Our Gay Heritage

This is the time of the year when our feeds are flooded with pics of Gay Pride Parades, not only across the country, but around the world. So many happy faces of people of all types are celebrating their unique selves. We are lucky to be able express this joy in spite of the global unrest. We are certainly in better times!

With the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, we have a landmark moment to reflect on. We think on those heroes and the many that have followed in what can sometimes be called a crusade. Ask many friends and they will comment that I can be a crusader on many things, but I wear my flag on my sleeve in a much quieter and reflective way. I look back on the silent masses who did not feel the need to shatter the earth, but made much smaller murmurs.

And there are pictures of these unnamed couples. Almost all have no names attached and they were fine with that in the confines of their own era. But stumbling on Pinterest of all places, I find a different kind of quiet joy in these intimate moments of celebration. There are many of them out there. Here are only a few to share.

Vintage Fashions ala 1975

With all the ballyhoo about the Met Gala, I am pulling out a draft post going back a year. It has been waiting for the right moment to present itself to me. 

This year's theme was Camp, which is a great motif to play on. The concept of camp can lend itself from anything to drag to disco. Retro somehow always finds a way into campiness as well. And this fashion revisit is an entire on-line collection devoted to patterns of yesteryear. I am centering in particular on the year 1975. It sits reflecting on the flower power era which was still in bloom, as well as teetering on the brink of the discotheque craze that was about to take rage. Those fashions had so much to draw on in terms of color, pattern and even gender options.

Growing up in Erie, it was not quite the epicenter of fashion. But I got glimpses of it from the Sonny & Cher show or certainly the Osmonds. I dared to wear a fringe vest to school with a choker chain around my neck. That was BOLD! I loved my denim elephant bells and saddle shoes. I could get natty with an argyle vest. And a favorite was a pair of banana yellow bell bottoms. I have no idea where this sense came from????

My mom was handy with a sewing machine and could easily churn something out. Usually for the girls, but I remember a few spunky blazers and even a billowy Victorian shirt at some point that I loved. 
Check out some of these pages if you have time. This resource is not the actual patterns themselves, but just a catalogue of the pattern envelopes. However if you look for the comments under each listing, you can see there are still a handful of collectors out there who will trade.

 
Vintage Patterns : 1975

California Gold Rush

California is often viewed as a Utopia of sunshine and all things natural from sun tans to fresh avocados. I have visited family and friends from North of the Bay Area to the far south of San Diego & Balboa Park. And it was indeed stunning from the vineyards to the black sand beaches. It truly is blessed by God's bounty.

 
As if nature could not handle any more. This last March was a perfect combination of rain, moderate temps and a lack of damaging winds. It resulted in what is called a Super Bloom which usually occur every decade or so. So while we continue our slow spring turnover here in MN, there was a plethora of poppies there just a few weeks back. Magnificent!


 This occurred in the area of Walker Canyon outside of southeast Los Angeles. Of course there were the ever popular CA Poppies of bright mandarin orange, but also fields of yellow and purple blooms as well. What made this year's phenomenon momentous was the network of social media and a viral wave of public interest. There was such a massive exodus for the hour drive from LA that Interstate 15 resembled rush hour traffic. The same outbursts that drew crowds, began to draw caution as Riverside County declared a public safety emergency. Hashtags of #PoppyShutdown and #IsItOverYet eventually became "At this time, it is not feasible for us to keep visitors away from #WalkerCanyon." Clusters of tourists with strollers, puppy dogs and high heels attempted to conquer the rugged hillside after the desperate road blocks. I would have made the trip too!

The Golden Age of Travel

Every winter I rack up a small handful of miles due to my winter color guard & percussion judging. Friends have the misconception that I am some jet setter taking in tourist meccas across the country. When in fact, I am staying in suburban hotels in Omaha, Brunswick NJ or Schaumburg IL. This is not fashionable frequent flyer miles. Especially this last weekend after a sobering flight on #Spirit Air where my seat was no more than a folding lawn chair and my table tray would not hold a lunch pail.

 

However, many of the airports I pass through are elevating the experience of travel. Our own MSP International just took top honors in its size for the 3rd year. Many of us are old enough to remember the classic TWA Terminal that was so "mod" during the 1960's era in New York City. I'm not sure I was even aware that it still existed as it was replaced by the current JFK Terminal which brings the masses to the Big Apple. I just recall the stylish posh of it all built by renowned architect Eero Saarinen in 1962. At the time it was named Idlewild Airport until it became synonymous as the hub for TWA airlines. It got its last shout out during the filing of Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can and ceased operating in 2001 slated to be torn down.

But here it is in 2019 ready to be rechristened as a luxury hotel. Of course the lobby pipes in classic pop from the 60's which range from Frank Sinatra to Dusty Springfield & Petula Clark. Snacks are sprinkled throughout the lobby on airline service carts. And mini fridges are stocked with both champagne and Tab! It even continues to use revamped rotary telephones.

