By Madeline Gornell, reprinted from Spring/Summer Focus Newsletter
I’ve been slow to talk about Whiting Brothers because I’ve been afraid I couldn’t “do it justice.” My main concern was finding the right words. I know, I know! I’m a writer, “words” are my medium for goodness’ sakes. But one of the main aspirations/challenges for me as a writer, is to find words that evoke compelling mental images – and most importantly – heart-touching emotions.
With this old Whiting Brothers, there are vibrations from the past that have often jumped out and grabbed me when I’ve driven by. And to actually explore the property – up close and personal! Sure, I could blab on and on about the feeling in the pit of my stomach when I touched the old pumps; read the faded lettering; peered through the aged windows; felt the awe and respect that comes with knowing how rugged the desert was (still is); remembered how little infrastructure existed then compared to now; felt the heart-tuggng sense of loss knowing so much has gone with time . . . but all that makes for a really long, puffed up, and gushy sentence that requires a bunch of semicolons – or should it be colons? (Editors among us, please let this paragraph slide!)
Instead, here’s the sentence I finally came up with to describe the Whiting Brothers Gasoline Station on Route 66 in Newberry Springs, CA.
It is a really cool place!
See “Tony’s Cafe” on the building? There are articles on the Internet with history, station details, and pictures of the entire station. But, like the other places I’ve so far visited, the station only became alive when I talked to Mary and Henry McGee, touched the pumps, squinted to read the faded and almost gone Tony’s Cafe sign up close, and ran my hand across the building’s railroad-tie and stucco framework. It is very difficult to convey the feelings of how the past became part of my present through those experiences.
Mary graciously shared how she bought this Whiting Brothers property in 1982, which had started its Route 66 live as Tony’s Cafe – Italian and American Dishes. There now remain three gas pumps – two regular, one diesel. Together we read the last gas pumped prices. $0.39 for Super, and $0.36.9 for Ethel Supreme! The gas contained lead; there were $0.11 in taxes, and the pumps were made by the Bennet company. I couldn’t help but imagine the last car filling up at this station. Did the attendant and customer realize they were becoming part of Route 66 history? Or was it just another day on the road?
So I have to say again, “It is a really cool place.” and add, the McGees are really cool people!