~The 1959 Miss Casablanca Contest~

(Contestants, Nicole, Terrace, Audrey, Alex & Emily)

My goodness what a weekend Dear Readers! The Casablanca hosted its third annual "Miss Casablanca Contest" on Saturday, and let me tell you it was QUITE a show! With 22 guests in attendance  we tried to beat the heat by hosting this years contest later in the afternoon, while we waited on contestants and party guest to arrive we laid out a pot luck picnic in the kitchen.

(Watermelon, and all the summer favorites!)

(Kathy and Matt!)

(Emily C!)

(Alex, Jensen, Sarah.)

(Seigen, Audrey, Caitlyn, Austin, Nicole.)

(Caitlyn, Austin, Nicole, Emily A, & Hannah!)

Having eaten, and all the contestants and judges arrived, we made our way into the back yard to begin the 1959 Miss Casablanca Contest!

As is tradition, immediately following the "swim suit" portion of the contest the young ladies gathered to share a message...

As you will notice we go to great lengths to stress this is NOT a pageant! Following the first segment of our program came the exciting talent round, and although the windy weather proved to be troublesome, our lovely ladies competed with grace!
Nicole-

 Audrey-

 Alex-


Emily-

Terrace-


Wow these girls are wonderful! That dang wind caused problems for everyone, but they all took it in stride. Next came the Evening Gown portion of the contest!


Finally, we came to the last category in the competition (and always my favorite) the Personal Interviews-
Nicole-

Audrey-

Alex-

Emily-

Terrace-


Such excellent answers, I always enjoy hearing what people love most about the Casablanca!

All categories being completed, the judges conferred and came to the monumental decision of Miss Casablanca 1959!

(Audrey- Miss Casablanca 1959, 

Brianna- Miss Casablanca 1958, 

& Terrace- Runner Up Miss Casablanca 1959)

While she was crowned one of our MC's sang a new song for the Contest "Here She Is, Miss Casablanca!" unfortunately the video of this song was lost. But it will be a staple of the contest for years to come! With the contest wrapped up, more merriment commenced!

LIMBO!

Dancing the night away!


We were due to have a movie on the Flamingo Drive-In, but the wind continued to kick up and it looked like a storm was blowing in. So we all moved into the house for a variety of entertainments, piano solos, card games, talk and treats!

(Jordan, Jensen, Patricia, Audrey, Seigen!)

(Zack, Austin, Brianna!)

It was a wonderful evening and lots of fun! Even with 20 people amongst us it really didn't feel crowded and everyone was had a good time. (The last guests leaving at 4:00A.M. on Sunday Morning!) Patricia and I just want to say thank you to everyone who came! Thank you all for dressing up and bringing food and drink! You all make these parties so wonderful and fun, we just love giving them! I'd like to thank all of the talented young ladies who competed in the miss Casablanca Contest, you all are so talented and terrific! A special thanks to our Masters of Ceremony's- Jensen & Seigen, and also to our judges Brianna, Deanna, and Alton! Thank you all so much! 

-Mick-

JUST Like In The Movies! -The Great Gatsby

Patricia and I along with friend Lizzy went to the movies last night to take in "The Great Gatsby." Visually it was Stunning, costumes were beautiful, 1920's period fans, jewels, cars, and I could even look past the obviously CGI'ed  Home of Gatsby and 1922 Long Island New York. however, in my opinion THE SCORE TO THIS MOVIE RUINED THE ENTIRE SHOW.  I fully understand they(movie makers) presented a very stylized version of the F. Scott Gerald classic to appeal to a younger and more "Gangsta" crowd, but I feel this was an ill made choice. Anywho, to end this rant I will quote what girlfriend Patricia said during the movie "You know, if you just block out that trash and play the 'Anything Goes' / Cole Porter soundtrack in your head... its really not that bad."

(The Humble cottage of Nick Carraway,  the stories narrator.)

 This picture comes in the movie after Jay Gatsby has cleaned up the grounds in anticipation of his lost love Daisy's arrival. Picture my squee of joy instantly realizing that the front door of this 'Arts and Crafts' style cottage is precisely like the one I have collected for the back door of the Casablanca!

