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Posts Tagged ‘flea market’

Flea Market Postcards

Posted in Adventure Day, Random, tagged , , , , , , on April 19, 2024| 2 Comments »

I think I used to be more creative with blog titles, but I just don’t give a shit anymore. I have a lot to do and blogging makes me feel a little like I’m shirking my responsibilities, but the fact is that, these little chunks of time in which I blog aren’t long enough to do anything else I have to do. Right now, I have a little time to kill before I go off to an appointment — not enough time to get into the to-do list of the day, so why waste it? (I mean, I’m not sure this is a good use of this time, but it’s better than plopping down on the couch and watching another video on YouTube.) (You’re welcome.)

You need to see these postcards, though. I’m definitely going to send these to random people for no reason.

The previously-posted Wolverine Ravaging a Hunter’s Pack… Not sure why we aren’t just calling these “The Glutton.”

The wolverine (/ˈwʊlvəriːn/ WUUL-və-reen, US also /ˌwʊlvəˈriːn/ WUUL-və-REEN;[4] Gulo gulo; Gulo is Latin for “glutton”), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, kwiihkwahaacheew), is the largest land-dwelling member of the family Mustelidae.

–Wiki

“KOTZEBUE, Alaska — A typical scene of Eskimo children and their friend on the on the shore of Kotzebue Sound.”

“Eskimo”…hmm. Well, at least their friend is ❤️.

“WATER FUN AT POINT PLEASANT, N.J.”

Presumably far better than the “water fun” at Point Pleasant, W.V. *sad trombone*

“THRONE OF CITRUS ROYALTY — When this unique throne is not being used by Florida Citrus Queens, visitors from all over the world can make pictures of their friends and family as they sit on the throne and reign as King or Queen for a day.”

I’m going to assume the woman on the throne here is a friend of the guy in the red shirt taking the picture and she came dressed like that.

Cypress Gardens was a botanical garden and theme park near Winterhaven, Florida that operated from 1936 to 2009. As of 2011, the botanical garden portion had been preserved inside the newly formed Legoland, Florida.

–Wiki

“THE BLUE FOUNTAIN DINER-RESTAURANT: 1050 Stelton Road, Piscataway, N.J. 08854. Finest of Food and Service. All Baking done on premises. Business Luncheons – Parties – Dinners. Catering for all occasion. 1 – 150 persons. Private Dining Rooms. One of New Jersey’s Most Beautiful Diners. Open 24 hours a dat, 7 days a week. Call for reservations 201-752-0111, 201-752-0113 William Kopsaftis, Prop.”

Nice, this still exists, except it’s both fancier (“Fontainebleau” Diner) and less fancy (“American Food”). Blue Fountain in French is Fontain bleue, unless this place is named very specifically for the Fountainbleau French commune, but…

According to the official chateau history, “Fontainebleau” took its name in the 16th century from the “Fontaine Belle-Eau”, a natural fresh water spring located in the English garden not far from the chateau. The name means “Spring of beautiful water”.

– Wiki

I might have to send this to them anonymously…

“CASINO GAMBLING — ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.”

I wish it said which casino…

“ELEPHANT HOTEL. Margate – Atlantic City, N.J. The only elephant in the world you go through and come out alive. This famous building was erected in 1885. The elephant contains ten rooms; its interior is visited by thousands.”

I need to go through this elephant and come out alive. For real, this elephant’s name is Lucy and you can read her long history here!

“ALASKAN 36-POUND TROUT: A proud angler displays an ‘Alaska-Size’ trout weighing more than 1/3 her own weight. Little wonder the vast 49th state is ‘The Fishing Capital of the World.'”

*Capitol 🫤 Another “Alaska Joe Original.”

“Greetings from ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.”

The only postcard with something specific to date it actually has a date on it, although the giveaway was inaccurate anyway. The Exorcist was released in 1973; this postcard is dated 1977. Whatever the case, this one’s staying with me as a bookmark.

Also…pick your Yellow Fever: This one, this one, or this one. Or have all three!

Thanks, Smirnoff. Not gonna lie — I want this Yellow Fever set, and I want to drink Yellow Fevers from it. 🍋

Also, I do not have this postcard, but it’s cool to compare the two. Here’s some info on The Strand…

The Criterion Theatre was operating as a live theatre in 1910 it was briefly operated by Loew’s Inc. in that initial opening year. It was located on the Boardwalk opposite the Steel Pier. It was listed in the 1914-1915 edition of American Motion Picture Directory. On March 22, 1925 it was renamed Strand Theatre, reopening with Sid Chaplin in “Charley’s Aunt”. It was equipped with a 2 manual Wurlitzer organ. Listed in the 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook as part of Ventnor Realty & Leasing Co. They were still the operators until 1970 when it was taken over by Frank Theatres and began screening adult movies, which ceased in 1972. On June 16, 1973 it reopened as the Talkies Theatre screening classic movies, which closed at the end of the summer season. It reverted back to the Strand Theatre name and closed in 1979

It most likely was demolished for construction of one of the casinos.

