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

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! :)

A Few of Miss CherryBubbles’ Favorite Autumn Things...

Fall is my favorite season of the year and I observe many annual autumn traditions of my own making. One tradition involves reading books and watching movies with an autumnal backdrop or theme. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you...


Nothing says autumn like the biggest college football game of the year. Now, I'm certainly not the biggest football fan around, but I am a Nancy Drew fan. So, what do football and Nancy Drew have in common? They both appear in the 1932 fall-themed Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene, the 8th book in the Nancy Drew series. Nancy solves a mystery revolving around an unusual letter she receives at the beginning of the book, but most of the action takes place at Emerson College, where Nancy cheers on her special friend, Ned Nickerson, in the big game.

"Indian Summer is like a woman."  So begins Peyton Place by Grace Metalious, published in 1956 and quite controversial in its time, for revealing those things about small towns that one wasn't supposed to reveal. Sometimes I read the book... sometimes I watch the film version, starring Lana Turner. Sometimes I even read Return to Peyton Place.

The gorgeous fall foliage of northern Vermont provides the perfect backdrop for my most favorite autumn film, The Trouble With Harry. I simply can't imagine the movie taking place in spring or summer. It just wouldn't be the same. Although I have read the book it was based on, nothing, in my opinion, surpasses Alfred Hitchcock's film version.

What are your favorite autumn traditions?

 

If Grandma Was a Hollywood Starlet...

There was a whole chest of photos to look through in preparation for my Grandma Jane's memorial service this weekend. My mom and I were putting together a photo collage to display at the service. I was constantly amazed by the photographs of my grandmother that I'd never seen before. I just had to share this one with you...


Both my mom and I thought she looked a like a Hollywood starlet, perhaps awaiting her next scene in a picture that takes place "in the country." I wish I could look so well-put-together and beautifully-coiffed.

On another note... rest assured I haven't forgotten about the giveaway I've been dangling before you. Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging. I'm hoping to have everything ready next week and I hope you'll enjoy this one!

Til next time...

Aloha ;)

In Memory of My Grandma Jane...

I count myself among the lucky for having known all four of my grandparents (and even a great-grandparent!) while growing up. I am greatly saddened though, that my last grandparent still living passed away on Monday night. I'll miss my Grandma Jane very much.

Elnora Jane was born in 1918 near the end of the First World War, or the Great War, as it was known then. She grew up on a farm, was the middle daughter of three girls, and lived the majority of her life in the same Pennsylvania county in which she was born.


Jane (she always went by her middle name) probably never experienced the decadence of the "roaring 20s", but she was teenager during the Depression, the new bride of an army soldier during the Second World War, and a high school "cafeteria lady" in the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1930s or very early 1940s, Jane, one of her sisters, and a cousin all went to New Jersey to work in a button factory for awhile. I often think that must have been a great adventure for three young women at the time.

Since my Grandma Jane has appeared in a few of my past posts (here and here and here), I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos of her...

On her wedding day in Hugo, Oklahoma, 1943. She traveled there to be
married because my Grandpa Alf was stationed at Camp Maxey in Texas.

All dressed up, possibly for her high school graduation in 1936.

Probably sometime in 1944. Grandpa Alf was likely on leave.
My grandmother still had the vase of poppies picture (in the upper
right corner of photo) hanging in her room at the personal care
home where she lived for the past seven years.

Jane, the middle daughter, seated between her two sisters,
Marge and Helen.
I love the bold print on her dress!


Gone fishin' ... in Canada. (circa late 1950s/early 1960s)
This is one of my absolute favorite photos of my grandmother!


Jane and her granddaughter.
I treasure my memories of the times I spent with my Grandma Jane.


Elnora Jane, 1918-2011
Rest in peace, Grandma.

**I chose "Bluebird of Happiness" as one of the songs to go along with this post because my grandmother was quite fond of those handblown glass bluebirds of happiness that were popular many years ago. She gave me a pair of them when I was younger that I still have.**

Grandma's Shopping List, March 1936

When I look at vintage advertisements, I find it interesting that many of the products available today were also available to my grandmother. So, each month, I'll be sharing with you a few of the present-day products that our grandmothers and mothers might have added to their shopping lists...


1. Windex®
Sure, the ad says it's great for winter window cleaning, but, gee, what a help with the spring cleaning too! This product has been around since 1933, albeit with a different formula than in earlier years. And I had no idea that the same company also made Drano®.


2. Brillo®
Speaking of cleaning, Brillo® pads were patented in 1913, just as aluminum cookware was becoming popular. The coal-fired stoves in use at the time would blacken the aluminum pots and pans, but steel wool made cleaning cookware much easier. In the 1930s, soap was added to the pads. Just don't use it on your non-stick coated pans of today ;)


3. Arm & Hammer® Baking Soda

It's not just for baking! Even in 1936, alternate uses for baking soda were suggested. Arm & Hammer®, as a brand, has been around since the 186os, so perhaps my great-great-grandmother included it on her shopping list.


*Advertisements included in today's post are from the March 1936 issue of Ladies Home Journal.

Coming Soon, or, My Land! I Have Sew Many Patterns!

I've been busily working away at transforming my Vintage Selling Stash Room (yes, it has consumed an entire room!) into a full-fledged Sewing and Handicraft Room. Let me just say that the process is taking longer than I want it to, but I'm trying to stay true to my vision of a comfortable, well-lit, reasonably organized, spacious work area. Okay, so that could take years ;)

Anyway, whilst shoveling (well, it felt like shoveling) out the scads of things in the VSSR, I struck oil, er, I mean the motherlode... of sewing patterns. There are so many that I've decided to un-hiatus my Etsy shop, just to get these terrific patterns to new homes where they'll be loved. So, if you love vintage sewing patterns, keep an eye out on CherryBubblesVintage on Etsy.

Here are a few pics to whet your appetite...






If you see something that catches your fancy, drop me an email. I'll be glad to get it listed sooner.

May your bobbins always be full!
~ Author Unknown