1/30/15

GONE FISHIN': Goin' home


I have no idea if this was shot at the beginning or the end of the fishing excursion, but I like to think the fella is tallying up who caught what, the sizes, and information about the ones that got away.


Click on image to see it larger.
_________________

1/29/15

GONE FISHIN': Somebody had to do the work







Click on images to see them larger.

Have you ever witnessed gulls flying along the stern of a ship? I remember them on the trips to and from Hawaii. They were hoping something worthy would be tossed overboard. In the picture above we can pretty much be assured it was the fish entrails they were waiting for.

There used to be a seafood restaurant I went to that had a dock running alongside it. Fishermen would pull in and unload their catch which would be sold at the seafood market attached to the restaurant. The gulls would show up immediately, as would several seals. So you'd be sitting there eating your meal, an interesting boat would show up and you'd start discussing the name of the boat with your dinner companions, and then all hell would break loose. Buckets of offal would be dumped off the back of the boat into the bay. Oh my but it was a disgusting sight. It was disgusting, but authentic. Sadly the restaurant was torn down and replaced by one only the tourists could love. The dock is gone, as are the fishing boats. The boats now stay on the other side of the bay where the tourists rarely eat. It's all very clean and not the least bit offensive, which is the problem with the place. Now even the food is bland. Tourists come hoping to find a bit of the romance from a famous Hitchcock film, not knowing this is at least the third restaurant to stand in the location with the same name. I never saw the original, but I seriously miss the old one I do remember. And I wish the tourists would just go home.
_________________


1/28/15

GONE FISHIN': Sit here and smile


Apparently this was the sweet spot aboard the boat for taking photos. "Sit down and smile" might be what Donald Schnabel said to each of his buddies.






Click on images to see them larger.

What did they say to Donald when it was his turn?


Click on image to see it larger.

I have to tell you that the color in each of the fishing slides has been ugly, very saturated with magenta. I did some quick fixes to make them a bit more acceptable. But you can go ahead and imagine everyone a really nice shade of pink.
_________________

1/23/15

A WEE CART in Scotland


I generally don't post images that are related to my family; I'm a private person. However, the prompt from Sepia Saturday this week was just too easy.

I give you my paternal grandfather in Scotland. I do not know the wee lassie sitting next to him. Perhaps she's family, but I'll never know. I like to imagine it's me sitting there bundled up for a nice ride through the countryside.


Click on image to see it larger.

My grandfather lived a hard life. When he was a teenager he contracted pneumonia and lost the use of one lung. Because of this he did not serve in World War I and my father has always wondered if he was treated badly by others because otherwise he looked to be a very healthy young man. He worked in a steelworks in Scotland before emigrating to California in 1921, first passing through Ellis Island. My grandmother, who had yet to marry, followed in 1922. They lived for the rest of their lives in Northern California. They had one son who is still alive today, my father. A second son died within hours of his birth. The third son, my uncle, died last year.

Of the four grandchildren, I am the only one who knew him. He died before any of my cousins were born. I have few memories of him, but I have rich stories my father has told me.
_________________

1/22/15

Gone FISHIN' in 1956


A man in search of a beer bottle. Seriously, I keep thinking there's an invisible bottle of beer in his hand.


Click on image to see it larger.
_________________

1/21/15

Gone FISHIN' in 1956


Sittin' near the dock of the bay.


Click on image to see it larger.
_________________

1/20/15

Gone FISHIN'


It was July 1956 and Donald G. Schnabel was out on the water with some fellas for a day of fishing. The slides say "Greenport Trip" which means nada to me. I have no idea where Greenport is so I did a search and apparently it's on Long Island.


Click on image to see it larger.

Too bad the boat isn't named the Minnow. Since none of the gentleman in the photos I'll show over the next week are named, I'll let you decide which one is Gilligan and which one is the Skipper. It's up to you if you want to name one Ginger and another Mary Ann.


_________________

1/19/15

LOST MAN in Paris


There's a story to be told for this photo, I just don't know what it is. A writer alone searching for the great American novel? A former soldier who has returned in hopes of finding a lost love? A spy waiting to make contact with another agent? There are thousands of stories to be told about Paris.


Click on image to see it larger.

Of course, he's not really alone, there is a photographer right next to him, but just as when we watch a movie and forget about the entire crew standing there watching, we can often suspend reality when we step into a photo; the photographer doesn't exist, just the person in the shot.
_________________

1/18/15

A cold WINTER DAY IN PARIS


I generally don't have regrets; I find them pointless and annoying. But I do wish I'd seen the insides of Notre Dame. I still don't know why I never went in. I guess there just wasn't enough time and I had other things to see. I like to tell myself that someday I'll go back and see it, but I know that's probably not true. So I'll leave that as an almost regret in life.


Click on image to see it larger.
_________________

1/17/15

Our man in PARIS


A few more shots of our unknown man in Paris. In the first shot you'll see Donald G. Schnabel on the left. If you don't know Donald's previous photos just do a label search. I have hundreds of slides taken by him and will slowly sort through them. Remember Bahrain? Betty?






Click on images to see them larger.
_________________

1/16/15

FREE MAN in Paris


In 1956 this unknown gentleman was in Paris having his photo taken by Donald G. Schnabel.



For some of us 1956 is part of our lives, but for most it's ancient history; I still have trouble wrapping my brain around that. My time line reference points are often far different than those I meet. Today I told a young man about a local joint that makes incredible old fashioned milk shakes with real ice cream that's served in the cold metal containers that it was made in. I got back a blank stare. I hit my hand against my head and said, "But of course that means nothing to you." His reference point is a corporate milk shake in a cardboard container, mine is a mom and pop place with a jukebox. 

