The ARTIST WITHIN

As per this week's Sepia Saturday prompt, and a celebration of women as the world sees women gathering in great numbers to have their voices be heard today—and every day—I give you a lone photographer from long ago.

This image is partially why I started this blog.

I purchased a photo album at an estate sale in 2008. I arrived at the sale quite late and figured I was out of luck. But there on the edge of a coffee table was an old intact photo album of a journey two fellas took across country around 1913. It included a typed diary and lots of photos. Nothing spectacular about the album, especially at the $50 asking price. But then I saw this photo, very tiny near the back. It had nothing to do with the travel diary and was amongst a few photos that had been added long after the trip was over. I had to have this photo. As some inanimate objects do, it spoke to me.

I chose this photo to be the image that represents my identity for Tattered and Lost. It is even the cover shot for my first book. Over the years I have begun seeing myself as that woman on the beach with her skirt hiked up into breeches, the waves rolling in around her feet, the people farther down the beach watching the horizon. I would have been that woman had I lived back then. And so now she is me.

She is viewing the world through her lens. I like to think she took this photo, but have no proof of that.

The reality is that someone was taking a photo of her when she was taking this photo. That photo we will never see. I like to think these women took these poses, feeling free enough to be themselves, because they felt safe with who was taking the shot.

It's a good day to celebrate women. We are not lesser than, we are equal to no matter what anyone believes. And we're not going back.
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Tattered and Lost volumes 1 to 8 available at Amazon.

Team Stool STANDING

I doubt Team Stool Standing will ever become an Olympic event, but you never know. The world keeps getting weirder each day so I'm almost ready for just about anything. Eventually we all have to step outside our comfort zone.



When you're a caregiver for an elderly person you spend a lot of time worrying about them. And when they get sick with a bad cold you worry even more. And then when you see them coughing and sneezing and touching everything in sight you start to worry about yourself. You know there's no hope, you're going to get sick. And so that is how my life has played out lately. Tissues sticking out of my nostrils, mouth breathing, and eyes that wouldn't stop itching. Fortunately it has now mostly passed, but the downtime did give me time to spend wandering around online looking at vintage snapshots that I would never buy.

I've talked about my theory in the past that Kodak cameras set women free to express themselves in ways they'd never before been able to do. Being silly and having fun with no concern about what society thought was acceptable and often shows up in old snapshots. There were good genuine laughs to be had and shared. Today making pouty faces and taking selfies are the norm. Appearing self-absorbed seems to be a goal. So I wonder about the future poor soul fifty years from now wanting to collect "vintage" snapshots and faced with one selfie after another. I leave that worry to the future. Of course, a good portion of those photos will only be saved as digital files so there's a good possibility that many of them won't survive. Imagine a world free of Kardashian photos. Makes me smile.

But there is one thing I did notice the past few weeks which is that if you go in search of vintage photos you'll find the majority of them feature woman as the subject. I don't know why I never noticed this before. Shots of men are most often in uniforms or business suits. Occasionally you find them in casual clothes having a good laugh; of course the sellers immediately label them "gay" in hopes of taping into that market when they're actually just buddies having fun. Was it the actual fear that taking photos of playing around as friends would label them as homosexual so they stayed away from it? Women always interact differently than men so for them being both physically and emotionally close comes through as just girls being girls, no sexual connotation given.

So tell me what you think. Have women historically been the subject of snapshots more than men? I think in the future it will even out since men are just inclined to take selfies as women. And just think of all the genital shots in the future for all those unfortunate collectors. Perhaps they should be called taking a snapcrotch.

And now that I've read this back I think maybe I kept those tissues stuffed in my runny nose a bit too long and starved my brain of some necessary oxygen. But I'm still sticking with my theory. Women had more fun in front of cameras than men thanks to Kodak Brownies.
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Tattered and Lost volumes 1 to 7 available at Amazon.

Summertime and HONOR FLIGHTS

This post will be a disjointed two parter. The first part about summer and my contribution to Sepia Saturday this week.

This summer is dry and hot. Well, it's not hot every day, but quite a few. But recently we've also been getting humidity. That's not something that Northern Californian's are used to. We don't do humid very well. We complain a lot. Just make sure when you're complaining that you're not talking to someone from New York. They roll their eyes and have no sympathy for those of us melting in, what to them, seems incredibly dry and wonderful.

