One popular genre of photography which I’ve occasionally dabbled in is shooting vintage signs — especially those mid-20th-century beauties that are clearly past their prime but still evoke nostalgia for one’s childhood. One of my favorite efforts was the Jules Motel sign in Clearlake, California, which I photographed and initially shared back in 2017. I treasure this image because even though the Jules Motel lingers on, the sign itself was removed a few years ago.

On my most recent visit to the shores of Clear Lake, I stopped along Highway 20 in the town of Lucerne to shoot a couple of other motel signs that had caught my eye. The Beachcomber Resort is still in business; but the site of two former neighbors just to the north, the Lake Sands Resort and the Lucerne Motel, is now a weedy, fenced-off vacant lot, with only one faded sign remaining.

My final image today is not a vintage motel sign and is located in downtown Ukiah rather than along the lake shore. But I couldn’t resist capturing this fading advertisement on the side of a brick building. It’s hard to say how much longer this antique billboard will remain; I just feel lucky I happened to spot it before it was gone.