Dear readers,
Bright and early this morning the post man had a parcel for me! You might think *psh* doesn't he always have mail for people but readers this particular piece of parcel came from CANADA! Who was it from?! None other than Valerie over at "Vonlipi's Favorites" (Go check her blog out, she's The Pyrex Queen) http://vonlipisfavorites.blogspot.com/
What was in it? The yellow base Pyrex Fridge dish, I had mentioned wanting to start collecting the set for the Casablanca, and 'Vonlip' (as I like to call her) sent her extra one to the Casablanca to help get the collection started! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Thank you so much Vonlip!
I love these Pyrex dishes and I'm going to casually collect the other two pieces in the set, THEN I'm going to tackle collecting a set of the 4 primary mixing bowls (of which apparently my mother has 2 sets... do we use them? No. Will she let me have one for the Casablanca? NO... but fret not, I'm working on her. haha)
On top of that both Valerie and I have spotted these fridge dishes in the Lucy+Ricky Classic "The Long Long Trailer" They show up in this clip sitting on the counter at around 8:24.
Now on to the free stuff, do you all remember my friend Colleen? Well she has a new blog dedicated to sewing (she quite crafty with a needle and thread) she's started this new blog, and is trying to raise money for various things car, college, and most importantly A pilgrimage to the Casablanca!!! She her sewing blog is brand spanking new, shes throwing a giveaway to get things started.
For her first giveaway shes made this retro inspired tote bag! She will be giving it away on her blog Aug 5th! The entry rules are simple!
Well dear readers...that picture is a ~Teaser~! of things later in the post!
First i'd like to apologize for my lack of posting (and the posts I have done haven't been so whoop judging by the comments) my 'little projects' and Pirates of Penzance has kept me so busy I haven't had time to sit down and catch you all upon the GOOD stuff!
I Wednesday picked this bar up from Freecycle (great website) for free, It will go on the platform Curtis and I built during his stay, and I will be doing a post all about the bar and its 'Retro-riffic' transformation soon!
These chairs were given to be by a friend of my moms for free, They are great, comfy, and from 1975 but I just don't have room for them so they will provably go in a garage sale in the next few months (I HAVE GOT TO CLEAR SOME CRAP OUT!) My dad wants me to paint and recover them in red for his lake cabin... so we'll see.
Grandma found this table leaf in her garage! I have the table and another leaf so its great to have the whole table set, sadly the chairs are no more but its TURQUOISE and I wont EVER sell this table! Here's a close up of the Formica pattern.
The camera doesn't do it justice, the turquoise is so vivid in real life and the gold flacks sparkel!
Now my dear readers, this is how my week goes, I do little projects on Monday, big projects on Tuesday, Wednesday is Grandma day, Thursday is a Show, Friday is a show and so is Saturday. Then Sunday I try and do something with some of the cast mates. This week a little group of us decided to load up and go to the Wichita Mountains in Lawton Oklahoma, they are about 45 min away from us and a fun day trip spot!
This is Mount Scott, you can drive up it and see Southern Oklahoma for MILES! Earlier this week I got a wild hair to look for a vintage TV set to fix up for my room, I've wanted a traditional wood one for quite some time and just on a whim looked on Craigslist and guess what I found in a listing for Lawton Oklahoma... :)
The seller was asking $50 but I called and got him to go down to $30 and I arranged to pick it up on our way to the mountains on Sunday! Its a 1964 RCA the seller had the original sellers slip from "Frank's TV" in Lawton and all the knobs for it! (he'd planed to make it a fish tank) But he had already gutted the old tubes and it just needs some TLC to be wonderful! The only thing that bums me out, is at the top of the set there's a place where you can tell there used to be 2 doors that closed. I wish it still had that, but its a looker none the less! Now I know Like my mother... your thinking "Mick where in the HELL are you gonna put this?!" and I can show you!
Well we met with the seller and I GLADLY paid the $30 and it was mine! Then we were off to the mountains, when we got there the first thing we did was make lunch...
The other 2 people on this out of state excursion Zack and Patricia!
(I made like and Eagle Scout and got the fire going.)
(Ok so maybe I used a little help! But remember "Only You can prevent forest fires!")
She's saying "Cooking is SO much easier at Mick's!"
Never mind the fact we left all our cooking utensils at home, we made smores and gave up cooking "Dough Boys" (biscuits with ham and cheese in them) Patricia was keeping the fire going, and then I had a brilliant idea... we had the beautiful TV set in the back of the truck... why not play with it!
So Zack and I get the TV set (named Florida) from the truck and bring it over to the picnic sight... and thus started a long series of pictures, and even longer stares from other tourist in the park!
