Souvenir

Souvenir-

  • a thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event.

There are two pronunciations of souvenir  (soo-vuhneer or soovuh-neer) Which do you say?

Perhaps you avoid collecting souvenirs, adding to the accumulation.  I have a few examples. A salt and pepper shaker from Yellowstone Park purchased in 1963 by me.  A Volksmarch Stein and a ceramic tile from Grafenwoehr Germany where we lived for three years 1983-1986. A dish towel. Christmas ornaments (from my Ohio family’s collection) a refrigerator magnet with Beignets.

In our city there is a shop up on Mt. Washington called love, Pittsburgh where you can get Pittsburgh themed gifts. The Florida pillow was in the U of Florida bookstore but I did not purchase it. The demitasse cup and saucer from a favorite restaurant, La Cucina Flegrea, no longer in business.

Do you keep a souvenir or two or three? Any special mementos of a place you have visited?  My sister’s Coney Island Paperweight was a souvenir in Saturday’s gallery.

When my friend Ann sees this post she will write and say “Pitch them!”

Spring Hats Evoke Another Era to Me

When I was visiting the family in Ohio for an extended stay, one of the last days I was there we went to Von Maur, a lovely department store in Columbus at the Polaris Mall.

Maura and I saw all the elegant Spring/Easter hats on display.  She tried on a gray one that matched her Ohio State Swim shirt.  A gracious salesperson asked if we needed any help and of course, we did not. But she didn’t seem worried about trying on a hat.

(*see Men’s Hat Posts below the photos)

Growing up, almost all women in church wore hats.

.The Kentucky Derby, the first Saturday in May, is a place to wear a fashionable hat. Or a Derby party as you watch the race on TV.  You see Royal Wedding attendees sporting stylish hats.  I wish I’d looked inside the hats to see where they are made. Do you own a hat and on what occasion do you wear it?

Putting on a hat can change your whole persona, help you feel dressed to the nine.  The epitome of dressing up in style.

“To the nine” is an English idiom meaning “to perfection” or “to the highest degree” or to dress “buoyantly and high class”. In modern English usage, the phrase most commonly appears as “dressed to the nine” or “dressed up to the nine”.

 

*  And not to leave the men out of the hat post.

I posted Meyer the Hatter in New Orleans in 2009 

and the Bleecker Street Hat Shop in NYC post in 2012

 

Traditional King Cake for Mardi Gras

The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870.” Wikipedia   

 

This King Cake created at the Party Cake Shop in Brookline on the Boulevard where I got the Paczki last Thursday.

Here is a Traditional New Orleans King Cake Recipe made with yeast .- a brioche like dough https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/traditional-new-orleans-king-cake/

Random Bride & Skateboarders- Jackson Square NOLA

June 2009. Jackson Square in the Heart of the French Quarter.

 

Bride making her way to a photo shoot with her bridal party
Random bride headed for photography session with wedding party...just a quick shot.

 

Meyer the Hatter on St. Charles Street- Men’s Hats(2 photos)

The South’s largest hat store-Meyer the Hatter.  Every time I walked by I was drawn to it.  The display of hats triggered memories of my grandfather, my father, all sporting hats. And women wore hats, too, a little net veil with velvet dots, a pillbox with combs, a wide brim.  Just thinking about hats and who buys them, wears them now.  Hat boxes with a twisted thick cord to carry, stored high on a  closet shelf.  Who remembers hat-wearing?http://www.meyerthehatter.com/meyer/

Meyer the Hatter Exterior at Night New Orleans
Meyer the Hatter Exterior at Night New Orleans
Hats on display at Meyer the Hatter
Hats on display at Meyer the Hatter

Cafe du Monde Beignets New Orleans (click 2 c pic)

Sunday morning in New Orleans.  Worth the short wait in a line for a seat at a table.  One order is three warm beignets.  Accompanied by Cafe au Lait.  It is traditional.  It is delicious.  Everyone is ordering and eating them, piled on a tiny plate, covered with powdered sugar.  You start your day in New Orleans honoring the necessary tourist ritual and are fortunate you are with a New Orleansean who knows where to park!CafeauLaitBeignets