Nothing Could Be Finer Than Breakfast At The Diner...

... Foote's Port Henry Diner, that is...

My mister and I needed a break after a rather rough summer, so off to the "Adirondack Coast" of northern New York state we went. Now, when we travel, of course we prefer to dine vintage-style. I recently learned that the former Miss Port Henry Diner (a Ward & Dickinson dining car) had been spruced up and reopened by a new owner. Port Henry, NY is a village delightfully poised at the edge of Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains as a backdrop.

The last time we trekked northward to the village, I was saddened to see the diner looking a bit forlorn, decorated with "For Sale" signs.

But when we arrived this time on a Saturday morning in September... 

...the diner peeked out and invited us to come in.

And, well, vive la différence! We were greeted by the bright smiling face of 

Foote's Port Henry Diner.

Miss CherryBubbles is ready for a hearty breakfast, if only she can get Mister to put away the camera for a moment so we can go inside.

Counter or booth?

Why, booth, of course!

Two cups of coffee... and, yes, that IS a marble table!

  

Mister chose the Breakfast Bake. Mister chose wisely.

 Real Maple Syrup, by golly!

What a terrific experience it was to enjoy a truly delicious breakfast served with a smile 

in a historic diner! We shall return.

 Many thanks to Donald Foote for 

bringing this delightful diner back to life!

If you find yourself in the Port Henry area, be sure to stop at the diner 

for breakfast or lunch... or both!

Foote's Port Henry Diner

5 St. Patrick's Place

Port Henry, NY 12974

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 6 am - 2 pm

Gone Fishin'... or, My Favorite Catch of the Day

Sometimes, visiting antique shops can feel like a day of fishing... I head to my special "fishing" spots that I like to think no else knows about, arrive prepared with the proper "implements," and although I may not "catch" a blessed thing, I've thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing day. Then again, sometimes I come away with full "creel."

A couple weekends ago, my Mister and I headed out to Melben's Murkantile and Endless Collections, both located in the little town of Nicholson, PA. Both of these shops are well worth visiting, if you're in or near northeastern Pennsylvania. Of course, we breakfasted at MaZar's BridgeView Restaurant before tramping down to those special spots. Incidentally, the bridge, of which there is a view from the restaurant, is the Tunkhannock Viaduct - once called the "9th Wonder of the World."

Postcard image from ExplorePAHistory, courtesy of Dan Cupper

While my "creel" was filled twice over with several other tasty "fishies" that day, including a cute cotton late 1950s Jeanne Crain dress, my favorite catch of the day was this fun Depose mother-of-pearl fish pin...

 

What is your favorite unexpectedly delicious "catch of the day?"

A Purse By Any Other Name...

When I was a youngster, the women in my family usually referred to their "pocketbook" rather than "purse" or "handbag." Nowadays, I almost always call that carrying-container brimful of what I deem necessities for a day out and about... a purse.

Image courtesy of NYPL Digital Gallery

I am often fascinated by words and how their usage changes over time. Today, the word purse has decidedly feminine connotations, but there was a time when a purse was simply a small bag or pouch, usually leather, in which to carry money. A man could have a purse and no one would bat an eye... and a woman could carry a purse and not end up with bursitis in her shoulder.  ;)

I am also fascinated by purses and how their styles change over time. If only I could choose one era of handbags to love... there are just too many wonderful styles - from the beautiful mesh bags of the late 1800s to the quirky "telephone cord" purses of the 1930s to the tailored Kelly bags of the 1950s. Really, can a girl ever have too many handbags?

Here, in celebration of that accessory of necessity by whatever name you prefer, are just a few delightful examples available from four of my favorite Etsy shops...

From Stella Ranae Vintage, this adorable Puppy and Kitty Purse

 Art Deco Dame offers this fabulous Beaded & Sequin Clutch

From Vintage Pickle, this Shiny Gold Woven Box Purse

And FuzzyLizzie offers this lovely Victorian Miser's Purse

So, what is your favorite era of purse, pocketbook, or handbag?

Build It Yourself, or, How Mister Hit the Jackpot...

On a recent antiquing jaunt, my Mister was lucky enough hit the jackpot!

I'd recently heard about Iroquois Antiques & Collectibles in Bainbridge, NY and thought it sounded worth the trip. What a fun multi-dealer shop! And what an amazing array of vintage, antiques, and collectibles - just about anything you can think of!

Iroquois Antiques & Collectibles, Bainbridge, NY

Well, we weren't too long in the place when my Mister discovered a treasure trove of Popular Home Craft magazines... all from the 1930s, no less... and only $1.50 each! 

 Of course, he ended up buying all twenty-two issues.

Along with the brightly-colored covers, the magazines contain all sorts of do-it-yourself projects. Here is a sampling from the March/April 1934 issue... including building your own travel trailer and wiring a doll house for electricity!

What's your favorite "vintage jackpot" experience?

A Hundred Gold Stars to the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery!

The other day, my Mister remarked about how amazing he thinks the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery is. 

Now, this was the first I'd heard of NYPL's online library of images, so, of course, I had to see for myself. Let me just say that he wasn't exaggerating... it is an AMAZING resource for all manner of images. I found photographs, fashion illustrations, book jackets, sheet music, and postcards, to name a few, ranging from the distant past to the recent past. Just search a year, a place, a person, a topic and you'll be presented with hundreds of images to browse, study, or even embed, as I've done here.

And did I mention that this incredible resource is FREE? Thank goodness for public libraries!

And while I'm on the subject of libraries...

 

...Visit, use, and, 
most of all, support your local library! :)

Miss CherryBubbles' Vintage Kitchen Favorites: Sunbeam Egg Cooker

Today, I thought I'd show you one of my myriad vintage kitchen favorites... the Sunbeam Egg Cooker...

I'm not sure exactly why, but vintage appliances like this always seem magical, yet highly scientific, to me. The Sunbeam Egg Cooker makes poached eggs and hard- or soft-cooked eggs and, let me tell you, they always come out exactly the way I want. Just like the advertisement says...

The little plastic measuring cup on the top of the lid is used to measure the amount of water needed to cook poach eggs to your liking. The lid itself is used to measure water for hard- and soft-cooked eggs. Basically, the eggs are cooked by the steam created when your chosen amount of water heats up. Once the water has completely steamed away, the egg cooker shuts off automatically and your eggs are cooked "Exactly as Desired"...

Incidentally, we ate these poached eggs on toast made with an old-timey Sunbeam "Radiant Control" Toaster... but that's a vintage appliance story for another day. ;)

What about hard-cooked eggs or soft-cooked eggs, you ask? Well, here's a video I found that demonstrates how hard- or soft-cooked eggs are done in Sunbeam Egg Cooker. Note that the cooker used here is an earlier version without the clear plastic measuring cup on the top...

So, do tell... have you a vintage kitchen favorite or two?

It's February... let's Stroll!

Here it is February of 2012 already and by golly, this lil ol' blog is 3 years old...

Life has been so busy over the past several months that I've sorely neglected my blog. Not that I haven't had a multitude interesting ideas for posts... Anyway, I'm going to try to post at least a little something here on a semi-regular basis and I'll start off Past Life 3.0 with this terrific demonstration of The Stroll from February of 1958: