Spice Girls Mini Cooper.

Victoria Beckham may have owned this baby.  Or maybe another one of the Spice Girls.  Whoever, whichever, there is a classic Mini Cooper driving around to car shows, all decked out with the signatures of iconic Spice Girls .... or, so says the guy in Wayzata, Minnesota where we saw these sweet wheels last summer.

Vaya con Dios, Estimada "Casita."

Chalk up another one for the little engine that could .... and did ... and then ran out of steam.

Wickenburg's iconic "Casita" coffee shop slides its window closed for good on 1/28/11.  Owner Denise, and barista Brittany, shown in the picture above, are going out of business. And what a loss that is: for them, for the town, and certainly for fans of yummy lattes like old Poppy.

"Casita" fought the good fight. Denise almost made it against daunting odds. A small business start-up, by the new gal in town, with substantial capital requirements, in a climate of increased sales taxes, signage issues, and the worst recession in anyone's memory -- despite all this she almost pulled it off.

Thank you, Denise, and Ron, and Brittany. Gracias "Casita," y vaya con Dios.  Ya vive el Sueno Americano.

Gluten-Free Goodness.

We were back East and in the company of several family members who have a nasty allergy to gluten -- the key ingredient in wheat and other grains.  That means, no regular store-bought bread for them -- so you have to cook up the loaves at home, using a myriad of gluten-free (GF) ingredients, just like you see in the picture above.

We had a bake-off in the family kitchen, just like they do at the Betty Crocker events. Only in our little gluten-free world, the end result was easy to digest, so good for you, and the best tasting loaves ever to come out of 450-degree oven!

Jay Leno's Mechanic Owns Flxible.

My new pals at the Roundup in Wickenburg, AZ were quick to boast that the owner of this elegant, classic Flxible "Starliner" was chief mechanic for the Leno Collection of import and domestic cars.

I think you'd agree, after seeing this mid-'60's beauty, that Mr. Mechanic has done himself proud.

The Allison Diesel cranks out over 600 hp, and the bus "is only getting warmed up" as the needle on the speedo breaks 100 mph.

Hanging Texas Proud.

This afternoon in Wickenburg, AZ, in the parking lot of the Civic Center, I hung out with some owners of classic Flxible motor coaches.

These fascinating and intrepid road warriors had assembled for the annual Flxible Roundup and were celebrating an open house for curiosity seekers like me.

Flxible Folks are passionate about their wheels, as well as their home states, personal accessories, clothes, hats, jewelry, the whole deal. One very cool lady seemed to personify a possible conflict between the allure of the open road and he desire to remain loyal and connected to their ancestral homes. The Lone Star earrings let her accomplish both goals.

Lucha Libre? Mascara. Verdad.

Tio Pepe Hoyt sent Old Poppy this friggin' authentic Lucha Libre mask from the wrestling rings of Mexico. Just what I had on my list for Santa -- who could have known?

I asked Pina to snap a foto for the Blog -- just had to strut my Feliz Navidad stuff. I'm thinking I'm going to start a new career, just as soon as I start pumping iron, eating right, running some miles, and thinking up a proper Nom de Ring.

A Great Cook Gets Even Better!

Poppina knows her way around the kitchen better than most. She's no slouch when it comes to sophisticated recipes and exquisite tasting chow. Those of us fortunate to eat at her table on a regular basis always marvel at her skill and artistry.

Like an artist in any medium, Pina keeps working on her game. So when she heard about this new cookbook from the New York Times, she figured it was a must-have addition to her culinary library. On to the Christmas list it went, and Santa got the word and came through on 12/25.

Actually, it was Sky, Charlie and Hugo who came though for chef La Nancita. And by means of this photo, and posting on the blog, she (and her hungry family) say: merci!

CA Heritage Museum, Santa Monica.

Museum volunteers Barbara and Ethyl took Jason, Poppina and me on a fab tour of the impressive little history museum on Main Street in Santa Monica.

It may have been pouring rain outside on 12/23 when we leaned about art, architecture, furniture of the post-victorian period in CA, but inside the Heritage Museum smiles were ear-to-ear, as the lore and history came alive at the telling by our former school teachers turned docents.

This is a must-see place in Southern California. Ad it to your destination list. And be sure to ask the ladies about their personal histories -- as fascinating and relevant as most anything you'll learn about the house itself!

Curbside Art Takes Hassle out of Parking.

736 Raymond Street is an average kind of house and lot for this part of Santa Monica. Nice place to live, not too big, not too small. It's a quiet street, in a respectful and responsive neighborhood. And art is everywhere in bloom on Raymond, including the street kerb.

The combo of stenciled house numbers, palm trees in vibrant green, and a sun that shines all day long -- what car wouldn't be at home here?

Somebody's Wearing a SunBody Sombrero!

Ben's Saddlery in Wickenburg features cowboy hats of many descriptions, but one of the most unusual is the SunBody brand, made by busy craftsmen down in El Paso, TX.

The straw is more thickly woven than lots of other sombreros this cowpoke has tried, and the SunBody weighs a lot more than other hats of the same size.

The price is good, to: maybe $26? Not bad. Full disclosure here: I've been trying to persuade Jimmy Pryor from SunBody to run an ad or two in Wild West magazine.

So far? A proposal at his request. Maybe if I buy one of his hats he'll buy one of my ads?

Holy Snow Day!

12" of the white stuff. Driveway clear and the walkway is next. Doesn't look as bad as the last snowfall we had a few weeks back. And, as for this one, the communities to the east of Minneapolis, and into Wisconsin, really got clobbered.

IKEA Comes to Vietnam.

Intrepid Cyclo-travelers Carolyn and James Terman from Boulder just returned from Southeast Asia. James snapped the pic above of a massive new armoire being delivered by bike from the atelier of its craftsman-maker to the living room of its new owner. Asks Terman rhetorically, "How can this guy see where he's going, let alone steer the bike? And what about the brakes? And balancing?"

These Boots were Made for Looking!

Check these babies. Now, here's a pair of boots!

On display, and under glass at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, a pair of limited edition commemorative Luchese's that you can have for, oh, maybe, $5000?

The idea is to order a pair -- "End of the Trail" iconic sculpture has been recreated in hand-stictched leather on the boot front -- and a portion of the proceeds will go back to the museum in a highly original development idea.

Poppina and I paid a visit to the Museum on our "Western Heritage Road Trip" over the weekend. Loved what we saw, and will definitely go back for more. I don't think the boots will make it into our closet, though we plan to ask Santa to see if his elves can come through for us with something a little more modest!

Cambodian Bike Repair Shop.

The Termans just got back to Boulder from a bike trip through S.E. Asia. This once-in-a-lifetime pedalthon took James and Carolyn through Viet Nam and Cambodia, big cities and small towns.

James T. said the people could not have been nicer, warmer, and more inviting and accepting. The locals were curious why gringos would come all the way from the USA and ride bikes along Asian highways and byways.

There was a flat tire episode with Carolyn's machine, and some local tech entrepreneur took care of it, on the spot. The price was fair and the work came with a 100% money-back guarantee.

How cool is that?! More pictures from James in the near future, no doubt.

Join Lydon + Friends on December 14th!

Yale '65 classmate Michael Lydon is an indefatigable and original troubadour. He's been singing and strumming his way into the hearts of New Yorkers for years, and he's better than ever!

Just got an e-invite to join "Michael and Friends" on December 14th at Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC. Ellen Mandel, Michael's wife, muse and performing partner, anchors this must-see ensemble for a performance that's sure to please.

I hope it's a great nite for you and friends, dear Michael. Break a leg!