Went wandering around backcountry Arizona. It’s a beautiful State.

Several years ago I spent some time in Tuscon building a flagstone patio for Ann and Don. They are friends of my sister. Ann showed me a purse she bought at the State Prison gift shop made out of license plates. Hmmm. I had never heard of a Prison gift shop.

Yesterday my sister and I were traveling the back road to Tuscon and sure enough, right across the street from the razor wire fences and guard towers of the State Penitentiary north of Florence Arizona was this place:

The prisoners make arts and crafts that they sell in their gift shop. You can buy original oil paintings painted by prisoners for $20 or $30. I liked this prisoners western art:

Really quite good. If I wasn’t a nomad I would have bought it. Or maybe some Indian theme oil paintings by this prisoner:

The prison metal shop makes metal garden ornaments. They are welded together and powder coated. My sister bought a howling coyote, a road runner and some quail:

I thought the purses like Ann had showed me made from Arizona license plates looked pretty cool.

License plates folded sort of like origami and riveted together. With a nice leather strap coiled inside that hooks to two D-rings riveted to the side so you can sling it over your shoulder. Plus it has a good story to go with it. Who doesn't want a purse lovingly made by a convicted felon?:

Man purses aren't my style, but a couple of these bolted to the sides of my rear motorcycle top box would be pretty handy.

Pretty clever those prisoners. Maybe like me they are too clever for their own good. :-)