"All The Leaves Are Brown..."

"And the sky is grey" dear Readers, it's been quite a weekend! Patricia, Cora and I were busy all day Sunday rearranging and putting out our fall decorations at the Casablanca!

("It's like Autumn threw up in here. I love it!"- Patricia)

I have to say Readers, it was a tiny bit hard to get all this stuff out. My Grandmother Jordan loved to decorate for the seasons. In fact quite a few of the leaf garlands were hers. I miss her so much, but its almost like shes here with these decorations.

Halloween is Patricia's favorite holiday, (mine is Thanksmass!) So she did most of the decorating! Can you believe it takes four people to decorate the Casablanca for Halloween?! Patricia and I move furniture and set out most of the decorations, friend Emily comes in and cobwebs EVERYTHING, and finally friend Hannah will come in and hang paper lanterns and a few other surprises!

Sorry for the sun washed photo's, I thought the lighting was better at the time! Phase one is almost done, and the house already looks so festive! I have a few more things to add before Emily does her thing!

(It wouldn't be a changing of seasons without a changing of Pyrex!)

I was so excited to finally be able to dig out all of my orange pieces, here's my "franken-fridgie" set for Fall! I'll show you the rest of the Pyrex as we get closer to our Costume Ball in October!

AND as an added bonus to this weekends rearranging, I found the perfect spot for the Lamp I picked up last week! It fits right behind the Predicta Tv set and the HiFi just like I thought it would. It looks great in the living room. The flying saucer shape of the shade compliments the hanging Sputnik chandelier nicely! Very, very "Space Age"!

Well, that's it for this Monday edition of "What's Up Casablanca?!"

Hope you all are getting into an Autumn mood too!

-Mick-

The Trouble With Lamps...

Is that its just so dang hard to stop buying them Dear Readers!
I found this pole lamp at one of my long time favorite thrifts! It had been a good trip into the store as i had already found the original Broadway cast record album of "Bye Bye Birdie" (Which is one of my favorite shows!) I spotted this floor lamp with its seductive price tag of $14.00... I tried to talk myself out of buying it as I already have enough lamps to light the greater North Texas area. But after a quick photo text to Missouri Michael and my very very low will power I snatched it up and checked out!

 (Look at that shade!)

Once I got this beauty outside, I knew I had something, it almost seemed to perk up once I took it out to the car.

I have never seen a shade like this before, it was both etched glass, with a brass insert, and was covered with copper and turquoise sputniks. I am a huge fan of ANYTHING with sputniks, and turquoise is my favorite color! My friends and the locals at the lake have nicknamed the Casablanca's new living room "The Room of the Future" because of all its nifty 1960's gadgets and fittings. More than likely this lamp will be going there to join its other Sputnik friends.

(Isn't this amazing! The picture doesn't do it justice!)

Once I got the lamp home, I gave it a good over all scrub down. I just couldn't figure out WHY there would be a brass insert to block out the lamps light, and hide the etchings in the glass... and then I put it together and plugged it in!
The brass diffuses the light to the base of the shade. This illuminates the brass fitting and gives the most amazing sparkling effect to the etched glass shade!

I cannot believe I nearly talked myself out of this beauty!Have any of you ever seen a lamp like this? I couldn't find any markings, Dana do you have any ideas?!

What a sweet deal at $14.00!

-Mick-

Corny Collins Record Hop! The Hairspray Cast Party 1962

(As Sophia Petrillo would say- Picture it, September 13th 1962...)

(Heeeeeeey there teenage Diversion!)

Well Readers, we have successfully wrapped up our latest production of "Hairspray" the musical! But before the cast waved a wistful bye-bye to 1962, The Corny Collins Council Members and all of the coolest Cats in Baltimore met at the Casablanca V.F.W. to 'ado-do' some dancing!


Our fabulous decorating committee had made sure the hall was clean and festively decorated for the Soc Hop...

(The Corny Collins Desk was in our production! A Mick Jordan set piece!)

(My Boss gave us the show poster from the theatre for added decor!)

(Heck, we even had a cake!)

 

(The REAL show-stopper, Director Lara's 1963 Chevy Impala!)

(I about DIED when she and Corny Collins, Lara's husband Spencer rolled up in this!)

The Cast brought pot luck dishes and we filled the Coke box (That also appeared in the show) with Ice and beverages! Once everyone had a arrived, we took a group photo and dug in.

(Council Members-Brad Luke, Amber Raeanne,
Tammy Caitlyn, & Brenda Mary-Grace!)

Before the records started spinning EVERYBODY had to go get a picture with Corny Collin's sweet ride!

(Shelly Stephanie, and Emily want to "See the U-S-A in a Chevrolet!")

