Saturday, October 27, 2007

Homecoming 2007

Men in Black



John and Sierra

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Posterity and Nostalgia

I made an astonishing and stunningly wonderful discovery today that made my heart sing. I know that sounds a little over the top and corny but bear with me. In my "Big O" post I uploaded a Saturday Evening Post cover of trick or treaters. The moment I typed Saturday Evening Post a metaphorical cartoon lightbulb appeared in balloon a cartoon .

Many of you know that both my Dad and I have been on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post as well as a third cover that featured our odd little car. My Dad was into buying strange little cars. I learned to drive on a German Borgward.

I've been on a mission to find all the covers that the artist painted.


Could I find the artist online? Would I be able to find the covers he painted? Would I find myself on the internet? So I googled Earl Mayan.

Earl was a neighbor of ours, one of my Dad's best friends, my Dad's tennis partner, the host of a fourth of July party that I can conjure images of even to this day and probably the inspiration for my own 4th of July party and, of course, an excellent artist.I am lucky to have inherited some of his paintings.

And there I found them... "Rainy Saturday" Earl is the disappointed golfer on the left and my Dad is the happy gardener on the right.
This is the "Big Hill" not the real title of this cover but what we all called it. Woodhollow Lane was the major road into our subdivision. It was huge (to our eyes), steep and long. Earl is leaning on the shovel. An aged version of my Dad is shoveling, I am on my stomach on my sled behind my Dad. My best friend Christine is in the middle sitting and Earl's daughter is at the bottom.
"Traffic Jam"
See that ugly olive green car in the top right of this picture? It's our English Hillman. You can see it repeated in the traffic jam.
What a find!

Caution! Blonde Thinking


Did you know that you can click on any picture on the blog to make it bigger so you can actually see it? I just found that out!
Doris Day, my kind of girl.

Monday, October 01, 2007

The Big O

One of the earlier Unicef boxes

A spooky shelf of Jack o' lanterns








Vintage ads and an old Saturday Evening Post cover

















October that is! I love October. It's my favorite month of the entire year.













Why do I love thee, let me count the ways....



















It is the only month that starts with a big fat O







Fall Folliage


Crispy, crunchy mounds of leaves



The first real month of Autumn




My birthday month



Jack o' Lanterns




Halloween



Harvest Moon



Bonfires

And don't forget all those other special celebrations in the month of October!

Celebrate Sun Dried Tomatoes month


Columbus Day


Moldy Cheese Day


Eat Country Ham Day


World Smile Day :)



National pajamas month




National Sarcastic month



National self Promotion month





Did I say, October is my birthday month? I was the envy of all my friends because I was only kid in elementary school that actually got to have a Halloween party every year! Because my birthday is only 5 days away from Halloween every birthday party had an orange and black theme; orange paper hats, clickety metal noisemakers, blow outs, metal horns, tablecloth,cups, plates, and napkins decorated with goblins and witches, bobbing for apples, treasure hunts, and spooky charades. But no costumes,they were saved only for Halloween night, long before costume parades became fashionable at school.


Trick or treating was was an all night affair. Well, from the time you got home from school until midnight! So much time, so many treats, and so much time to plan an execute the tricks.



And don't forget to "Trick or Treat for Unicef".






Back in the fifties little girls dressed up in their best party finery in their party dresses complete with full skirts, velvet bows, frilly petticoats, and lots of lace with little white socks and black patent leather shoes.







So enjoy this glorious month.