But it's summer and that should mean a trip to the coast. On the east coast they'd say they were going to the shore. Same country, two different worlds.

Though this snapshot was taken in 1953 it could just as easily be today.


Click on image to see it larger.

Sure, the guy with the belly would probably be wearing a speedo and the woman eating whatever it is she's eating might be dressed in a thong bikini. Makes one shudder, doesn't it? Still, it's a day at the beach. As a child I spent a lot of time at beaches. These days very rarely.

The second snapshot should bring back memories of lemonade stands.


Click on image to see it larger.

Ever have your own stand? I did it a couple times as a kid. It was fun, but the vision of making a fortune soon dried up as I sat in my chair waiting for the next customer. What's especially interesting about this snapshot is the corporate angle. This was a cardboard stand you could buy from the Pillsbury company to sell Funny Face drinks. Basically it was like Kool-Aid, but with some names that got Pillsbury in trouble.

In 1964, Pillsbury introduced Funny Face Drink Mix with the names Goofy Grape, Rootin' Tootin' Raspberry, Freckle Face Strawberry, Loud Mouth Lime, Chinese Cherry (later Choo-Choo Cherry), and Injun Orange (later Jolly Olly Orange). Lefty Lemon followed in 1965, along with other flavors. The Funny Face characters, as well as the Funny Face brand were created in 1963 by Hal Silverman, a Creative Director at Campbell Mithun Advertising. When cyclamate was banned, Sweet* 10 and Funny Face had to be dropped, resulting in a $4.5 million loss. Both products were re-introduced after changes, and the drinks became available sweetened and unsweetened. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Want one of these stands? There's one for sale on etsy. I've seen a few in the past on ebay. They're always expensive.

Now the second part of my post is something I wanted to post weeks ago when the theme was group photos.

This is my dad's squadron crew, VP-42, taken in 1950 in Iwokuni, Japan.

Click on image to see it larger.

I'm betting that all of these fellas, other than my dad, are dead. My dad was in his twenties when this shot was taken during the Korean war. My dad also served in World War II. There are fewer and fewer veterans alive who served in that war. If you know any who were you might want to tell them about Honor Flights. 

Earlier this year I was able to get my dad on an Honor Flight. Memories were made that he'll never forget. He was flown from California with 50+ other veterans, male and female, who served in WWII and Korea, to Washington, D.C. to see the monuments built to recognize their service. It didn't cost any of the veterans a penny. Everything is paid for by contributions: airfare, lodging, food, ground transportation. In the three days my dad was gone all he bought were two beers. He had a wonderful time. 

First on the list to be accepted for one of these flights are WWII vets and vets with health issues whose time is running out. Korean vets are also chosen. Eventually they will be honoring Vietnam vets. But it's the WWII vets they are most wanting to take on these trips. The following is from their website:

We fly veterans to Washington DC to visit memorials built to honor their service to the nation.

Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. We transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.

Of all of the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse, free society. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 WWII veterans die each day. Our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out. (SOURCE: Honor Flight)

If you think you might know someone interested in this you can find out about the organization at honorflight.org. There you will also find links to all of the hubs around the US where flights originate. I've spoken to several vets who've been on one of these journeys and each of them has expressed how much it meant to them and what an emotional experience it was.

If a family member served this country and you think they might enjoy this tell them about it, print out the submission paperwork, and send them on an emotional journey to their youth.
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Available at Amazon:
Tattered and Lost: Cakes, Picnics, and Watermelon

NAME THIS hotel...HOTEL POTTER!

I have a mystery I need help solving. It might take a very long time.

I recently purchased this photo along with several of people who had gone to Hawaii in the 1930s. This one also has Hawaii written on the back, though with different penmanship. I know this is not one of the big two Matson hotel resorts that were in Waikiki in the 1930s. In fact, I'm not convinced this is in Hawaii. It certainly isn't Waikiki. I just haven't a clue.

Anyone have any ideas? Perhaps Florida? Cuba? South America? Still standing? Long ago demolished? It's the mystery hotel.




Click on either image to see them larger.

UPDATE:  Well, I figured I'd eventually hear from someone with information about this place, but I never dreamt it would be the same day I posted it. Thank you Daniel!