(Margaret, Emily, Penny Patricia, and Jennifer!)

(Council Members, and long time "steadys" Shelly.2 Stephanie and IQ Jones Me!)

(Cindy & Vicki LIVE on the Corny Collins Record Hop!)

(The legend himself, Mr. Corny Collins, friend Spencer!)

Well with platters tunes, and food on the table the dance was ready to being! We kicked things off with the hottest new dance in  born right here in Baltimore...

After the dancing had begun we Pony'd, Cha-Cha'd, and Twisted the night away!

(Council Memebers Jaylin, Ike, Seigen, Jaydah,Chan, Eric, Colby, & Emily!)

As we rocked around the clock, we soon found it was time for the Miss Teenage Hairspray contest!

Go Girls Go!

With baited breath, and batted hair, we had a winner!

(Our very own Jadah who played 'Lil Aunez' in the show was our Queen of the Hop!)

Miss Teenage Hairspray 1962, led the court in dance! What a voice!

("Nicest Kids In Town!")

Well we Twisted till our sides hurt, and soc hopped until we'd hopped out of our socks! It was a great way to end the run of the show!

I'd like to give a special thanks to everyone who helped set up the hall, Jennifer, Patricia, Hannah, and Seigen. Thank you to every one who brought food or drink to the party! Spencer and lara for the awesome ride, Margaret for leading the travel convoy, Keclie for the Miss Teenage Hairspray contest, Lynn for all of the great novelty photo's, Jennifer and Jordan on the "eats" committee, the Wichita Theatre for letting the Casablanca host the cast party, and everyone that came!

Tune in next time!

-Mick-

Silver Moon Drive-In Theater, Cabana Bay Bowling, & That's All For Florida Folk's!

Thursday night of our Florida Trip, or "Holiday 1960" as it has become known around here, We loaded up and drove an hour from Orlando out to Lakeland Fl to spend an evening at the famous "Silver Moon" Drive-In Theater! This glorious alter of of the silver screen opened April 14, 1948.

This was one of my dream things to do in Florida, come to THIS Drive-In, and for special reason.

  (Concession stand built in 1952)

The Silver Moon is one of the Florida Drive-In's that Larry Baker modeled the fictional setting of "The Flamingo Drive-In" in his book "The Flamingo Rising". In 2011 Hallmark Hall of Fame made a movie based on the book, which in turn sparked my love for Drive-In Theaters at age 11. This was a DREAM COME TRUE to get to take in a movie here!

I just love the two tone colored yellow and blue flashing neon on the marquee!

In 1985 a second screen was added to the Silver Moon so they show two movies at once! We saw "Guardians of the Galaxy" this particular night. NO trip to the movies would be complete without a stop by the concession stand.

And as an added treat, they still have most of the original speakers in the park!

(Cindy & Me! Or Shelly & I.Q. from Hairspray!)

We had a fabulous night under the stars! It was everything we'd hoped it would be!

Cabana Bay Bowling!

Up on the mezzanine of the hotels lobby lies a 10 lane bowling alley the Galaxy Bowl, during our leisure day (and before going to the Drive-In) Our group checked out what the lanes had to offer!

The decor on the lanes was just as nifty as the rest of the resort!

 

We brought our own trophies they complimented the Starburts and Boomerangs that were all over the place!

(Even on the ceiling! I want these in my house!)

(And these turquoise booths in my kitchen!)

The neat thing about the Bowling Alley, is that a person can play per game, or by time. Our group paid $15.00 per person (shoes included) for 90minuets of lane time. There were five of us, so however many games we could bowl in that hour and a half is how many we got to play.  We squeaked in with three games just as we ran out of time. Another neat feature of the bowling alley is you can order sit down food to eat while you play. (vs the food court line style) Patricia had a hot dog and I got a club wrap with fried and avocado ranch dipping sauce BOTH were delicious! Patrica, Cindy, Margaret and Jordan had to keep me under watch so I couldn't suddenly burst out into this...

(Adrian Zmed I am not...quite.)

After bowling, we headed off to the Drive-In, but i've already told you that story!

That's All Folk's

 (Needless to say, I did not go quietly...)

 Check out time on Friday morning was at 11:00A.M. before then I had hit the gift shop, walked the entire hotel snapping last minuet photo, had breakfast, and even managed some pool time with Patricia before we had to leave. The week had come and gone to fast, but it was the trip of a lifetime!

I really do hope I get to take a trip like this, with my amazing friends, again sometime soon!  Maybe in a few years, and definitely with a "park hopper" pass so we can go all over.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I am glad we stopped to take everyone one of them on this trip.

-Mick-