Uncle Frank’s 1955 Ford Pick-Up

Saturday afternoon, Anna and Steve and I drove up to see Aunt Linda and Uncle Frank. You might remember Uncle Frank and his 1955 Ford Pick-Up Truck post Uncle Frank was in my People at Work show. He is a master at restoring vintage vehicles.

Here he’s showing Steve the interior. Steve loved getting behind the wheel.

October 2011

Here’s his 1933 Plymouth

Painted Gold for Fiftieth Anniversary 1956 Chevrolet BelAir

Swimming Attire c.1924

My grandfather Judd DeWitt VanSickle in the middle hugging his youngest son, my Uncle Robert. My grandmother Charlotte is sporting the sash, I believe. I calculate the date as Uncle Robert was born in 1914 and to me he looks about ten in this photo. Durand, Illinois or perhaps on vacation in the Wisconsin Dells.

From my grandmothers’s album

Looks like the women are wearing leather shoes.

My Mother in 1918

My mother is standing in the white dress, back left. Her brother John on the right. Notice the cat pillows.

Must have been a patriotic holiday as I see flags.

She’s holding a cat pillow that’s similar to one I sewed together as a pillow. I never noticed it in the photo album before. In fact, I think a reproduction cat pillow might be at my sisters home. Or it was.

Dovecote in Aspinwall on Brilliant Avenue

Dovecote, a vintage boutique in Aspinwall Pennsylvania, located on Brilliant Avenue.  What a great address.  Brilliant!

My friend Vincie and I were shoe shopping at Soothe the Sole  on Brilliant Avenue and Holly (at the shoe store)  suggested we check out Dovecote right across the street.

Here’s what we discovered –

Mr. Rogers

The boutique is definitely eclectic and affordably priced. Scroll down for more details.  There are vintage items, consignment items, handcrafts, antiques, jewelry, home decor and holiday fun. Sports team theme including black and gold potholders and darling onesies with hand sewn embellishment, adorable ruffles.

The felted Mr. Rogers created by Artist Christine caught my eye, and the Pennsylvania ceramic platter would be cool to serve from at a dinner party.

from their website

from Dovecote Aspinwall  click for virtual store tour
“If your style is eclectic with a vintage vibe, this is the place for you! We offer a wide variety of vintage & antique home decor items, as well as new & vintage clothing & accessories. From tables and lamps, paintings, and dishes; to jewelry, shoes, candles imported from Spain, gifts, vintage-inspired greeting cards, and more, there is something for everyone in our cozy store. We carry Lindsay Phillips’ line of shoes & sandals (SwitchFlops), as well as Naked Bee’s organic skin care creams & lotions. Need to make space in your closet or sell your unused home accessories? We offer resale and consignment options. Visit our vintage boutique, and then follow us on Facebook for frequent updates!”
A place to take things when you need to downsize! Good to know.

From Grandmother’s Album -July 2, 1916

From my grandmother Charlotte’s photo album. My mother, Marian, is the little girl standing in front of her Aunt Edna and Aunt Mae. Younger brother Robert is seated on the left.  Their father, my grandfather, Judd, is the man smiling in the back on the left. My mother’s grandfather peeking between the women’s faces. Perhaps my cousins will be able to identify more relatives.

Durand Illinois  July 2, 1916.

What’s on Your Wish List?

What’s on your wish list?

Anything hard to find?

Something you’ve had on your list but never received?

My son Mark recently remembered his longed for toy (thirty + years), best gift ever.  You might remember that post of his receiving the Millennium Falcon. It was my top post in 2011,  the most viewed.

Not to confuse Star Wars and Star Trek but how about this Barbie and Ken Star Trek set?  It’s probably gone now but I saw it a couple of weeks ago.

Antique Emporium in Beaver Falls, PA

Upon entering the Antique Emporium, a lovely woman  invited me to have cool water, offered me a glass of wine, the use of the facilities AND there was a basket of free tomatoes.

 Obviously I was a a first-timer.  “You are welcome to take photographs. ” she said.      That was all I needed.

There are three floors and over 75 Dealers’ Booths of everything you can think of- and then some more things you didn’t  know existed in the world.

The “like items” are categorized and displayed together, so if you are into political buttons, license plates, or milk bottle collections you don’t have to dig through other stuff.  It is so organized and tidy.  

  Antique Emporium 1

Right on the main street which is Seventh Avenue

 

Antique Emporium 2 1

The first time I ever saw JFK cards, like trading cards for baseball

 

 

Salt and Pepper Shakers

Please pass the salt and pepper.

