California,  Culture & tradition,  Photographing Public Art

Gallery: the Mini Village in Onyx

February 7, 2025 / 20 Comments

There are times on every road trip when you have to focus on exactly that, the road. Days when it is more important to cover the miles and get from A to B, stretches when major sights are few and far between. But even on these days it’s good to stop from time to time and take a breather. And if you are lucky you will be surprised by something you see when you stop.

We had such a day on our California road trip, travelling from Sequoia National Park to Ridgecrest, a gateway town for Death Valley. There were no significant sights on our route, but we stopped from time to time for various reasons. The first time was to fill up with petrol in Terra Bella, which despite the name was a nondescript town surrounded by agricultural facilities such as the grain silos below. But there was a friendly attendant at the gas station who told us he was from Yemen and was keen to chat about London.

We met another friendly immigrant in a tiny place called Woody, where we stopped as I needed a loo! I was welcomed to use one in the small, local store run by another friendly immigrant, this time a lady from Lebanon. She told us she had come to the US to escape the previous war and that she was originally a city dweller, unused to this rural setting. We didn’t get the chance to ask her how she ended up in Woody however.

I mention those two encounters deliberately. At a time when immigrants are getting a bad press from some quarters (to put it mildly), I want to showcase these two individuals, both working hard and making a life for themselves in the US in jobs that help keep the country running smoothly. I’m sure the old guy we met outside the general store was grateful to be able to do his shopping locally, and many travellers will be as pleased as we were to find a gas station on our long drive.

The Mini Village of Onyx

But the main point of this post is to share a later stop on our journey. Chris, who did all our driving, asked me (doing all of the navigating!) if there was anywhere interesting nearby as he felt the need of a break. With nothing planned for that stretch of road, and certain there were no famous sights, I nevertheless peered at Google maps and spotted an intriguing label, Mini Village, in a small community called Onyx, not far from Lake Isabella.

The map led us a few blocks off the main road into an area of small single-storey houses, each with its own garden. Stopping where it indicated I looked around for some sort of sign that we were in the right place. Then we spotted it, a mini village indeed!

This isn’t an established tourist attraction in the usual sense but a large collection of model houses, shops etc., created by one man beside the road opposite his house. We both enjoy seeing these quirky sights

We took lots of photos here and I was going to make a donation, as a sign suggested, in the box outside his home. But when I saw another sign on that home, ‘We don’t call 911’ complete with an image of a gun, I cooled towards him rather!  

Given that the donation is optional I think these creations definitely qualify as public art for Natalie’s challenge. Do click on any of them to see the images larger and enjoy all the clever details!

I visited Onyx in October 2024

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