(Granted mine has a long way to go...)

I was really thrilled by the coincidence! I have searched for two years for a door like this one, this exact style. I plan to make the new bathroom at the Casablanca a little more older 1920's/30's updated to look like the 40's and this door was a MUST on my list!

(Interior of the cottage)

One of My favorite places in the book "The Great Gatsby" is Nick's cottage. In the book, the wealthy scoff at this little shack, but there is something I adore about this humble tiny home snugly nestled in with all the rest of Long Island's Old and "New" Money. I could of happily  'summered' here in the shadow of Gatsby's wild parties for $80.00 a month in 1922. I truly loved the lavish sets for this movie, and all the little things that other people will never notice! Like how all of the doors and windows on these Long Island open out not in. (a sign of frivolous design that only they unimaginably wealthy could afford to keep up.) The beautiful brass fans that appear in several of the scenes, just about everything looked the part and was washed in the splendor and legend of Gatsby. 

If only the music had been true to the actual 1920's, I would have been in ecstasy.

-Mick-

"Triplets" - Happy Mothers Day!

A quirky little tune, form one of my favorite and lesser know MGM movie musicals. This number is called "Triplets" and what blushing babes they are! I once used this song as my go to audition song...


Happy Mothers day to all the Mom's out there in blog land, we appreciate you 365 days a year not just this one day!

-Mick-

"It's Prettier In Pyrex!"

(My Turquoise 222, along with my 

Grandmother Jordan's everyday wedding dishes.)

It's a proven fact Readers! Just look at it! 

Every Saturday that Patricia and I are at the Casablanca, true to our Pyrex code we try and bake in at least one piece (so that its all always begin used.) I think I'm going to call this dish "The bread basket" I simply took a can of cinnamon roles, unrolled them and weaved them into a basket! Haha.

It's easy enough to do, but it takes a little longer for the dough to cook when in an 8"x8" pan like this. I also think its lacking a little something to really make it a wonderful dish! Maybe some fruit, or nuts on it along with the icing.

Maybe strawberries, I'm thinking that might be a good combo. Strawberries and cinnamon, any suggestions?!

One ting I can tell you is that this stuff goes GREAT with coffee! Vintage Christine gave me the neat-O sugar bowl last Thanksmass and we use it all the time.

Hope you all are having a happy Thursday!

-Mick-

What Light Through Younder Window Breaks?!

"Tis the East, West, and Juliet is the sun!" Dear Readers!

I apologize for my three week hiatus, I went on a cruise, then couldn't find my camera cord to upload pictures, and had nothing new to report. BUT now I do! Saturday Friend Larry had a free day and came by the Casablanca to get a few projects knocked out.

With the french doors in the next big projects for the living room included, installing the 8'8"window and framing the interior wall. Saturday morning had a few problems, but it was a wonderful day to cut a hole in the wall it went like this...

("Cheers!" Says Larry "Lets get this window in!")

Ta-da! Framed and painted. This is not the original window we had planed to use, this one turned out to be better for the project and was given to me by my boss at the Theatre, Dwane. (Thanks Dwane) What makes this window EVEN MORE perfect, is that when it was painted  It had been a set piece in a production "Beauty and the Beast" HOW COOL IS THAT, and just perfect for the quirky Casablanca!

Thank You Larry! It looks fantastic, and really opens up the room with all the wonderful sunlight! At night the light from inside floods the yard,its really great.

Once the window was set and secure Larry moved on to the interior wall, and although its old 4 studs set two feet apart it makes a WORLD of difference in the lay out of the rooms, its really starting to come together!

Please pardon our mess! We still haven't found a new home for the moon cut out from the Spring Dance. But there you have it, there is the new wall ready to be wired and insulated.  The only remaining construction projects are down to- finding/installing a bathroom window, finding/installing a back door and screen door to the bathroom, Installing the door between the living room and bathroom, adding steps under the french doors, and cutting a hole in the wall on the front of the house for the new air conditioner.  (sounds like a lot, but its really not!)