 

 

 

 

railroad station roof tile

Railroad Station Roof Tile    They interlocked

 

Antique Emporium 4 (1)

Not a customer

 

 

45 records

Check out all these 45s

 

 

 

matchbox cars

Matchbox cars

 

 

asian doll

Porcelain Asian doll

 

 

 

typewriters and victrola 1

Everyone had to take typing when I was in high school.

 

 

 

political buttons

This is just a sampling of what is available.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth TinA biscuit tin

knights and castle roomThe Knights and Castle room is for display only, nothing is for sale in this room.

Business card is a million bucks

 

Meet Jim.  If you are in need of a pun, the proprietor will help you out.

Here he is holding a business card that says “You’re worth a million to us.”

 

 

 

 

See how the LBJ buttons change when you move your angle

 

 

 

Antique Emporium 3

Stained glass lamps and wooden spools

Antique Emporium 2

Be sure to have a nice chat with Jim.  As I said, he’s pretty puny. 

Aerial Photography at the Car Show Monday Night

Aunt Linda and Aunt Marlene are in production, baking for their niece’s wedding this Saturday.  But that will be a separate post.

I took the alphabet message and shape cookie cutters up to West Mifflin Monday night.  (They still had the Laura and James names in place inside the heart shape- sweet memories)

Uncle Frank and Uncle Donald (Mark’s FIL) went upstreet to the West Mifflin Social Club where Uncle Frank was showing his two spectacular vehicles along with some other car aficionados.

Uncle Frank's Car  and TruckYou may have seen Uncle Frank and Aunt Linda when he went to pick up the bride for a wedding post 

 

 

And while we were there I met Dave who photographs cars and prints the images on T -shirts and who does Aerial Photography with his JDI helicopter-like drone camera system. WOW. You can’t go higher than 400 feet and you have to take it slow.

Getting it up and off the ground. It uses a GPS
Getting it up and off the ground. It uses a GPS

 

 

aerial photography at the car show (1)Like a hobby toy airplane, Dave at the controls.

aerial photography at the car show

Looks like a UFO to me

jdi hovers

 

dave

Back to earth and then to the van to print

 

 

printer in the van

What a setup Dave had in his van

 

 

 

aerial photographye car show 2

WOW, it is amazing.

 

aerial photography at the car show 2

Dave explains his display of a big show.  Tonight’s show was small cause people were worried it might rain.

 

our photo by a droneDave was generous and took my photo with Donald.  I think Donald was planning on adding a JDI hover drone camera to his wish list.  Looks like a serious toy.

 

 

music mobile

Music supplied by the host’s sound system

 

 

pinup girl on antennae

Pin-up girl on the antennae detail

 

 

 

And another post about Uncle Frank and his 1955 Ford Pick-Up.

Check out that wooden truck bed   More than 2500 people looked at it in March.

 

Found a really interesting article on Drone Photography at National Geographic   So You Want to Shoot Aerial Photography Using Drones?

car cruise

Pittsburgh Seltzer Bottles in Bridgeport Conn Crate

The glass bottles attracted my eye as I saw them sitting on a soda fountain counter on Carson Street  in the South Side.  Only when I got home and uploaded the photo did I read Bridgeport Conn.   The bottles are from the Pittsburgh Seltzer Works but that wooden crate had Bridgeport Conn, stamped right on the side.

Bridgeport – where I spent four years of my life. Granted, a long time ago. It’s where I got my Art Education degree.

Oh and it’s home to the P.T. Barnum Museum, where Elias Howe invented the first sewing machine, where Sikorsky(now gone global)  manufactured helicopters, where Dr Fones founded Dental Hygiene profession  in 1906 and a ton of other well known names born there including Walt Kelly and Al Capp.

I think Paul Newman  when he was filming The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, once called it the “armpit of New England” which wasn’t very kind.  There was lots of industry and manufacturing, and then decline, departure and attempts to revitalize. The P.T. Barnum Museum is worth a trip, though.  Seriously.  And if you are into deterioration and dilapidation reports click here to read about Remington Arms.

 

Pittsburgh Seltzer Bottles

 

 

 

 

Remember Uncle Frank’s ’53 Chevy?

Do you remember seeing Uncle Frank’s Chevrolet (1953) when he was just putting the engine in?

Here’s what it looks like now after all the work  (love) he has put into it!  Shot from the passenger window- the interior.

uncle franks chevy

 

 

uncle franks chevy (2)