Grant Bar and Restaurant Wednesday night-
This molded plastic Santa, lit from within, had an expression that caught my eye.
Perhaps he feels overwhelmed by the frenzy of the Season?
Tag: vintage
1966 Throwback Thursday 35mm Slide Converted to Digital File
My friend V gave me a really cool device that converts old slides and film negatives to a digital file. I used it when I was teaching photography and helped a colleague preserve some wonderful pictures of her family.
Tonight I started thinking about my own slides I found while cleaning out a drawer and brought the file converter out. After re-reading the steps to use the converter, I was successful. I won’t do a whole slide show today but wanted to put this 1966 picture up of me with my family. I’m the one on right front (eighth grade) and I am sure my mother and I sewed our fashion choices on the old Singer sewing machine.
Certainly next time I can center the cardboard frame more accurately. I left that exposed pipe in, too. In an upstairs closet, are forgotten metal carousel trays of slides to convert but just did the 24 images tonight.
Once you get a rhythm it doesn’t take too long.
What I’ve noticed is a LOT of the slides I’ve kept for decades are not worth converting into a digital file for posterity.
But did I put them in the trash? Not yet.
Will save some of those treasures for a future post.
Thanks for the great gift, Vincie. 
1916 Throwback Thursday
My Uncle -Robert E. VanSickle Durand, Illinois from my Grandmother’s Album 
My Uncle John, Uncle Robert my Grandfather Judd and my Mother, Marian
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 –
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.
Retro Macrame Pot Hanger Materials
This vintage book of directions for making Macrame Plant Hangers or rather Macrame Pot Hangers and this huge twine were in the donations my friend Donna gave to my art teacher friend Bob.
In the seventies, I never used such a thick rope but instead a thinner white cord and some wooden beads.
Macrame belts were holding up lots of bell bottom jeans when I was in college.
Do you or have you ever done macrame?
Eighty Years Ago
This morning, when I heard today’s date, I realized it was on this day, eighty years ago, that my parents married. (Well I had a bit of help as my friend counted the decades by tens.)Although they passed away in 2000 and 2002 I was thinking about their wedding day all those years ago.
Durand Illinois. August 28, 1939. Not sure who took this home movie but here are a few shots from the screen. Roy Joseph Hendricks and Marian Van Sickle and family members in photos below.
Uncle Harold is the young man on left
Uncles John and Robert Van Sickle
Uncle Alan Hendricks
My Maternal Grandfather Judd VanSickle
Paternal Grandfather Floyd Hendricks
Throwback Thursday September 1916
Durand, Illinois September 1, 1916
Who Remembers Bizarre Bazaar Items?
I have this old, approximately the 1960’s, PATONS 65 cents pamphlet with knitting patterns for Bazaar Items. Corn cob slippers, tea cozies, toilet roll covers and poodle bottle covers to name a few. I see that the same booklet can be purchased on Ebay for about four bucks now.
Not sure if anyone still has a dolly or poodle sitting on top of their toilet tank with a spare roll of toilet paper hidden underneath.
Faded Signage Friday
Faded signage Friday. Today I was missing the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge. Not sure why WordPress eliminated that weekly word prompt but I always liked coming up with an image or two to respond. Decided I would create my own challenge for Friday. I realize there are many photographers specializing in these ghost signs. Hope I can find another one for next Friday.
Looked up Rieck’s Ice Cream See The Pittsburgh Press Page from 1945 below
Copied from a newspaper page The Pittsburgh Press April 12, 1945 
Groundhog Day at The Oaks Theater
Happy Groundhog Day.
My granddaughter Maura has predicted six more weeks of winter prior to Punxsutawney Phil the Groundhog.
We’ll know at sunrise if she’s right.
The movie starts at 7:30 PM at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont PA
Laura and Charlie called earlier to wish me a Happy Groundhog Eve.
You might remember my post of Woodstock Illinois where the movie was filmed or the post where Mary Laura and I ventured to Punxsutawney to see Phil at sunrise.
You can see my Groundhog Compendium here
https://rutheh.com/2017/02/01/groundhog-day-compendium/