("It's Quite a nature Program!" says Patricia)
(Special wildlife guest Zack B. on the show!)
(We just acted like it was perfectly natural to bring a 1960's TV set to the mountains...I mean don't you?!)
After we had our fill of Smores and 'kickback Dr. Pepper & Mt Dew we packed up the picnic, loaded the television, left many on lookers scratching their heads and headed up Mount Scott!
(Even though Zack was driving, I felt like Ricky Ricardo in "Long Long trailer" heading up this giant mountian on a narrow winding road!)
What a view! This was only half way up, and it was a LONG LONG way down. When we get to the top the views were stunning as promised you could see miles and miles of Oklahoma all around! Once again I said to Zack and Patricia "Lets get the TV out for some cool pictures!"
And what a stir we caused upon this rocky mountain top! As we were unloading the television a biker couple came up to us to ask to take a picture of them by their bikes, Patricia gladly snapped the photo and then the wife asked "Whats that old TV set for?" and without missing a beat Patricia says "Its for an art project" and everyone in ear shot was turning to look at Zack, me and this old TV. Patricia very professionally walked over to me and our "creative team" went to work setting up for a "shoot" It took everything I had not to laugh when I noticed the biker wife snapping a picture of me snapping a picture of the TV! Here are some of the shots from this Artistic photo shoot upon Mount Scott...
(This is by far my favorite picture...)
Oh some of the looks we got, and to hear some of the family's and other tourist whisper about "modern art", and "important project" I told Patricia if someone else asked to say we were "Junior Life Magazine" scouts working on a piece! Haha!
(This one I'm calling "The way to TV Land")
After closing the "photo shoot" we headed down to the Famous "Meers" Restaurant at the foot of the mountain, we ordered huge hamburgers and a grilled cheese sandwich and scarfed them down before I could get a picture! Then full, happy, and a little bit sun burnt, we headed back to good Ole Texas with treasures in tow.
And that's what I did on my Sunday Vacation!
Be watching for posts about the Bar and TV restoration!
Well Readers,
Curtis and I had a wonderful time just hanging out at the Casablanca, on Tuesday night I made one of Curt's favorites, all we had was left over fried chicken and a family sized can of Cream of chicken soup... So I got out some flower and oil and made biscuit dough and we had chicken and dumplings.
It was goooooood! I had planned to have company on Wednesday, and since I knew they were coming I baked a cake... Devils food!
The next morning we started getting ready for this little get together in honor of Curt, he mowed...
I strategically placed flamingos around the Drive-In...
We even got all the lawn chairs rounded up.
It was so hot! So we deiced to take a drink and swim break...
Then we headed down to what the we at the Casablanca like to call "The beach" its an 8ft piece of a long forgotten dock on the north side of the lake. We go there because the waters good and deep, the bottom is flat and we wont bother anyone if we get to loud! But when Curtis and I came around the bend this is what we saw...
Its beyond fixable... the waves were so high when I was taking this picture! I was actually dumb enough to climb out on the dock, not because I want to kill myself, but because one of the planks has about 3 years worth of name carvings on it! This place used to mean you were "In" on the Casablanca scene, that's IF you made it down to the beach (not exactly handicap accessible) and carved your name on the plank! SO WE WERE NOT about to let that plank just float away!
After our beach excursion, Curtis and I returned to the house to wait for guests to arrive...(Nothing tastes finer than Coca-Cola in family heirloom cherry glasses) We waited and waited then finally friend Kayla showed up with news that the others were not going to be able to make it. But as one of you wise readers told me "It only takes 2 to have a party, the rest is just icing on the cake" and we had ourselfs a party!
We went to my parents place the water was perfect for swimming!
(Curtis on the water slide)
After we'd had our fill of swimming, we came back to the house and cooked a hamburger dinner. We spent the rest of the day light chatting away, talking about last years visit what everyone was planning to do this fall, and just stuff in general. As we waited for the sky to get dark enough to debut a film Curtis had acted in on the Drive In, Kayla played us some tunes on the paino!
What a time we were having and it was finally dark enough to show the movie on the Drive-In!
It was a great movie! Curt not only acted in it but he was also Director of Photography. When the movie ended Curt, Kayla and I stayed up until 3 in the morning just talking and debating away on various topics and then Kayla had to go. Thus ending the evening and the last night of Curtis' stay at the Casablanca. But even in the wee hours of the night he and I started planning for next year! Next summers project? ..." Casablanca - The Musical" and I'm not talking about the 1943 movie! ; )
All in all a pretty great week, I know Curt enjoyed himself and I did too!