A man by the name of Milo Milton Potter built this hotel in Santa Barbara which opened in 1903. It was called the Hotel Potter. The following extracts are from edhat.com, written by Neal Graffy who seems to have written the best historical post about this place. Make sure to check out the post for the complete history and more images, including interiors.

For his Santa Barbara endeavor, the timing was perfect. In March 1901 the missing link of the Southern Pacific's coastal railway—Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo—was finally completed. At last, trains came through Santa Barbara on their way to and from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Potter knew Santa Barbara was a golden opportunity for a seaside resort.

Potter was a magnificent self-promoter. He bought Burtons Mound in December 1901 and according to the newspapers, within thirty days of purchase had held a contest for plans, chosen an architect and engineered the grading of the mound. In reality, Potter had been sniffing around Santa Barbara in early 1900 and Burton's Mound was the obvious choice. More than likely everything was planned and ready when Potter made the purchase. The perceived Potter whirlwind made great headlines and free nationwide publicity for the "new resort hotel for Santa Barbara."

As promised, the hotel opened exactly one year later on January 19, 1903. "Anyone who was anyone was there" and according to one report "there was more money at the Potter that day than there was in Fort Knox." In typical Potter fashion, the hotel, which was supposed to cost $500,000, remarkably and with great publicity all the way, grew to a $1,100,000 hotel and greatly expanding in size as well. (SOURCE: Neal Graffy)

Sadly, the hotel burned down in 1921.

On April 13, 1921 the hotel caught fire. The 110 guests were safely evacuated as fire crews arrived from Santa Barbara and Montecito. Pushed by winds gusting from fifty to eighty miles per hour the fire spread quickly and fiercely, burning the hotel to the ground within three hours. Faulty wiring was found to be the cause. (SOURCE: Neal Graffy)

I wrote to Neal Graffy about his piece and he sent along the following about the photo I have:

As for the photo, it is indeed an unusual view and it was taken from Stearns Wharf, a structure dating to 1872 and still with us today. You can come close to seeing this view today by using Google Earth Street View from Stearns Wharf (foot of State Street) heading up the wharf to where you are past the sand and over the ocean and then looking to the west.

Currently there is an old brochure of the Hotel Potter available on ebay.

Happy sombrero FIESTA TIME!

Who doesn't like a sombrero? A sombrero with pom-poms. I'm guessing there are some people who went on cruises who bought HUGE sombreros thinking they were grand, got back on the ship and couldn't figure out where to put it, then got home and thought, "What was I thinking?"

I do not own a sombrero. I have enough sense to know not to buy funny hats on vacation. The tri-corner my father bought at a convention in Boston will need some explaining upon my death.





In keeping with this week's Sepia Saturday of a woman on a beach I give you a vintage snapshot of...a woman on a beach. Unlike a previous sombrero post I did in 2010, this woman clearly loves her sombrero.

SUMMERTIME: Part 5

Summertime is boys at the beach trying to impress the girls.

Tomorrow: camping

SUMMERTIME: Part 4

Summertime is bathing beauties at the beach trying to impress the boys.

Tomorrow: the guys of course

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I've added a new site in the Other Sites, Other Worlds column to the left:

American Snapshots

It appears to be a site that just got up and running this month. It looks like it has potential.

Sadly, many of the sites in the list are close to dead. Many no longer post new images, but I think it's worth leaving them on the list for what they did post. I basically keep the list for myself so I remember all of these other places to visit to see old photos.

Should you ever come across a site you want to share just let me know.

Ship shape AT THE SHORE

Last week, on Sepia Saturday, I featured photos from a trip two fellows, Bill and Dick, took across the United States in 1914. This week I begin with another photo from that album, then, using the theme of going to the beach/coast/shore, I give you a variety of folks having fun in the sun.

This first shot was taken on May 16th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. That is Dick in the cart. The journal entry says that you could rent one of these carts for 30 cents an hour. It's depressing to think about.

I remember going to Atlantic City as a child. I fondly remember the boardwalk and the beach; I have no recollection of people being pushed in carts.

The rest of these are nothing more than glimpses of past beachwear from the early 20th century to the late 1950s or early '60s.

And last, but certainly not least...I just don't know. Prison uniforms, cult, or beachwear? I'm thinking if these outfits got wet they took a very long time to dry and could easily take you down in a riptide. What would they think of the beachwear today?

What did you do THIS WEEKEND?

"So what did you do this weekend?

"Oh you know, just hung around at the beach."