Magic Fingers and The Center of the Universe (26 and 27 of 40)

When I was curating my 40 by Forty list, I didn't already have a solid forty things to accomplish in mind. Some of the items I didn’t know were going to make the list until they happened on their own. It's an important reminder, I think: that at any moment, something magical, memorable or momentous can make an appearance in your life. On some of the harder days, when the groundhog-repetition of it all is closing in, I want to remember that an unexpected gift could be just around the corner. Here are a couple of incidental gems that made the cut. 

Last year, on our way to Montana, the kids and I stayed a single night in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We immediately loved it, so much so that the kids requested we take our summer vacation there this year. They’ve spent the whole past year talking about it: how they want to do another escape room, how cool it is that you can swim in lake right in the middle of town, and how much they want to share that experience with their cousins. 

Now, I have planned plenty of family trips. I've learned that sometimes best-laid plans don't always yield the intended result. There was one time I diligently scheduled a two-week road trip itinerary, only to find out at our first stop that we were a day late for our booked reservation. Or the time that we planned to stay several days in what turned out to be a 110 degree, one-stop-light town with three things to do: a dinosaur museum (cool, but only took an hour to walk through), a hot springs waterpark (sounded waaay better than it smelled), and a whiskey distillery (Ava went back to school that fall telling people that her summer plans included alcohol and we had a nice conversation about context in storytelling). For this trip, I wanted to max out our one night in CDA as much as possible so I booked a room on the main drag in close proximity to the walkable downtown shops and restaurants.

I probably should’ve known by the fact that the word 'motel' was in the title that this was not going to be a high-class joint. To be honest, based on google street view, I kind of thought I was booking something in the high rise building adjacent to the motel’s actual location. In any case, we found ourselves pulling into the 1950's era Flamingo Motel. It's the kind of place where the building surrounds the parking lot on three sides and you park directly in front of whichever of the 13-rooms you have landed for the evening. Each room is themed; we were lucky enough to have nabbed the Country Cottage, which was a grandmotherly as you might imagine. 

The kids were...underwhelmed. Even without referential understanding of a no-tell motel, they were slightly horrified that mom picked out such a low-tech place to stay. That is until they discovered the one thing that would make this travel faux pas totally worth it!

An actual working Magic Fingers! If you don't know the cultural reference, this contraption is a motor attached to the box spring of a bed which vibrates for 15 minutes after you put a quarter in the coin receptacle. These bad boys were super popular in motels across the country and in Europe during the 60's and 70's. According to Wikipedia, at their height, Magic Fingers generated $2,000,000 in monthly revenues. As far as I could remember, I had never seen one in the wild and let me tell ya, I was embarrassingly excited to get to try one out! 

It was...honestly nothing to write home about (unless, of course, you're me and write an entire blog post about it). Sometimes it's the novelty that makes these experiences as memorable as they become. I can't imagine how anyone road-tripping in a light-on-suspension-1960's-sedan would want to be further jostled at the end of a long travel day, but I do know that Ava requested coin after coin. I finally had to cut her off by promising her one more jiggle before morning check out. In any event, it made what could have been a real questionable mom-moment...still questionable, but with vibration! 

Number 27 on the list really takes the cake. Have you ever been to the Center of the Universe? Well, if you have never been to Wallace, Idaho, there is a good chance you haven't. On our way home from the same trip, we took the scenic route along I-90 that winds you through a bunch of small mining towns. This area of the country is known for being the world's largest silver producer. 

I had read about a mining museum that I thought the kids would tolerate enjoy so we stopped...only to discover that 'rona had struck again. The museum was closed until further notice. As we stood on the corner and debated what to do next, I noticed a street sign that read CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE with an arrow pointed at manhole in the street. 

I snapped a photo and then we found a local who handed me this card:

I have to say, I love this. It's very Tyrion Lannister I-drink-and-I-know-things in a old mining town kind of way and I will gladly brag about my adventure to the center of the universe, inebriated or not.

Wind Art (25 of 40)

My Uncle Larry is a true craftsman. Over the years I have admired his skills in creating beautiful furniture and doors with ornate wood and glass inlays. At some point he moved away from woodworking and transitioned into Kinetic Art, creating stunning sculptures from copper and stone that spin with the movement of the wind. 

Over the years I saw his pieces pop up one by one in the homes of each of my family members. Every time I saw a new sculpture, I would think to myself, “Man, I really want one of those.” My favorites have always been his hanging aspen leaves, watching the hypnotic twirl of the leaves in the wind and how the light bouncing off the hammered surface of the copper mimics the shimmering of the yellow aspen leaves in the fall. The weathered copper eventually takes on a beautiful patina which makes the piece just as remarkable when the air is still. 

Last year, I decided I was ready for a sculpture of my own. While in Colorado for my grandmother’s memorial, I visited Larry’s studio Sawtooth Art. I found I was not alone as another couple was perusing the outdoor gallery as well. We did the dance, side-eying each other and trading polite smiles that belied our anxious and territorial fear of finding ourselves drawn to the same piece and having to duel to the death in order to stake our claim. 

Okay, maybe that was just me. 

Thankfully, there was no need for bloodshed. After some time, I landed on a mesmerizing hanging aspen with a smooth, oval stone for its weighted bottom. The other couple admitted defeat found a different stunning piece of art and were on their way.

Getting my sculpture home took some effort, but an ungodly amount of plastic wrap and a custom box-job later, I brought my very own aspen home. I excitedly unboxed it the moment the kids and I got back. Looking around my patio, one thing became immediately clear. I had no idea how in the world I was going to hang this thing! 

My apartment lease pretty explicitly states not to damage the outside stucco. Surely there is a wooden beam or piece of siding I can tap into, I thought as I scanned every inch of the roof line. Alas, the answer was a resounding 'nope'. I guess I hadn’t really thought this through. So back into the box and down to the garage my beautiful art went. 

It remained there until this past weekend when my dad came to visit and solve my dangling dilemma. We hemmed, hawed and almost admitted defeat when suddenly, a solution was at hand! 

Now, for the sake of propriety, I'm just gonna say our ingenuity involved a bit of rebar, wire and old fashioned luck. But the best added bonus is that every time I look at the leaves spinning in the breeze, I'm going to remember that my dad and I did that together.