Curtis is from Oklahoma and he and I are old friends, we met at an Oklahoma drama camp in 2007. We kept in touch talking about our various theater activities and school events, then last year I invited him down to stay at the Casablanca for a week! Well this year I extended the invitation again and he almost immediately accepted! Last year the Texas weather was hotter than friggen' blue blazes warm as usual, but all that aside he really enjoyed himself and loves coming to the Casablanca. Curt came down and caught the Friday night show of "Pirates of Penzance", then Sunday we headed off with the others to Bowie, by 5:30 Sunday evening we were just getting settled at the Casablanca when my friends Pam and Brannon dropped in to catch up with Curt from last year.
Pam brought her English Bulldog "Langston" along to check out the CH&R. We all chatted until the late hours of the morning before someone broke up the get together. But that didn't stop Curt from playing on the newest addition to the house....
He's pretty good! He was also driving my neighbors crazy, (Which reminds me my next musical purchase will be an accordion I can SLAM ON at 5:30 A.M.) We stayed up even after Pam and Brannon had gone, we were sitting in the gravel pit, and I had just been thrown from one of the orange lawn chairs (they sit on a slope) for the umpteenth time and I say to Curtis "We should level this out...EVERY time it rains the gravel washes down the slope, no chairs ever go here and we could put something here..." Curtis "Ok..." haha! Well readers know that "Build it and they will come" attitude I'm famous for...
(Here's the slope in question, iv just dug the post holes for the retaining wall)
(The boards cut, and ready to be nailed to the posts)
(The walls up with most of the gravel inside)
(Curt pouring MORE gavel into the box)
(We then took some of the step stones I have and laid them on top of the gravel, then pored MORE gravel between the cracks making them level)
(A few rocks around the edge, and some sweeping and Viola!)
We now what to do with the simi-level addition, It will have two dual purposes It will be a combo stage/ a place for the bar (in about a year). Curt and I did this in about an hour, and I think I will be clearing a little cactus and installing another retaining wall on the other side of the yard. The rain water just runs down the hill in the back yard and right up against the house, these gravel filled retaining walls slow it down so the water doesn't run in the house. After our little DIY project Curt and I took the rest of the day off to swim and watch movies, and just be lazy haha!
Tune in soon for part 2 of Curt's stay at the Casablanca!
Bright and early Sunday we loaded up and head for the "Second Monday-Bowie Trade Days" in Bowie Tx! I'v been going there since I was born because my parents ALWAYS used to go but not so much anymore. I was the mastermind behind this trip, I thought a flea market would be a perfect place for some bonding! You can find great deals, learn what other people like, meet new people, also be as loud and rude as you want without getting in trouble, I mean have a good time! Boy did we, I came away with more pictures than I did actual treasures but I had a blast!
Lydia is quite the knitter! So naturally she found some yarn, and also made me look like a idiot... she asked me to ask the sellers how much the yarn was if it was selling by the bundle or box... well I asked and the seller pointed out its MARKED ON THE BOX... I'll get you back Lydia, just you wait!
(Patricia and Lydia found some dresses to try out)
(Curtis and Patricia playing with toys!)
(Michelle gives a wave to all you people out there in blog-land!)
We then headed to the live animial part of the flea market My friend Lydia is moving into a new house and wanted to find a puppy to keep her company... and then we saw this....
And it was love at first sight!
A few phone calls and $20 later this little pup was hers!
Lydia was so happy she almost forgot there was still a whole side of the flea market to explore! One of the best things abotu flea markets is you never know what your going to find...
(these are ash trays!)
(We found this dog and and it was funny because of the way its yapping, it sounds an AWFUL lot like my friend Michelle's solo in Pirates of Penzance!)
If I was really into western furniture id love this haha! Lydia just had to get a photo in this most unusual chair. After this out little group bought snow cones (as the day was heating up) and pressed through the antiques section of the flea market. I didn't get any good pictures because I was going "Pyrex Crazy" I had $30 on me, and I spotted the base yellow fridge Pyrex container for $20 but couldn't bring myself to buy it... two steps away I found and almost complete set of 'fridgies' they yellow base, blue loaf and 1 of the little red ones. BUT the lady wanted $20 for the yellow one, $12 for the blue one and $10 for the red one... and I just couldn't bring myself to do it, not even splitting them up in hopes the other 2 might be there next month.
I did however walk away with some cast iron goodies! I have been collecting Nautical and Piratical things for the Pirates of Penzance party I will be hosting at the Casablanca in August. I paid $2 for the mermaid and $2 for the Anchors, I thought it was a pretty good deal. The best deal of the day however, was...
~Miss Fosse Elvira M. Jones~
Sorry for taking FOREVER to get this stuff posted!