And click here to possibly date the above postcard to 1938…? Pretty cool. So, that’s the front of the Steel Pier, which you can see the side of above.

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Adventure Day – …to the Flea Market

Posted in Adventure Day, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I try to get the hell out of the house now and then. I live here, I work here, and that’s really not super-awesome for someone who’s already prone to reclusion. To be fair, when I leave the house, my human interaction is still pretty low — I avoid crowds whenever I can, even small ones. But, I’m working on it.

Anyway, so we went to Trader Jack’s here in Pittsburgh. It’s open all year, but the outdoor stalls aren’t really set up yet — just a few. Plenty to look at inside though. I went specifically to find ephemera for collage purposes. I did not find anything that really tripped my trigger, but I did find some shit I did not need. Of course.

A Russ Berrie button. I’ve seen ones with white backgrounds from 1987, but I’m not sure when the purple background came out. I’ve seen one for sale online for $50, which is hilarious. This is a keeper. My first impulse was to have a laugh at “partyer,” but now I’m not so sure I’m not the idiot. I don’t have time to do a deep dive (and yes, this is the type of shit I will spend a few hours on, which..yeah, I know). And I don’t have access to the OED (though I should, really), but it looks like the term “partier” has been around since 1910, and it seems that “partyer” is a variation, though I’m unsure as to why — is it simply a misspelling that dates back to early usage? Is it a British spelling? Eh? I don’t know. If you know, or have time for a deeper dive, or have access to the OED and would like to share your findings…please tell me.

No date, but snagged it for nostalgia purposes. Oh, old Pittsburgh Station Square…Story Time: Across Smithfield street from Station Square, back in 1993, there was a seriously dilapidated mini-putt. I can’t for the life of me remember what it was called, but I worked there for a bit making probably less than the $4.25 minimum wage of the time. It was a real low-fi operation, all cash money, which was counted and locked in a small safety box, and stowed away under the floorboards of the shack at the end of every night. If you got too close to one of the hole displays, you might get hurt — all peeling paint, splintery death traps. But people came and I handed out little putters the size of walking canes. In fact, I stole one and took it home with me — I carried that thing around for a long time. I lived on the North Side, which was a bit shady, so I just carried it like a cane and had it in case I needed to defend myself. The closest I came to that was when I left Allegheny Commons Building 10 at about 3am to walk home, I was followed by some creep coming from Federal Street. I veered off the sidewalk unexpectedly and obliterated a snowman with it. When I turned around, the guy was gone.

I don’t know why. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat button from 1985. Not a keeper, but a plant. I will put this in my bag and when I find the perfect incongruous place to stash it, I will, and someone, maybe years from now, will find it and have a WTF moment, courtesy of me. This is how I spread joy.

This is also how I spread joy…

Some lucky, or unlucky, person I know will receive one of these for no discernible reason, except that I am slightly touched in the head. There are eight or nine, and I will keep one of them. They’re all over the place, and maybe I will do another post, because, they’re pretty great. None of them have dates, which is a shame, but they’re all old — ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, by my guess. This one is titled “Wolverine Ravaging Hunters Pack,” an Alaska Joe Original.

“These animals are very destructive in their search for food and will rip and tear savagely at anything man-made which attracts their curiosity.”

Well, holy shit, wolverine. Presumably, the hunter narrowly escaped.

Finally, this New Orleans tourist photo booklet — looks like from the ’60s. I’ve never been to NOLA, but I when I see stuff like this (some documentation of a place before a time of general destruction that further eroded your idea of the world and how things worked), I feel the need to get it. Like, items with the Twin Towers pictured, that sort of thing. This was before anyone thought of Katrina and that complete shit show of a response. Something about it is very optimistic, and that’s nice. I miss that…optimism. How quaint.

So, no collage ephemera, but we did happen upon a great stall for vinyl. But, again, probably good for another post — we found a bunch of cool stuff for a great price. It’s been a while since we bought some vinyl, but I’m warming back to it and it’s been on my mind lately. Anyone here from IG will know that I’ve been on a get-off-social-media and reintroduce-analog-back-into-my-life rampage since the end of 2023. Again, another post…

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