I enjoyed my work-related trip to LA last month, but I had no rental car and very little free time during the day. I did manage to visit one cool architectural salvage store - Olde Good Things - within walking distance of the LA Convention Center. Some great old big heavy stuff there, from sculptures to furniture to weird stuff, and sadly I didn't have my good camera with me. All I bought were a consonant and a vowel which I used to finish spelling out my daughter's name on her bedroom wall. But, I learned they have a 100,000 square foot salvage warehouse near Wilkes Barre, PA, so I may be road-tripping up there for a visit some day.
Our group did get out our last night there - I persuaded the guys to attend the Lebowski Fest at the Cal Bowl bowling center. Lots of great people there in costumes relating to one of my favorite movies, the Big Lebowski. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and my iPhone battery charger, so all I got was this one crappy photo. If you're interested in the Lebowski costumes, just search for Lebowski Fest and you'll find tons.
Uncle Atom is in the back wearing an atomic bowling shirt and holding a bowling pin mug full o' white russian. Mmm, mmm! We had a blast but had to cut things short after bowling just two games because we all had early flights home the next day.
In my last post on the two new metal lawn chairs I'm restoring, I mentioned I would be posting about a road trip to pick up an oven. Sorry I still don't have the pics to do that post, so please be patient.
However, I did make my annual pilgrimage to Hershey, PA, for the annual Antique Automobile Club of America Fall swap meet and show.
I shot - photos of lots of great cars for sale and some really beautiful cars in the Saturday-only show field. A couple of my favorites were a pair of Chrysler-produced station wagons, including this sweet 1961 with a rear-facing third seat in the back and lots of goodies inside. Here are a few shots of other car interiors - hang with me, these are cool!
It's a shame that car companies don't give us beautiful interiors any more, but thankfully there are some old beauties that have been preserved for us to ooooh and ahhhh at!
No one would ever use this infant's car seat/launch pad today, but isn't it cool that someone preserved this? It even matches the interior!
I thought I should also do an update on some recent finds, so here we go:
Tiki mug - my collection is doing well, I'm up to 7 different tiki mugs now.
Pair of starburst juice glasses - these are etched, I wish I had found more than two!
A set of eight "old fashioned" glasses @ 50 cents each!
They fit perfectly in our rolling bar - now I need to find three matching shot glasses to fill in the open spaces in the bar. Yup, I know I haven't shown you all that bar yet. I'll make that a future post.
Finally, here's a sampling of some great LPs I've found recently - love the cover art on old LPs. You can pick these up for a song - haha - and they look great hanging on the wall.
I"ve been looking for this Green Hornet / Al Hirt album cover forever, and I scored this cheap even though there were a handful of big LP buyers hovering all over the flea market that day.
Love Yma and Les Baxter, those are some great covers and that Green Hornet one is hilarious. Nothing like a celebrity gimmick album.
ReplyDeleteWow all thoe classic cars are freaking gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI love your starburst juice glasses.
I have two tiki mugs.. so you are way ahead of me!
Ooh. That Yma Sumac album looks really good.
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about collecting LP cover art is you can compromise on the condition of the vinyl inside. I do want to give these a listen, but just looking at them is worth a buck to me!
ReplyDeleteVC, glad you like the cars, check out the rest on the photo album link.
Fun! When Lebowski fest came to Minneapolis, friends and I dressed up as Autobahn. It was a blast.
ReplyDeleteThose starburst glasses are great.
Love your Hershey pics. I'm a car guy myself with a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville. Who's pink dragster is that? Muldowney's?
ReplyDeleteYou would love Hershey then! Sorry I don't know the name, not Shirley, I didn't get a pic of the side but the driver's name was stenciled on the door and it was a guy
ReplyDeleteBeth,
ReplyDeleteI would do another Lebowski Fest any time - nothing but easygoing people having fun. A really good time!
Oh how I wish we could have met up when you were out west! I was crazy busy that weekend, but would have died to go to Lebowski fest! I just got a digital projector and am starting to do movies on the side of the house. I think a Lebowski screening is in the near future. I absolutely LOVE those old wagons! What is the make of the one that has a tailgate as big as a back porch? It is a whale! Your tiki albums and mugs are wonderful too. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYeah Amber, I was very sorry to have been so close and not be able to meet up. That wild tailgate belongs to a 1951 Kaiser Deluxe "Traveler" - not exactly a wagon, more of a - and I hate the term - crossover. It's a sedan with the biggest hatchback/tailgate I've ever seen! The windows were up so I couldn't get a shot of the interior, but the seats have their original "dragonskin" covers. They look like leather and are kinda maroon and black with swirls, totally wild for an original car. It was for sale for $23k - about what a Camry would cost used! Check the link to the rest of the pics, there are more than 150 shots to go through.
ReplyDelete