will see savings immediately. You may even pay off your new heat pump and energy efficiency improvements in the first few years of savings.
Which brings me to a question. When I talk about getting a new, energy efficient appliance, friends ask “how long will it take to pay that off?” But I never hear them ask that same question when they buy a new car or re-landscape their back yard.
Mother’s Day at the Japanese Friendship Garden. Give the gift of a unique memory, relaxing activity and mini Japanese flower arrangements this Mother’s Day. Miniature ikebana was first introduced by the second head master of Sogetsu school Ikebana, Kasumi Teshigahara. It is composed of several ikebana works which feature and focus on the beauty of certain small parts of plants. Observe carefully the different shapes and textures of tiny plant materials including petals, pistils, stamens, berries, leaves, branches and stems, to make new discoveries about their distinctive appearance which you may not have noticed before. Make several of arrangements (five or more) in the same way, and display them on a base plate, a tray, a piece of Japanese Paper, or a table center so that movement or flow is felt by the way they are arranged. Ping Wei will teach and guide all guests through the Japanese flower arranging process. The workshop includes all plant materials, 5 small ceramic containers and Garden admission for the day! $80.
The Workshop at the Children’s Museum. In the Workshop, children are invited to invent and build through self-facilitated, open-ended discovery. This NEW makerspace exhibit offers a hands-on, creative space where children can gather materials, create a blueprint, use tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, saws, nails, measuring tapes, wrenches, levels, wires, drills and more! Young inventors can wear protective goggles, hardhats, and safety vests; workspaces offer workbenches, tables, stools, and recycled materials in addition to other repurposed materials. Finished product possibilities are endless! All inventors will gain confidence and stretch their imagination in a safe environment for risk-taking and prototyping. The Workshop is a space that will empower children to create through inspiration. Free with general admission. Tuesday – Saturday.
Desert Rider at the Phoenix Art Museum. Desert Rider explores the sociopolitical realities and imaginative interpretations of automotive and skateboarding subcultures through diverse works by local Arizona and regional artists, focusing almost exclusively on Latinx and Indigenous perspectives that have defined the identity of the southwest.
Free with general admission.
The Never Sleepy Fish at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. Join Great Arizona Puppet Theater for the debut run of their latest production, an original story of “The Never Sleepy Fish“.
Recommended for ages 3 and up. $8 – $12.
Arizona Speaks: What You Need to Know About Elections in Arizona. ASBA will host our signature AZ Speaks event with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. They know a number of businesses view voting as part of their vision of what it means to be a socially responsible business, and the virtual event will be an opportunity to learn more about election laws, voter registration, and election administration from the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office and Elections Department. Join them for a non-partisan, fact-based, and interactive discussion moderated by former Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels to learn more about our voting system in advance of important 2022 primary and general elections. Free online.
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