4th of July Weekend

We have been very busy getting ready for the summer season and haven't had nearly enough time to blog.  We are enjoying the new blog and have some fun ideas that we are working on.  We will be sharing them soon.  In the meantime we wish all of you a Happy 4th of July!  It is a long weekend and our coastal community is bursting at the seams with visitors.  It's time to bar-b-que, enjoy some potato salad like mom used to make and get some sand on your toes.  Be safe everyone!

And Happy Birthday to the USA!

Folk Art

We're not quite sure how to define folk art.  It is one of those things we seem to know when we see it but it is hard to define.  Mostly we think of folk art as objects that were made, created or painted for the pleasure of it and not for commercial purposes when initially created.  Much of the older folk art we are drawn too seems to have been made to decorate a home or office.  

This contemporary example of folk art is a timely example for 4th of July.  Our dear friend John Bush carved this Uncle Sam whirligig.  We just love it!

Rick's Great Great Grandmother was a painter.  Her name was Mary Emery Rick and she painted, like most folk art artists of the late 1800s, on what ever she could find.  This charming painting was done on a shortening can lid.

Here is another shortening can lid painting she did and is in Rick's family collection.

Mary Emery Rick also painted a picture of her favorite bird that used to sing outside her kitchen window in Southern California.  She used a slice of the orange tree that grew at her home that the bird used to perch on.  We can only imagine that its beautiful song brought her joy as she did her kitchen chores.  It certainly moved her enough to paint it and pass it on to future generations to enjoy.

We have no idea who painted this simple primitive winter painting of a fox stalking a rabbit.  It sure serves as a good example of what we like and find charming.

We love folk art.

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover

We were walking through our Mall the other day when we began to notice book covers.  Some of them are incredible and seem a bit spicy for the time periods they were published.  We thought we would share a few of them today!

This cover of "Thrilling Wonder Stories"  looks great on the wall.  It was published during World War 2 and originally cost 15 cents.  It certainly must have caught the eye then when passing by.

This Cherry Ames novel was printed in 1953!  Who could've known that a Dude Ranch would need a Nurse?

A collection of Erle Stanley Gardner books caught our eye.  Mr. Gardner wrote those great Perry Mason books and this cover was done in 1944!

"The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife" was published in 1945!  Another great cover.

This next one is also from 1945.  For some reason it reminds me of my Mom when putting on her lipstick.  She would leave blots of her lips on tissue around the house.  It was one way of tracking her.

We wonder what Della thought of the "Angry Mourner" from 1951?

We need to quote from "The Case of the Borrowed Brunette."  It certainly reflects what men thought at the time apparently.  "Mathematically Eva Martell was perfect:  her height was five feet four and one-half inches, her weight one hundred and eleven, her waist twenty-four, her bust thirty-two."  This was published in 1946 and it must've been a best seller.

We don't know about the contents of the books but the cover art is wonderful.  In a way we have judged a book from its cover.  This is fun art, a great collection and they would look great on a wall or just sitting on a table.  We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did.

CHECKERS!

Not long ago we wrote about Rick finding his Great Grandmother's checkers tucked away inside a small cloth bag.   This morning Rick was walking through our antique mall when he spotted a box that piqued his interest.  

The red and white box certainly had some age.  On the side of the box is the logo of the manufacturer which was Halsam.  Halsam was established in 1917.  Sam, Sr. invented the high-speed rotary printing press still used by most newspapers today.  The company also was well known for making wood block toys.  But we are getting off topic here a bit.  Rick was anxious to open the box and see what was inside.

Yes, there they were!  A box of checkers just like his Great Grandmother's that he had played with all those years ago.  SCORE!  This might make a nice gift for Rick's sister someday.  Don't tell her!

You never know what you might find when you are walking through

 the Little Antique Mall.  

But right now it's time for a game of checkers!

At work today

I am trying to see if I can really post to our blog from my phone so this is an experiment. Look at this odd monkey sitting on books in Barb's booth!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rhody Trekking

May and early June is a beautiful time on the Central Oregon Coast.  It is the season of Rhododendrons and the blooms are now peaking.  It is time to go Rhody Trekking!  So we grabbed our favorite coffee cup and out the door we go.

Yes, that is Rick's Star Trek coffee cup.  We'll do a blog on Star Trek collectibles sometime but today is about Rhododendrons!

Rhododendrons grow practically wild here.  In fact there is a wild variety that is a bright pink.  Rhododendrons are an evergreen and have wide leathery green leaves.

Rhododendrons can grow quite large and when blooming offer a spectacular display of color.

They are a hardy plant and once planted only a little maintenance is required.  This one is Dan's favorite variety and it is called Lems Monarch.

I had to take a picture of this bloom.   It was so beautiful and lilac in color.  It almost looks like an orchid.

I love Rhody Trekking.  Cutler City, which is the southern most neighborhood of Lincoln City, was once known around the state for its lush Rhododendrons.

Since we're going to be blogging now I really need to take some lessons in photography.  This next picture, taken with an iPhone, doesn't do this Rhododendron justice.  It is massive, old and a stately Rhododendron just a few blocks away from our home.  It really should be protected asset of the community.

Rhododendrons are every where here.  We hope you will take a moment and go out Rhody Trekking!  You won't be disappointed!

When Given Lemons

Sometimes in life we are handed lemons!

Some people like to make lemonade when given lemons.  Dan and Rick are known for adding a few more ingredients and making their famous lemon bars.

Last night we thought we'd make some lemon bars for Trevor.  Many of you remember Trevor from working for us at the Little Antique Mall while he was going to High School.  Trevor graduated several years ago, went to college for a bit and is now serving in the United States Air Force.  We are so proud of him.  It's time to send Trevor lemon bars!

The first thing you need to do is to remember to preheat your oven which requires turning it on.  It seems like a simple thing but at times we have forgotten this simple step.

You need a good bowl and tonight we decided to use a Texas Ware Bowl.  They are vintage, are very sturdy, easy to clean and are even dishwasher safe.  

In goes the flour!

We always use real butter.  It is essential.

Now comes the hard part.  Beating the butter, powdered sugar and flour

 into little balls.

But once that is done it's easy to press the mixture into Dan's mother's glass 

pyrex baking dish.

You pop that into the oven and let it bake until the crust is done.  We have a cross and font over our oven.  I must admit I do invoke the name of the Almighty from time to time when cooking.  I have also been known to pray while baking.

While the crust is baking we select another Texas Ware Bowl and pour in some sugar.

You need eggs, too!

It's our lucky night around here...double yolks in one egg.

We need some lemon zest to add to the mix so we grate fresh lemon for that.

And since we're doing lemon bars fresh lemon juice is extremely important!

After we whip that all up good we add some thickening agents like a little flour and baking powder.

Blend that and pull the crust out of the oven.

Pour in your lemon filling.

It levels itself out and is ready to go back into that oven.

While it is baking for another 20 or 25 minutes we fill the powdered sugar shaker.

Out of the oven those lemon bars come!

We cover them with a liberal amount of that powdered sugar.  This photo did not turn out so good but trust us when we say that the top is covered lavishly with white powdered sugar.

We like to let them set over night and then slice them to pack for Trevor.

Trevor is family to us! This Memorial Day Weekend we would like to thank Trevor and all of his peers who are currently serving so unselfishly to guard our country and our freedoms.  We sometimes worry about the safety of our country and its future.  But when we think of the brave, smart young people like Trevor we realize that things are in very competent hands and our future is bright and secure.

We would also like to acknowledge all of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Thank you to all who have gone before us and made such a great country for us to live in!

We wish you all a good and safe Memorial Day!