'57 Chevy Redux

I don't mean to repeat myself here in this blog, but I could not resist this photograph. Last week's Vintage Photo Friday picture of my father's 1957 yellow Chevy was in black & white. I just found this picture of the same car in full-on color, towing our matching yellow E-Z Camper trailer.

The E-Z Camper opened up and looked like a tent on the base of the trailer. Each side "wing" was about the size of a double bed, my mom and dad slept on one side and my sister Cathy and I slept on the other, in sleeping bags. You can see a propane tank installed near the hitch (above) that was hooked up to a Coleman stove inside the trailer, making it convenient for my mother to, after adding water, cook up the powdered eggs for breakfast in the morning.

My parents just loved to "camp". I hated camping because, with our family, what it really meant was driving from early morning into the night until my father could no longer keep his eyes open and/or until we reached our destination. Both of my parents smoked Pall Malls, in the car, with us in the back seat. It used to make my stomach turn. My sister Cathy and I were bored, carsick and busy telling on each other if one of us crossed the invisible line in the backseat and "accidentally" touched the other. "Quit it!" "No YOU quit it!" When our bickering got out of control, my dad would say, "Don't make me stop this car!" Hmmmm. Go ahead, Dad, stop somewhere - anywhere!

Here on the left, two years later, is the dreaded 1959 blue Chevy station wagon with matching blue E-Z Camper. No doubt about it, my dad was a stylin' Chevy man.

When my grandparents moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1960, their home became our annual destination for the Christmas holidays. It was bitter-sweet. I loved my grandparents and loved to visit with them; I just hated the method of transportation. I saw a lot of America whizzing by us as we traveled from Grayslake, IL along Route 66 to Phoenix, year after year, smokin' the entire way. "See the USA in your Chevrolet...."

Sunday Evening, Farmers Market, Los Angeles

Vintage Photo Friday - 1957

Grayslake, Il. The very tall, dark-haired woman is my mother, Elizabeth McDermott. The dark-haired girl is my sister Cathy and that's me with the blonde hair. My mother was wearing a red blazer and red pumps, looking very sharp. Cathy and I are grasping bouquets of flowers that were recently picked from our garden. I'm not sure what the occasion was, I suspect it had something to do with church.

The real star of this photo is my dad's yellow 1957 Chevy. I think this model is called a Bel-Air, but I'm not sure. I found some information online:

Chevy advertised it's '57 as "Sweet, Smooth and Sassy! Chevy goes one better for '57 with a daring new departure in design (looks longer and lower, and it is!), exclusive new Turboglide automatic transmission with triple turbines, a new V-8 and a bumper crop of new ideas including fuel injection!" said one ad. "You'll love Chevrolet's new light-touch driving! You'll never put hand and foot to a car so quick, smooth and easy to control - a light touch does it, Chevy's solid on the road - and that goes for the way it's put together, too!" said another.

The new 1957 Chevrolet was fresher and friskier, from its own special look to its new Ramjet fuel injection. It was the development of fuel injection on the Corvette and the 1957 Chevrolet that prompted Chevy to claim an industry first in that famous ad headline "1 h.p. per cubic inch". In the United States all automobile engineers wanted to achieve the magic milestone of "One horsepower from every cubic inch of engine displacement".

My dad LOVED that car. It was our last sedan - after this car it was a succession of Chevy station wagons. I hated those things.

Community Supported Agriculture

We're involved with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) organization called, "The Tierra Miguel Foundation". We buy a share of their organic farm produce at the beginning of each growing season. Today was our first delivery of the winter season and our basket was chock full of wonderful organic goodness. Carrots, cauliflower, chard, cilantro, green onions, lettuce, kohlrabi, parsley, tangerines, onions and Yukon Gold potatoes. The carrots, chard, parsley, onions and potatoes go right into a big pot of soup tonight. The rest of the veg will find its way into meals to come. Mmmm.

Anyone have a recipe for kohlrabi?

[Photo taken with my iPhone using Hipstamatic App]

Vintage Photo Friday - 1932

Here is a picture of my father, William James Patrick McDermott (age 4), with his older sister Patricia. They were ring bearer and flower girl for a family wedding in Chicago, Il., both displaying what I call "The McDermott Mouth" or "The Irish Mouth" - it is both visual and, in later years, audibly sarcastic and obnoxious; something I unfortunately inherited and what is to blame for most of the trouble I've ever been in.

Profile of Larry Armstrong

Digital Photo Pro Magazine did a wonderful profile on my husband Larry Armstrong. Included are some of his photos along with an interesting interview. The magazine has now posted the article on its website; even I learned a few things I didn't already know about him. Check it out - follow the link below:

http://www.digitalphotopro.com/profiles/larry-armstrong-a-beginners-mind.html

[Photo taken with my iPhone using Hipstamatic App]

Vintage Photo Friday

I was just over 3 years old when this snapshot was taken in our house in Grayslake, IL. The older girl with the dark hair is my sister Cathy. As you can see, I'm wearing a tutu that's too big for me; it was a hand-me-down from Cathy. See the safety-pinned gathers that held it around my waist? I was not much of a success at ballet - too little grace, too much impulsiveness. Some things never change.

Avatar Adventure

I'm not a movie buff by any means. And I must admit that the only reason I went to see Avatar yesterday is because in a wild moment I sort of promised my husband we would go during the week after Christmas. The verdict?

Go see Avatar. It is not so much a movie as it is an adventure. They say it's nearly three hours long (I can barely sit for an hour) but I never noticed. Don't go expecting a pithy story. Go and expect to be wowed - and I mean wowed!

You must see it in 3-D and even better, go to an IMAX Theatre. We saw it in 3-D at the IMAX Theatre in Century City. Wow!

[Photo taken with my iPhone, no fancy App this time]

Rocket Launcher

Happy New Year 2010

It is a joy to welcome in the new year and good riddance to 2009.

Sadly, the Christmas decorations will soon be packed up and stored for another year.

Look at that little wooden soldier over there guarding my vintage pottery. Maybe I'll grant him a stay.

Happy New Year!

[Photo taken with my iPhone using the "Hipstamatic" App (thanks to Natalie)]