MOTELS

When I was kid, summer vacations always meant another great road trip. So pre-Holiday Inn and big chain hotels, where else would you stay but in a small Mom and Pop motel? With any luck, it had a swimming pool you could jump into after a hot day of driving in a car with no air conditioning! These roadside classics are disappearing at a rapid rate, so whenever I see a one still standing (or even a run down building with the sign intact), I take a picture and paint my favorites when I get home.