The man in this photo was probably around my current age when this was taken, maybe even younger. Imagine his time line reference points. His memories were colored by two world wars in which Paris played a part. Now here he was walking the streets over 10 years after the last war.




Click on images to see them larger.

I didn't get to Paris for another 17 years. Looking at these photos I feel like maybe we shared the same Paris even though time had passed. There's just something about Paris.

And now one of my reference points for Paris.



This is my submission for Sepia Saturday. The only thin connection to the theme is France and not understanding the reference point for the theme photo.
_________________

1/15/15

ALOHA from a Matson Liner


It was 56 years ago this month that I was on my way to Hawaii aboard a Matson Liner. This little tyke looks about half the age I was and I'm guessing it was in the 1930s. They had either just arrived or were about to set sale for California. If they'd just arrived they would soon be staying at, most likely, the Moana or the Royal Hawaiian.

I remember being covered to my nose with leis, the scent heavenly. And then once at our hotel/apartment we placed them all over the room. They lasted for days and then began to whither and turn brown. No problem. Right outside the front door was a plumeria bush, its scent drifted in through the louvered windows all day and night.

On the other hand, if they were leaving they should have soon be throwing the leis overboard hoping they would float to shore insuring they would again return to Hawaii. Can't do that from a plane. Some of the magic is gone.


Click on image to see it larger.


_________________

1/13/15

This is WIGGLES AND EDNA


My dog of 16 years was put down last fall. He had a brain tumor, and after caring for him for so long it was very hard to lose him. But I now have a puppy who has the nickname Mr. Wiggles. He looks nothing like the Wiggles in this photo, but then I don't look like Edna either.


Click on image to see it larger. 
_________________

1/12/15

ALWAYS WEAR WHITE so the train can see you


Second piece of advice when posing on a train track, always make sure you do it on a turn so that the engineer has plenty of time to blow the whistle.


Click on image to see it larger. Anyone care to listen to Dylan's Blood on the Tracks?
_________________

1/11/15

Three children ON A DONKEY


Really, doesn't the title tell the whole story? What more can I say?


Click on image to see it larger.
_________________

1/10/15

Do you remember VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED?


I remember seeing the preview for Village of the Damned at a drive-in when I was a kid. There I was in the backseat of my folks car in my pjs, trying to stay awake, longing for the trip to the snack bar for the milkshake-in-a-can, when huge glowing eyes appeared on the screen; they were the children in the Village of the Damned. I never saw the movie, but I had nightmares about those kids and those eyes for years. Which brings me to Keane paintings.

As a kid in Hawaii we had a family friend who was a sculptor and he used to take us to different art gallery shows. I have no idea why we ended up at a showing of Keane paintings, but I remember them. Oh boy, do I remember them. Even as a kid I knew what I was looking at was dreadful. I've often thought that we must have gone there as a joke, but the only other person alive who was there with me has no memory of it. For some reason really bad art sticks in my brain, vividly. It's like the time I ended up in a gallery in Carmel of Thomas Kinkade paintings and after a few moments I headed for the door hoping to never see another one of his pieces. Boy was I wrong on both accounts. The public took a liking to Keane and Kinkade. Hucksters, both of them. The images of both have been plastered on everything, everywhere. Sometimes it's like living in the Village of the Damned when you can't find a way to escape all the commercialized schlock.

So here we have two kids standing amongst the posies looking like they'd rather be anywhere than where they are. Subjects for a Keane painting? Living inside the world of a Kinkade painting? Or just kids from the Village of the Damned?

1/8/15

Cast members from an ANDY HARDY MOVIE?


These two could easily have been in a Mickey and Judy movie, clearly exhausted from once again putting on a show. He has a Van Cliburn look because of his hair, but I'm betting that either Glenn Miller or, hopefully, Benny Goodman is coming from that radio on the end table.

As to why the lampshades are wrapped in plastic….


Click on image to see it larger.


_________________

1/5/15

The lady also cut a 25th ANNIVERSARY CAKE IN 1968


Two shots of the same woman cutting cakes in the same year is not something I'd ever found before. So for that reason this woman holds a special place in my heart. Twice in one year someone gave her a cake and took a snapshot of her with each of them. How nice was that? Of course, there are those of you who noticed the nudie calendar in the previous post, and now we have a husband who doesn't even put his drink down while celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary. I'm sure I'm reading way too much into these shots, but I'm guessing that this woman grew used to a certain level of disrespect in her life, and that makes me sad.


Click on image to see it larger.
_________________

1/4/15

I still LOVE THE CAKE CUTTING CATEGORY


Just because I publish a book about one of my collecting categories doesn't mean I don't still keep an eye open for more vintage snapshots to add. A category is never complete, it evolves. So I was happy to find two snapshots of one woman cutting cakes in 1968.

Her birthday.


Click on image to see it larger.
_________________

1/2/15

Time Traveling RICHARD GERE?


Starting off the new year with a possible time-traveling-celebrity, actor Richard Gere back in the 1940s picking and packing fruit for Del Monte. He's gone to a great deal of effort to hide his visit to the past. He certainly wasn't researching his part in American Gigolo or Pretty Woman. Any idea what role he might have been working on?


On the back of the photo it says, "Summer 1947  Daddy, R. L. and Clings" which sounds like a ruse to me. Yeah, the first letter of the young fellow is "R" which is obviously for Richard. Okay, so I don't know what the "L" stands for, but I'm sure one of you will figure it out. I'm guessing the Clings are nestled gently in the crates. Peaches I say! They're hauling peaches! (Excuse my exuberance, but the thought of summer peaches makes me go a little crazy.)


Click on image to see it larger.

They can travel through time, but they can't hide!

Don't forget to do a search of this site for other time-traveling-celebrities. I add them as I find them.
_________________

Available at Amazon
 Tattered and Lost: The Quiet Art of Reading