A Lame Attempt This was as good as I could do. I searched the frozen food aisle for something that resembled Swanson's first TV dinner, served in the little aluminum tray in 1953. Hungry-Man brand was the only thing that came close, so I picked a Salisbury steak meal and a fried chicken meal. I am so lucky that I have a husband who humors me the way Ricky humored Lucy. Don was a good sport with my idea of an entertaining, nostalgic dinner. We waited patiently for our feast to cook in the REAL oven and then set our steaming meals down on makeshift TV trays to watch an episode of I Love Lucy. We had a few chuckles as we swallowed bites of whippy potatoes and rubbery meats. It helped to have the distraction of the TV screen!
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Space Age Restaurant I feel like I should celebrate the theme of SPACE since I was born in 1957, the year of Sputnik. I could take a trip to Houston's Space Center, but I've done that. Instead, I enjoyed a cup of coffee in my current favorite mug purchased from an oddball diner in Arizona. Then I watched a Sci-Fi movie from the decade when space themed movies ruled. The 1956 film, World Without End is a doozie. In this goofy low-budget film, Astronauts return from a voyage to Mars and get caught in a time warp where they end up in a post-Apocalyptic Earth, populated by mutants! Good times!
Congress Hotel In Tucson In recent years I've seen fake "dial phones" that really have push buttons and I've messed with old rotary phones that don't work. But on a recent visit to Tucson, our hotel had a working antique phone. I didn't really need to make a call, but I decided I should take the opportunity. When will I have this chance again? So I called the front desk and asked a random hotel question, that I didn't really need an answer for. After I finished, I picked up the receiver and invited Don to take a photo, to mark the memory. Remind me next time to be a little more authentic in my photo posing. I look like I'm talking on the phone...while I'm dialing.
Peggy Sue's Diner I didn't really need to do the diner thing again, since I started this blog with a malt from a soda fountain. But when we ran across this authentic diner, (on a highway, after entering California from Nevada) we had to stop. The idea that Peggy Sue's Roadside Café opened in 1954 with 9 counter stools and 3 booths, was pretty cool. The idea that the diner was sort of in the middle of nowhere, (on a road called Ghost Town) got me a little giddy.
The fact that the waitresses wore a pink and blue uniforms with snappy caps, was an added treat. A special bonus point goes to this smiling server because her name was Shirley! Perfect! Frankie's in Las Vegas Polynesian-themed Tiki bars were all the rage in the 1950's, so Don and I tracked one down in Vegas. Frankie's 24-hour Tiki Room is not in a touristy area, so we trusted our cab driver to find it. "This looks awesome!" I said with a grin as we stepped up to the not yet glowing, neon sign. The cab driver chuckled and said we'd find out pretty soon, as he kindly took our photo. It was cave-black when we stepped inside and it took many minutes before our eyes could make out the carved tiki figures, bamboo furniture, coconut and palm décor. It sure felt like we'd stepped back 50 years in time, until we noticed glowing cell phones. Sadly we had to pull out a cell phone, as well. It was the only way to read the meun of rum cocktails!
Old Tradition with an Old Friend! Well, my friend is not old...she's a month younger than me. But we met 47 years ago....and the hideous May Basket I made for her is a tradition that goes back further than the fifties. I remember as a child, making little baskets from cupcake liners and pipe cleaners and adding a few yard flowers or candies before dropping them on the porches of my friends. I hadn't seen Amy in over 40 years, so I hoped she would still have a good sense of humor, when I handed over this basket....created with some stuff I found in my car. Luckily when we met up for lunch in Carlsbad, Amy had a good chuckle when I handed her the somewhat mangled treat. Happy May and Happy Birthday to Amy. She is celebrating her BYB today!
Champagne Music! I was never exactly a big fan of the Lawrence Welk show, but I loved my grandmother, Daw. I couldn't resist pleasing her when she gently encouraged me to come sit with her on the couch in front of her big color TV to watch when the dancers came on. Little did I know that one day I would have the chance to hug Lawrence himself. Well at least the statue version, on display at the Welk Resort, where they happen to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Mr. Welk's fine complex. As I squeezed one of his arms, the other worked the baton and I just swear I could hear him whisper in my ear, "Wunnerful, Wunnerful!"
