After looking over the photos of the signs of University Avenue, my friend suggested a ride.  We took his car for the occasion, a 1965 Mustang.  He  doesn’t drive anymore, but keeps the Mustang for special trips.

I drove us down University to San Pablo.  He directed me north on San Pablo and then east into the hills of unincorporated Contra Costa County.  We turned onto a dirt road and then a mile later up a dirt driveway.  We parked near a wreck of a house, and my friend’s friend came out and greeted us.

He took us behind a barn.

What the heck???????????

He took us inside.  He switched on a table lamp.

And there it was.

Wow!  From the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939.  A 100% mechanical rodeo.  It moves.  It talks.  Its figures are all hand-carved likenesses of famous rodeo people.  And they’re all dressed in authentic Western togs, miniature replicas of garments made since 1853 by Levi Strauss & Company.  It was remarkably well preserved.  It is almost beyond words.

But that was not all.  The trailer was filled with rodeo toys on shelves on the walls.  Here are a few:

Who knew?  We had some lemonade and pie with my friend’s friend and talked rodeo for a few minutes.

I went to the California Rodeo in Salinas a few times in the 1970s.  The crowd was not entirely friendly to the cause of the farm workers.  We didn’t call attention to ourselves and our cause.

We drove home.  I don’t have to tell you what we listened to.

Yes – “Someday Soon,” with “My parents can’t stand him because he works the rodeo” and “He loves that damned old rodeo as much as he loves me.”

I said, “Well, that was really a trip.  What did you think of all that rodeo stuff?”