Seligman, Arizona--on Route 66

We followed Route 66 several times while on or near I-40 on this past trip out west.  Today I will feature the neatest little town on Route 66.  SELIGMAN,  Arizona retains all the flavor of the old road. A trip down Route 66 in Seligman was a trip back in time for us --to the days when Route 66 was the Main Street of America.

Prescott Junction officially became Seligman and was an important railroad stop along the line.  Seligman embraced Route 66 wholeheartedly upon its arrival in the late 1920's.  The railroad and tourist traffic from Route 66 became Seligman's main source of economic security.  In the late 1970's,  Seligman was bypassed by the interstate and the Sante Fe Railroad ceased its operations in the town in 1985.  Many old towns with similar histories would have faded once they were bypassed,  but not Seligman.

Driving through Seligman showed us so much evidence of the glory days of old Route 66.   I will share with you today--some of the pictures I took as we drove through Seligman...  NEAT little town!!!!!  Above is a picture of the Seligman Sundries.  Note the airplane!

This is the Rusty Bolt... There were mannequins of many of the old 50's characters including Elvis.  However in this picture,  there are 2 'real' people standing there... Can you find them???? One is a lady standing there on the left,  and the other is a man with a long beard... YES---he was REAL!!!! You thought he was a mannequin,  didn't you????? ha

This is an old gas station --turned into a gift shop now.  If you are old like me,  you will remember when they were called "Filling Stations".... Look at that old car out front!!!!

This is the Roadkill Cafe.... They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Their speciality is Buffalo Burgers!!!!!

Here is a row of typical old 50's stores ---found on Main Street. Remember what a "livery"was?????

Finally,  on the outskirts of town,  we passed Mike's Outpost Saloon.... On a hot summer day,  it looked like a great place to stop for a cold one!!!!!  The sign says that we can 'get our kicks at the Outpost"....

Everyone probably remembers the popular song about "Getting our Kicks on Route 66".... WELL---we certainly enjoyed our little back-road trip off of I-40 to visit Seligman, Arizona.  Hope you enjoyed seeing it also.

Hugs,

What is FREEDOM to you?

Here in the United States of America,  we are celebrating today.  Today (July 4) is when our country declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776.  In our Declaration of Independence are these words:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident,  that all men are created equal,  that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life,  LIBERTY and the pursuit of happiness".

When I think of the 4th of July,  three words pop into my mind:  independence,  liberty and freedom.  In order to think more about these three words,  I needed to distinguish between them.  Independence is usually associated with countries or nations,  and freedom and liberty more often applies to people.

The dictionary defines these last two as follows:
LIBERTY:  the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life,  behavior or political views
FREEDOM:  the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint

Liberty implies the power to choose among alternatives rather than merely being unrestrained, whereas freedom implies the absence of restraint or compulsion.  Freedom can apply to many different types of oppressive influences while liberty often suggests or implies deliverance or release.  It's interesting when we start studying words and their meanings,  isn't it????

Human rights are something we all are interested in,  whether we are in the USA or in other countries.  Human rights are also something we all struggle with daily. Rights are legal, social or ethical principles of FREEDOM or entitlement.

My question to you:  What is FREEDOM to you?  Does it mean that you can do anything that you WANT to do --simply because you have the 'right' to do it?  Does it mean that you are 'entitled' to the good life no matter what you do?

As an OLD WOMAN who grew up with parents and grandparents who worked hard  (even if it meant 2 or 3 jobs),  loved our country,  loved God, never asked for a dime from anyone ---and NEVER felt 'entitled' to anything --without working for it, I struggle with today's world where people don't want to work and feel 'entitled' to the good life --no matter what.

Freedom to me is living the kind of life our forefathers provided for us when we obtained our independence ---working hard,  not doing things to hurt someone else,  doing for others as we choose,  not expecting handouts from someone else,  setting an example so that our children and grandchildren will remember us as Patriots --who loved God, family and our country.

Here are a few quotes I picked up about FREEDOM:

• "Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged"--Ronald Reagan
• "Liberty is the right to choose.  Freedom is the result of the right choice."- unknown
• "Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one"--Benjamin Franklin
• "Life without liberty is like a body without spirit"- Kahill Gibran
• "Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free:- Dwight David Eisenhower
• "Let freedom reign.  The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement"--Nelson Mandela
• "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.  We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same"--Ronald Reagan

Happy 4th to ALL....  Enjoy your day!

Hugs,

 
ALL pictures came from the internet in today's post.