Florence,Colorado: Sandy Dale's The Gnarlies Have A Party

Sandy Dale is one of Florence's most cherished artists with her magical creations, The Gnarlies.

So I was delighted to be cantering down Main St. and see a whole window display of the adorable creatures.

For those who don't know about Sandy Dale and The Gnarlies, my sympathies, but you can get up to speed by reading this previous blog post: http://truestoryclub.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-magical-world-of-artist-sandy-dale.html

Sandy has her own studio at 220-A W. Main St. in Florence, which is open by appointment or chance.

But recently a group of The Gnarlies decided to have a party in the window at Florence Antiques, at 103 W. Main St., which is open seven days a week.

You all know how hard it is to take a picture of a window display through glass--so please excuse all the glare and car reflections in the background.

Isn't this little dude winsome? He makes me want to break out into a hula. But that might start an earthquake in Florence, so I'll just sing Tiny Bubbles quietly.

Now this Gnarlie with his cloven hooves is totally adorable. And he's ready to make music at the party too. Between him and furry fellow with his ukulele or guitar....we've got a jam happening.

This Gnarlie is riding a wonderful vintage style horse. Apparently he's riding--and on his way to the Gnarlie party.

When I asked the owner of Florence Antiques (Larry Nelson) if these were the beloved Gnarlies I spied in his window he said yes.

Now, I couldn't get pictures of all of them due to the window glare. And it would have taken too much heavy lifting to get in the back of the window to take pictures. But trust me--it's a Gnarlie delight and party you won't want to miss.

Larry also told me he had put a few steampunk accessories and hats(not pictured) on the Gnarlies (in anticipation of Florence's steampunk festival in April). He said he wasn't sure how the artist would react.

I promised not to say a word. Tee hee! But I never said I wouldn't write a word or two. He suggested that she'd find out soon enough.

I think it's quite obvious that it was not Larry Nelson that steampunked The Gnarlies up a little, but they did it themselves, when no one was looking. We've got to love those impish Gnarlies.

And these Gnarlies are available for purchase of course.

If you want to see even more Gnarlie delights, check out their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TheGnarlies-148314498558258/

Florence, Colorado: Who Says GITMO & Antiques Can't Be Funny?

Who says GITMO and antiques can't be funny? Come on, I can't make this stuff up. But this week, someone I am acquainted with DID make Guantanamo Bay AND antiques funny--right here in Florence, Colorado.

We noted a few days ago that Florence made the national FOX news, reporting on Pentagon officials touring Supermax in Florence and the state penitentiary in nearby Canon City as possible places to relocate Guantanamo Bay detainees. I happened to be watching from a Japanese restaurant on Florence's Main St. when one news camera crew was packing its gear. I had no idea what it was all about until I saw the FOX national news the next day. And someone told me it was also on a local (Colorado Springs) NBC channel.

Ah, but they reported the straight news. Boy, was I in for a treat today when I discovered there was yet another news report that was delicious. Yes, it's the one that proves Gitmo AND antiques can be funny.

I was casually strolling down Main. St. when Larry Nelson, owner of Florence Antiques, informed me that Florence had been on the news. I said I knew and I had done a little mention of it on my blog.

No, I was told--Larry Nelson himself was on the news. Larry escorted me and my unsuspecting spouse inside Florence Antiques to Larry's computer where he showed us the news video.

For our local readers (and our readers out of the area) below is a picture of Larry I took last year when we were doing steampunk events for the steampunk festival last April. Yes, that's a steam gauge in Larry's mouth. And yes, I am giving you a hint, that FOX 31 News of Denver was in for a journalistic roller coaster of a ride.

Yes, Mr. Nelson is wearing overalls. But that's besides the point.

Let's backtrack. I used to live in Denver, for a brief time, and I remember watching Justin Joseph on FOX 31 News. I always considered him as a journalist that stood out from the rest. And Joseph did not let me down. But I am fairly certain that when Joseph set out to report on the Pentagon officials in Florence AND the antiques scene in Florence (the antiques capital of Colorado) he had no idea he would inadvertently be shooting the next pilot for a new reality show about the Florence antiques scene, starring Larry Nelson.

Most of us in the antiques trade in Florence, already knew Larry would make a good reality TV star. We just didn't know how he'd play out on the telly, since we'd never seen him on the telly. I'll get to that later.

Here's a link to the FOX 31 News video, featuring Supermax AND Larry Nelson. I can ASSURE you that even though Supermax looms large in reality and in legend on the outskirts of Florence proper--Mr. Nelson's personality loomed larger that Supermax, Guantanamo or the Pentagon. Stinking Pentagon. We don't need no stinking Pentagon officials--Florence has Larry Nelson and that's enough, thank you very much!

http://kdvr.com/2015/10/13/pentagon-officials-look-at-colorado-prisons-as-possible-homes-for-guantanamo-detainees/

The news video starts with Larry narrating," Welcome to Florence, the capital of antiques."

The news package is actually a work of art--interspersing shots of inmates, barbed wire, Supermax and some really cool Toby mugs in Larry's antiques shop.

I really have to tip my vintage hat off to FOX news. Even on the national story, they balanced the Gitmo story and Supermax with the antiques culture in Florence. But FOX 31 in Denver, really did it up right.

There were a few interviews with folks (on the streets of Florence) who were not terribly happy about Gitmo folks potentially parking their felonious butts in Florence, along with the rest of the inmates.

Now, Larry Nelson of Florence Antiques--he has few qualms about that. "That's OK, they won't get out of there," he told the reporter with a hearty laugh.

OK, everyone knows deep down that we are much more interested in antiques in Florence and eccentrics like Larry Nelson, than we are in what goes on at Supermax. Most people agree that no one has ever escaped--and if they did, I pity them, because they really don't know what type of folks live in Florence. But they do now.

And what other antiques shop owners and dealers wanted to know (all of whom had NO idea Larry had been on the news until I told them) was if this brought a few more browsers and customers into Florence. Larry had told me that people actually told him they saw him on the news in Denver and drove to Denver to see what he and his store were about. Watch the video! Larry just got Florence, about a zillion dollars worth of free publicity. There we hoards of people browsing in Florence right after these multitude of stories played in Colorado Springs, Denver and nationally.

And how does Larry play on TV? You be the judge. But I can tell you--that's exactly the Larry most people know in Florence. He does translate to TV.

I told another dealer about the video. She and I went back to Larry's store and she saw the video and I watched it for the second delightful time. The other dealer insisted that Larry shop for his own reality TV show immediately. Actually she had told Larry that last year. I seconded the motion. Only time will tell. But I guarantee you--I don't know anyone besides Larry Nelson and Justin Joseph of FOX News 31 that could have made Gitmo AND antiques funny.

But what was really funny was that Larry didn't seem to understand what the other dealer and I were telling him about--that he plays well on TV and we were not joking when we said he needs to get his own TV show.