Posts

MASTER BEDROOMS

Image
  In 1982 I, with 7 other chaperones, accompanied a high school students’ history trip back east.  This was Martha Washington’s bedroom at Mount Vernon. Betsy Ross’s bedroom in Philadelphia. Mrs. Alice (husband, Cornelius) Vanderbuilt’s bedroom in “The Breakers” mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Cornelius Vanderbuilt’s bedroom in The Breakers. Mrs. Alva Vanderbuilt’s bedroom in the “Marble House” mansion in Newport.  She was married to William Kissam Vanderbuilt, son of William Henry Vanderbuilt and Maria Louisa Kissam. Mr. William Kissam Vanderbuilt’s bedroom in “Marble House”. Getting a little more ‘down to earth’ is our master bedroom when we lived in Soulsbyville, Calif.  Like Alice Vanderbuilt’s bedroom in “The Breakers” our bedroom also had a rounded bay with three windows at one end and was rather large at 14 x 24 feet with 10 foot ceilings, but we didn’t have such fine elaborate furnishings to fill it.  Then again, she didn’t have a television in her be...
2 comments
Read more

ARE THEY APRONS & PINAFORES

Image
  Aprons or pinafores? Same question? A true pinafore, of course, would be one like these which go all the way round. Pinafore or apron? Inconclusive. Is this a pinafore or an apron?  Whichever, it’s beautiful. Short, cobbler aprons go all the way around and became popular in the 1950s & ‘60s.  My sister is wearing one here while she makes what I think was banana or maybe pumpkin bread.  But with all those nuts on the counter behind her, I’m more inclined to believe it’s banana bread. My Mom’s wearing one while she prepares the turkey for Thanksgiving in 1967. An apron was part of a dancing costume I wore when I was 12 and danced with a folk dance group. The remainder of the aprons shown in this post are simply ones I’d love to have just for the fun of it.  Most of the aprons I have now are pretty much utilitarian.  One of these days I’m going to splurge! I've always wanted a white, yellow, and blue kitchen.  Never had one, never will, but if I di...
3 comments
Read more

SAILORS ON THE TOWN, AT EASE, & ALL IN THE FAMILY

Image
  This, of course, is a very famous photo of a sailor kissing a girl.  It happened in New York’s Times Square during the celebration of WWII coming to an end.  I didn’t know the background of this shot until I looked it up online for this post.  I’ve always thought it was simply a sailor kissing his sweetheart.  It wasn’t.  The sailor was on leave in the celebrating crowd, saw the nurse and, thinking she was part of the troops, grabbed her and gave her a celebratory kiss.  She was a nurse, but not part of the troops and didn’t know him from Adam! J A group of sailors on leave – looks like somewhere in the south seas?  Or they’re posing in a studio in front of a backdrop like the fellows below? Here’s a happy trio obviously not in a studio. Do these fellows look disgruntled because they’re still on duty aboard ship? These men are standing at ease around the perimeter of what appears to be an aircraft carrier coming into home port? This is the aircr...
2 comments
Read more