Time Travel Tuesdays~

I have had the most nostalgic feelings for my growing-up years lately. Maybe it's because my sweet mother was with me for three weeks after the surgery. She went home last Wednesday and I sure do miss her! We spent some time looking at old photos together and I got to ask her lots of questions about the good old days. It got me wondering about some of my old favorite things about my Mesa home.

One of those favorites was this sign way out on East Main Street. The Diving Lady at the Starlight Motel fascinated me. I would beg for Mom and Dad to drive by her at night so I could watch her perform her daring and perfect dive.

 I love this black and white photo. Wasn't my childhood captured in black and white?? This is time lapsed. She only lights up one place at a time until she would completely disappear into the water with hardly a splash. Give her a 10!!

 Here is the old Starlight during the day. I miss palm trees in my life...

 Tragedy struck our Diving Lady in October of last year when a violent wind took her down, all 70 feet of her! Looks like the old pole just gave way. Word was that she was gone for good. There was no money to restore her. No!

From the East Valley Tribune:
"Portions of the nationally known Diving Lady neon sign of the Starlite Motel in east Mesa have been taken apart and she's on the "operating table" at Graham's Neon Electric Sign Specialists in Mesa so workers can see what's needed to fix her. The 78-foot tall neon sign, which features a bikini-clad lady in three stages of a springboard dive, needs to be completely rebuilt.
"We're figuring out how we're going to make her look pretty again," said Larry Graham, owner of Graham's Neon, who has brought two workers on board full-time to help restore the sign. Graham is donating $6,000 worth of labor toward the $65,000 restoration project."

Recently, the Diving Lady has made an appearance at a local mall to show her progress. Oh, how I wish I could see her up close!

I used to crane my neck in the car window to get the full effect. In a world where magic was pulling on a string to make your doll talk, things like this really impressed me! I am so happy she is getting a second chance at life! May she dive for many more generations!

MAGIC!