Take a bath in history

Image courtesy of Pistols & Petticoats.
Gadgets are pretty damn fun.
Kindle Fires, smartphones, iPads, Windows 8, whatever your tech of choice is, there's no denying their presence and accompanying addiction issues. But they weren't always around.
There's definitely something to be said for that bygone era when men rode horseback through the desert and carriages ambled over cobbled roads in the big cities. Letters were the only form of email, the type typically written by hand, and proper spelling was something not coached by a program but learned in classes and continuing personal education. Many great western writers, like Louie L'Amour and the brilliant Gary McCarthy, bring that history to blazing life when penning their fantastic tales. For me, there's no better way to get a feel for the history of the Old except to read their impressive tales. And it wasn't always pretty for sure. But it was simpler. There's no denying that. Entertainment, for instance, came one fad at a time.
Cover for 'Williams.'Recently I got a chance to hang out with John and Laurie Maeder, owners of Pistols and Petticoats Old-time Photo Parlor, and was dressed in faux garb of the old west for my very own old-time photo. I felt a little like an outlaw, having an “iron” strapped to my leg, a wide brim over my brow, not to mention a bottle of whiskey in hand, and quickly got an inkling of how important those items were to history. And also, unlike today, how those things, what one wore on their back, were often their sole possessions. A book, for instance, was a prized object and not easily replaced with another. Clothes were mended, not tossed, and having a roof over your head, especially one that didn't leak, was considered a luxury by many.
That love is wrote drove me to write my two non-fiction books, “Williams” and “Grand Canyon's Tusayan Village.” Not just because I yearned for a simpler time myself, which I do on occasion (though I'd never give up my Fire), but because I respect those who created the world we live in today for their hard work, consistent lifestyle and “true” grit. And there's no better way to learn it than to immerse yourself in the life of old, bathing in the differences between those who struggled for their very survival and the struggles many of us encounter in today's world.
Pistols and Petticoats Old-Time Photo Parlor, owned and operated by the wonderful Maeders, is located at 311 North State Route 89A. For more information on the parlor, as well as pricing, call (928) 282-0029 or visit them on Facebook at Pistols and Petticoats – the world's greatest old-time portrait parlor.