Small 76 Ball

It has been a long time since I've posted, but I'm still around. I've just been focusing on my other blog, Houses of Wax. This blog is called the Peopletron focus, but it lacks focus, so it's hard to consistently feel inspired to post. But I digress. This past weekend I nearly freaked out when I saw a building in Anaheim that had almost a dozen old orange 76 balls on its roof. It made me miss the roadside icon even more. There are a few of them still around, and a station a few mile away recently received the new red ball, but it is not the same. Here's an old shot of a unique ball that was a lot lower to the ground than usual. it was on PCH on the way to Malibu. It may actually be in Malibu, but I don't remember. I haven't been to that area since I took this picture. Either way, it was nice to see.

Sandy Vitale Dance Studio

Whenever I drive down Western Avenue in Gardena I see this beautiful old sign. Unfortunately, rust keeps eating away at it, and sooner rather than later it will finally succumb to the elements. So here's some pictures I took of it for posterity.

From a distance, the old brick building, which still has a dance studio on the top floor.

The back of the building. Gardena has a horrible reputation for preserving their historic buildings, as many on this street have met the bulldozer.

I used a drawing program to create this sign, just so I could see how it once looked.

Queen's Motel

Inspired by the most recent post at the really cool Ultra Swank blog, I thought I would share some pictures of the Queen's Motel in Victorville California. Like most of my roadside signage pictures, this was taken from the passenger seat of our car while on a road trip. The elegance in the simplicity of the sign is what gives it such an appeal. too bad these are becoming so scarce.

Further back, we can see the old motel the sign advertises.

And even further back. I love how the signs contrast with the desert landscape.

Tags: Signage Victorville Queen's Motel

Movieland- Levar Burton

Here's a set from the Movieland Wax Museum featuring Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow. Mr. Burton did an episode on wax figures and had his own likeness created in wax. The whole process wax featured on the show, and this tableau was what resulted.

A larger view of the set. So many books.

Mr. Burton stands under the Reading Rainbow sign.

Levar Burton donated the jacket that the figure wears.

Posters on the wall remind kids to read.

The figure and set both sold at the movieland auction for a mere $150 each, which was way under priced.

You can visit the Reading Rainbow website here. (But you don't have to take my word for it)

For more pictures of wax museums visit Houses of Wax.

Tags: Movieland Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Reading Rainbow Levar Burton