Day for Honour, and La Posada

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January 15, 2024- I woke up a bit later than usual, which was okay, despite the looming Monday morning coffee klatch, the march from Prescott College and the presentation of speeches in honour of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, on what would have been his 95th birthday. I missed them all, arriving in Prescott, from Winslow, at 12 Noon. 

That’s okay. My priority was getting back safely, and given the fair amount of homeward bound traffic, that’s what I did. There was also the promise I made to a special friend, that I would visit La Posada Hotel, for about 10-15 minutes and take selected photos of the last hotel built by Fred Harvey and Mary Colter, his primary architect. She did not request this, mind you, but anything I can share with her about Arizona, the Southwest, and my meanderings in general, has a fair importance.

Backing up, just a bit, my room last night, at Delta Motel, had a military veteran motif. That was gratifying, as I did my time in the Army, 1969-72.  The soldier’s camouflage uniform, boots and canteen were on display. It was as if his spirit watches over those who take the room. At any rate, I enjoyed a restful sleep.

Sipp Shoppe, my favourite eatery in Winslow, is about two blocks from La Posada, which has its own establishment, the Turquoise Room. The latter is a place where reservations are required, and I would go, for a special occasion-say, if my above-mentioned friend visits, and wants to see the Winslow area. So, this morning, one of Sipp’s smooth breakfast burritos and a large coffee sufficed.

Along those lines, and because I have had a curiosity about La Posada, here are several of the features of this classic hotel, still in the process of restoration.

In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, some enterprising immigrants from west Asia brought dromedary camels with them, to the Southwest. This copper model greets everyone who enters La Posada’s grounds.
La Posada occupies the site of Winslow’s Union Station, and still serves as an Amtrak station. Here is the northwest entrance.
Allan Affeldt and Tina Mion, a Winslow couple, bought the hotel in 1997, and restored it to its former splendour. Ms. Mion is an accomplished portrait artist, who also paints with a sense of humour. Here are three of her public offerings, on permanent display at La Posada.
Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter are among several recent American political figures who have been captured by Tina Mion, on canvas.
Her post-9/11 portraying of the Bush II Administration figures as the principals in “The Wizard of Oz” raised a few eyebrows, but as you can see, it passed muster, in the end.
A gathering of La Posada’s more famous guests, over the years, is featured at the foot of the main staircase. Harry Truman, Liberace and Simon & Garfunkel stand out,even from a distance.

The structure that houses Tina’s many works is marvel, in itself. There is varied use of light-and un-light.

The southeast main hall.
An intimate spot for conversation.
Ample use is also made of the spacious patios.

So went my first visit to this splendid structure. I should like to return at some point, during the warmer months, when the gardens are in full bloom. For today, I headed back to Home Base 1, and later went to serve dinner at Solid Rock, as per a regular Monday evening-but with the twist that it is a national Day of Service.

2 thoughts on “Day for Honour, and La Posada”

  1. It was impossible to volunteer today – the cold has closed everything. We wanted to go out to dinner but there were only fast food places open and most of them were only doing driver thru due to lack of staff to man the dining rooms… I ended up making a Japanese curry dish that really warmed us up!

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