Another little "honey-do" that we knocked out this weekend, I finally go around to installing the 1925 brass mail box that I picked up in March.

I kept joking with Patricia that  with our new mail box, my lake neighbors are going to think we are "uppity" . Since mail is delivered at the main lake gate and not door to door, this box is really over kill but I love it! Yes, "Uppity, Uppity" with our vintage mail box and two door bells (a chime in the addition, and a buzzer in the 1943 part of the house!)

We are moving right along, I am hoping that by the end of May I can have the whole addition insulated and that by July/August we will be ready to put up the real ceiling and real walls!

Here's to fingers crossed, few complications, and hoping my pay checks are big!

-Mick-

Don't Let The Screen Door Hit Your...

Pardon my absence Dear Readers, I've been off having adventures to regale you with!
While I was gone friend Kyle came to the Casablanca and installed a lovely set of screen doors on Pontipee Hall.

I know this sounds like an odd combination, after all the work that went into getting the french doors to Texas, then having them framed and installed. "SCREEN DOORS?! OVER FRENCH DOORS?!" I hear you cry-

Well it might not be in vogue, but I think its marvelous!  The way the original part of the house was built in 1943, the front door faces the Southeast. This, by some miracle of early 20th century house building draws the cool breezes off of the lake. I mean really, on a day with no breeze if you stand in the door way its like being in a wind tunnel! Truly good old fashioned know how. Well when we planned out the addition this never even crossed my mind, but the french doors face exactly the same way and angle of the front door and draw a wonderful breeze. So now with the screens to keep bugs out, its quite wonderful to sit in living room at nite and read a book under the glow of the Sputnik or play a round of cards!

Little by little progress ebbs on, I'm hoping to make some real leaps and bounds over the summer! Saving my pennies and pay checks for some of the bigger projects, I hope to have real paint-able walls by labor day!

Hope all is well with the rest of my Blogger Buddies!

-Mick-

I'm Late! I'm Late! For A Very Important Date!

No Readers, this is not a Salvador Dali painting! I did a little set dressing for the Wichita Theatre's show "Alice In Wonderland" and this was the setting for the 'Mad Hatter's Garden'  I really enjoy all the back history to Lewis Caroll's wild tale. The phrase "Mad Hatter" comes from Edwardian/ Victorian times when Hat makers would brush Top Hats with Mercury. If, and often times the Mercury would be absorbed through the skin and cause Mercury poisoning causing one to become very ill. "You're as mad as a hatter".
So why clocks? Much like Hatters, Clock making also had its dangers.  Pocket watches of the era would have the numbers on their faces painted with Radium (to make the numbers glow). Often times the smaller and finer the numbers were painted, a higher price could be yielded for the watch.  In order to get a fine point on a paint brush, clock painters would lick the brush with their mouths  into a point. With time the small doses of Radium would do enough damage.

While I did not obtain Radium Poisoning on the job, I did have to create a giant pocket watch for the White Rabbit. As for being 'mad', well haha..."we're all a little mad, aren't we?"

I formulated an Idea for the large clock using cardboard. As you can see in the photo above I started out with a few pieces of Card board. I used a round dinner plate to trace my two circles. I them cut enough card board in 1" widths to circle the circumference of the clock.

Using masking tape, I worked my way around the edges making the cardboard supports and sides. I find for edging things in cardboard (especially circles) If you will crumple up the edging pieces to give them a little bit of give it will take the shape much easier. After one side of supports is done you tape the other circle on from the outside. I then covered the outside edges of the clock (the 1" pieces) in maskign tape a few more times to make it sturdy.

For the clock faces, I used a slightly smaller plate for the round pattern, painted them white, and then used permanent marker to write roman numerals on the dial face.

(Nearly completed dials)

 (Ta-da! And YES the dial is supposed to be crooked!)

I then spray painted the body of the clock gold, let dry then glued on a clock face to either side. For a "Chain" I used an old gold curtain pull  tied at the top of the clock inner support. I love the tassel!

And thats about all the cool stuff I did for Disney's "Alice In Wonderland Jr."

-Mick-