During our stay, Don and I made sure to have a champagne toast to Lawrence and his TV show, that started just a couple years before I was born! Fuzzy Dice! I love to force others to join in on some of the peculiar practices of the fifties. I'm not sure when young people started hanging these hideous things from their rearview mirrors, but I'm sure it was happening in the fifties. And since we were in Vegas, it just seemed like we should buy a set and decorate the car for a drive down the strip. So... they were a little annoying and didn't last too long on the mirror. Thinking about re-gifting these to a lucky person!
Winslow, AZ I've been searching for a 1957 car to celebrate. I'm not sure how to figure out the exact year, but this could be from my birth year. Plus I'm standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona...with a flatbed Ford!
Gloves & Gospel Brunch I don't think you see too many white gloves in church... or brunch anymore. But you did in the fifties. Heidi, Chali and I made quite the statement when we posed in ours on Easter morning! We had just finished enjoying Gospel Brunch at Stubb's BBQ when we did this photo op, outside. You will notice we are only showing one hand each. It's not like I just have tons of pairs of these! And no, we did not wear them while eating barbecue.
Hungarian Style! Having a potluck is very American Fifties. But this gathering on Good Friday was with some of my favorite International friends. Margit, holding the bottle of "Pecscetes Barack Palinka" (Hungarian apricot brandy) told us how this special drink has been a part of many Hungarian celebrations! But the best part of the evening was gathering with bowls of Hungarian fish soup and other yummy foods... and sharing memories of our childhood Easters, in Hungary, Germany, Argentina, Ireland, UK and the US! So many different Easter traditions, back in the fifties and sixties!
Hooping on the Dock Hula hoops have been around since the 1950's for sure. But my childhood hoops were not this fancy. My daughter Heidi, made these nifty hoops and they are weighted and sized for her height. Let's just say that's why she was better than me. I was at least glad to know it was like riding a bike... you don't forget how!
9-Pin Bowling For a little birthday surprise, my son Scott arranged an evening of 9-pin bowling in Blanco, TX. There are only a handful of these old bowling alleys in the States and I believe they are all in small Texas towns of German heritage. Because they use only 9 pins, a pinsetter has to be hired ahead of time. If you look very carefully, you can see Kevin our 12 year old pinsetter, perched and ready to the left of the bowling pins. He reset our pins and placed our balls on the wooden track to shoot them back to us. This alley in Blanco has been open since the 1940's, so this was a celebration of the 50's and 40's!!
Picnic at the Lake I do a lot of picnics, so that's nothing new. But for my birthday weekend, my family joined in on a lake picnic that included some of the old picnic goodies from the '50's. ...the old tartan cooler and pelican thermos...straw picnic baskets and a retro plaid picnic basket, which was a gift from my daughter. We played '50's music...on the I-pod and did a little hula hooping on the dock. We played some Frisbee...which was invented in the '50's.
And best of all we sat on a breezy April afternoon and pigged out on chicken salad with grapes and cashews... and talked and laughed... I AM 57!! This isn't exactly a landmark birthday. But, I'm determined to make it a special one, by calling it my BYB...Birth-Year-Birthday! I'm glad I was born in 1957, in the middle of the century... not too old or too young, to enjoy! On April 9, 1957 I was too young to go to the soda fountain for a malt or banana split, so I decided that's what I'd do on the day I turned 57. This butterscotch malt was a great way to start a year of mini celebrations, honoring the 1950's!
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57 Celebrations of the Fifties!
April 9, 2014 My BYB! I don't remember the 1950's, since they ended when I was 2. But since I turned 57 today and this is my BYB (Birth Year Birthday) I'm going to just appreciate the flavor of 1957! My goal is to celebrate in at least 57 simple ways throughout the year! I will dabble in the fashion, the foods, the music and the culture of those times...just for the fun of it! Archives
April 2015
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