This isn’t a car you see in southern Ohio everyday. I liked it well enough to go around the block for this snapshot. Google says that it’s a 1969 Austin America. It reminds me of the Mini Cooper which my little nerd heart adores.
Friends, go around the block when you see something worth a second look! It’s worth the trip.
I call them “The Family.”
They’re not my family but they’re someone’s. I find these photos abandoned in boxes and baskets in dark corners of junk shops and antique stores. They were once cherished by someone but were discarded by descendants who don’t know the people or have no attachment to dusty old photos.
I pick up these snapshots in my travels for a few bucks because they cause me to ask questions or they seem so familiar I hate to leave them behind.
I prefer snapshots to portrait photography but occasionally bring home a professional portrait if it’s eye catching.
They mostly reside together in a box and I occasionally get them out to shuffle through and daydream about.
Last month, I picked up a few pictures at Antiques Village in Dayton and promised my pal Eilene a glimpse. Eileen writes a blog that you should look into if you enjoy stories about people from the past. She also sometimes picks up snapshots and uses her amazing research skills to identify their subjects and return them to a family member.
I do not currently have a scanner so forgive me for just snapping some phone pictures.
Sometimes these photos have writing on the back with a lot of valuable information. Meet Marianne Jensen. This is her graduation picture from Mercy College in June 1957.
Here’s another that’s labeled. This is the nursery class of the Upper Arlington Church of Christ. It was taken for Mothers Day 1960. I like all their little coats.
Here’s a family Christmas card. In case you can’t read it, the names are Jim, Mike, Peg, Tom, Pat, Ernie and Julie Arquilla.
There’s a note written on the back by Julie to Marianne and Dick who lived in Florida at the time. This picture came from the same booth as the nurse Marianne photo and I wonder if they are the same person.
Some are just fun little snaps. I wonder what their story is. There are no markings at all.
Film and processing weren’t cheap back in the day so I often wonder what made someone snap a particular photo. This one isn’t marked either.
And then sometimes the reason is clear. This one is only marked “41.” He looks quite smart in his uniform. I wonder if he made it home from the war.
Some have clues. The back of this 5×7 is stamped Hyland’s Studio, 736 1/2 Fifth Street, Portsmouth, Ohio. She’s not one I would usually buy but she was too pretty to leave there.
It just makes me sad to see them abandoned so I bring them home and call them my own. Someday I might do something with them but at least they are safe for now .
The day after Christmas I ran away from home to peruse the booths at Antiques Village in Dayton, Ohio. I used to love treasure hunting in antique malls and junk shops but haven’t made the time to do so lately.
The name is sort of misleading because this vendor mall is 80,000 square feet and filled to the brim with vintage pieces, crafts, books and all manner of items beyond the advertised antiques.
I skipped the rows of glass cases mainly because they tend to make my eyes glassy and still managed to spend half of the day there. Honestly, I wrapped it up because I found the one thing I wanted and it was well past lunchtime. Plus, my cart was sort of full.
I’m always intrigued by the things you see in these places.
Like the family photos that have been discarded.
The collections!
The artistry!
And the weird stuff.
Sometimes I like the weird stuff best.
I came home with a few of those photos as well as several small things including a bust of Mark Twain, a side table with a shelf for books, and a silver teapot with nice patina to put flowers in. It was quite the haul of treasures!
If you go, wear your walking shoes and get a cart. It can be inconvenient but anytime I have not gotten a cart, I’ve had to backtrack to retrieve one. The restrooms are clean and there’s a place to sit and rest or to leave your spouse when they get cranky because you’ve been there too long. That day, the rest area looked like time out for middle aged men.
Most of all, go with an open mind and remember if you see something you want, you need to grab it before someone else does!
If you ever find yourself hankering for pancakes in Manitou Springs, Colorado, I have just the place for you. It’s called Uncle Sam’s Pancake House and they know a thing or two about serving up a hot breakfast on a cold day.
Those of you who have been around for a while should already know that I believe food tastes better when enjoyed in interesting places. The outside of Uncle Sam’s has loads of charm with an a-frame design. According to a note on their menu, the building dates to the early forties when it was first a drive-in called Michaelis. It became Uncle Sam’s sometime in the sixties.
Plus, there’s an absolutely fabulous sign.
It’s even cozy on the inside with patriotic decor.
And then there’s the food. I ordered a breakfast that came with eggs, potatoes, and THREE pancakes. This was reminiscent of my inaugural Waffle House experience when I naively believed the waffles wouldn’t be that big. After all, no one gives customers value these days. Right?
Holy Toledo. Look at this. Two big plates of food. Three giant pancakes.
Friends, I am almost permanently unimpressed with restaurant food these days but find the mom and pop shops are the best way to go. Uncle Sam’s supported this theory. These pancakes were fantastic. They have a great variety of flavors including seasonal specials but I went with good old blueberry and they were wonderful.
I’m telling you. Uncle Sam’s in Manitou Springs. Go find it!
Remember the magic of these coin operated mechanical kiddie rides? They were typically horses, rockets or cars that entertained the kids with a gentle rocking motion. Often situated outside department stores, supermarkets and other places parents take their children, these rides were still common when I was a kid and offered for just a few cents. Of course, that was practically a hundred years ago and you just don’t see them as much these days.
That’s too bad because kids loved them and they brought a lot of smiles for a small investment compared to what it costs to entertain some kids today.
I have seen them still operating in movie theater lobbies and you see them as decor in retro restaurants where they’re treated like museum pieces. But at the Moose Creek Lodge and Suites in downtown Cody, Wyoming, this little pony works and is available for rides at the bargain basement price of fifty cents. I’m a little big for a ride but it still made me smile to see it here and accessible to anyone with two quarters in their pocket.
Who wouldn’t want a pony ride for that price?
One of the things that surprised me most about the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is the vast array of items they have on display. They have so many interesting things that it’s difficult to know where to start but the thing that surprised me most was their collection of pop art.
To be clear, pop art isn’t what I would call my thing but there’s a lot to be said for the talent and creativity that goes into this style and I want to show you some of my favorite pieces from.an exhibit called Pop Goes The West.
First there’s this oil painting called Fall Scene which Robert Seabeck created in 1979. It shows a red Ford truck pulling a blue and white travel trailer in a scene that is absolutely striking. The artist called it a contemporary representation of the covered wagons that early pioneers used to access the American West. It is as fresh and relevant today as it must have been almost fifty years ago.
I also liked this one called Fool’s Gold by Rachel Mosely. The man, in traditional western garb, looks like he could step off the canvas and launch into a story about the stick horse that he’s holding. I don’t know if it was intentional but this 2020 piece reminds me of James Dean’s character Jett Rink in the movie Giant.
Then there was this piece from Jane Deschner’s Silhouette Series that’s a collage of vintage photos. She uses snapshots of strangers to tell stories that explore our shared human experience. I found this one especially interesting because these snapshots remind me of the ones I collect. Old black and white photos are easily found in junk shops and antique stores, long abandoned by descendents of their subjects. She has hand stitched these photos together, a symbolic reminder of how we are all connected by the human experience.
Here’s a closer look.
I perhaps liked this one best of all.
So, the next time you’re about to go marching by something because it’s not your thing, I urge you to stop for a quick look and maybe you’ll see something that makes you want to linger.
Learn more about this museum here.