An Auto Garden Frozen In Time
Even as southern California's back country becomes more urbanized, there is one spot that retains that old-fashioned rural character, Correspondent Larry Himmel of CBS Affiliate KFMB-TV in San Diego reports.
Things haven't changed much at Simpson's Nursery since the company opened its doors in 1966.
There is no phone at the nursery, where modern convenience is not a priority.
"We're tyrannosaurus, no fax," owner Lee Smith says. "We're as old as dirt. We're going to keep it that way."
Take a 40-minute drive from the city and turn the clock back more than 50 years.
 Lee Smith |
"We want people to feel they have stepped back in time. We want to be back there in the '20s, '30s, '40s," Smith explains.
Simpson's gardens are garnished with antique autos - a tribute to the golden age of campers. Their collection includes a 1946 camper with a kitchen.
To be on display there, the antiques must meet one criteria: "Anything old, we'll put it out. We don't care," Smith says.
The garden's newest old possession is a calliope. The patriarch of Simpson's is Homer, the potbellied pig, who enjoys a steady flow of food - mostly apples.
 The Simpson's calliope. |
"He gets his toe nails trimmed every six weeks!" exclaims Smith's wife, Cathy. "I've never had a pedicure in my life. It's not fair."
Homer is not the only one who gets apples. Every customer gets one - just another of the old-time country comforts you'll find in a place that will always be old-fashioned.
Reported by Larry Himmel