But the stunning curves and openness of the original design remain its magnificence. The lobby retains the signature Chili Pepper Red hue of Saarinen's choice. Elegant staircases and wide double-paned windows keep the roar at bay but the view expansive. There are the requisite work out rooms, saunas and yoga studios. But also a 10,000 foot rooftop deck with pool. A museum with vintage uniforms designed by Valentino & Ralph Lauren. There are 8 bars, 6 restaurants and even the original Ambassadors Club where you can dine on French cuisine, Italian pasta or plain American BBQ. All this can be yours come this May for a mere $249+ a night.

This would be traveling in the lap of luxury. Not the meek travel that I pursue.

 

The Kitsch of Klimt

This feature has been in draft mode for well over a year. Since I have been spending my winter hibernation in the upstairs den with an endless paint-by-number kit, it surfaced again. My eyes are going bonkers from the tiny impressionist blotches. Even harder is trying to define the minuscule distinction between white, eggshell and vanilla tones on the cobblestone street that makes up a large portion of the painting.

Color has always been my entry point into the world of art. Gustav Klimt would have to be at the forefront of chroma. We were enamored enough of an Ikea print, that we have him prominently on display as the centerpiece of our dining room. The rich golds, oranges and maroons are stunning. 

Art seems to re inspire us in waves. Klimt has been back in fashion over the last few years. There was first the Helen Mirren film, a factual telling of his Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer which was titled Woman in Gold. There is the interactive showing in Paris Atelier des Lumieres that is over-the-top and continues to repeat of my Facebook feeds. I cannot even fathom submersing myself in it.
Atelier des Lumieres - Klimt 

But my original curiosity was this article in ArtNet News dating back to 2015. It is masterful photography work by Inge Prader that daringly takes his famous pieces and brings them to life with models. He is Austrian and the sittings were done for a fund raising benefit. The images are complex, intricate and provoking to say the least. Klimt was part of a Viennese Secessionist movement which was founded to encourage art to think ourside the box. "To every age its art. To every art its freedom." Each artist was exploring in their own uniqueness. This was also coming into the period of Freud and free thinking.

Almost 200 years later, the images (both the paintings and these photos) are sublime. Enjoy theses posted portraits and look at the full collection posted in the link.




 

Inge Prader - Klimt Portraits 

A Day at the Library

It is ironic that I am making a blog post about Libraries which most people would associate with Books. I have a love/ hate relationship with reading. I think it goes back to the SRA reading kits from Elementary if any of my generation remembers those. They were a reading skill testing set in Public schools from the 60s. You would read a short story on a cardboard folder and then take a test on how thorough your absorption was by flipping the card. Being a competitive type, I soared through the kiddie levels and led the class in those upper Gold/ Silver testing levels. As a result, reading was never really a satisfying experience for me, but a task I raced to finish.

There are a few writers who have ultimately enticed me like John Irving, Michael Chabon, the occasional David Sedaris and of course Armistead Maupin. But with the onset of the digital era, I am more content reading a blog, a newspaper article, cooking books or short stores at best.

This does NOT mean libraries have no worth to me. I loved the Erie downtown library as a child and a trip there was heaven. But I remember getting films to watch on an old projector as much as getting a children's book. Now they let you borrow a fishing pole to walk down to the dock and fish. I utilize my local library for access to tons of music; both audio and sheet. My cabaret career owes much to the public library. My sister is a librarian and has tons of resources she has pointed out to me that go far beyond books. I even use my local branch for printing out documents since my personal printer is more expensive to replace ink cartridges. It is a small but mighty building, an original Carnegie library.

 
Which all leads to this inspiring catalogue of historic and spellbinding buildings that are indeed institutions. If it were a choice between a museum, a cathedral or a library - I don't think I would hesitate. To me even a bookstore holds more treasures. The 19 listed in this collection are mind boggling. Sadly I have not been to a single one. I should add a few to my traveling Bucket List. Please give them a quick glance.


 Buzzfeed Iconic Libraries

Sainte-Genvieve Library - Paris France

Boston Public Library

National Library - Vienna, Austria

Women and the Trees They Love

This will be the first of a few holiday blog posts that are all based on photo albums with a certain theme. Holiday pictures are a staple among most of us. And they can be predictable, especially with social media. The office Christmas party, a meal out at a special restaurant, our finished tree or the house lights, and of course countless pics of our dear children on the laps of Santa's across the country. But each of my posts will find a different tangent that is both traditional but also unexpected. 

This one features our tradition of the indoor Christmas tree. The original folklore came from the Lutherans of Germany & Latvia as a symbol of life throughout the cold winter season by bringing the evergreens indoors. As the Victorian era entered, they were then popular with simple decorations of colored paper chains, popcorn, apples and lit candles. The US escalated those trends with the addition of electric light strings in the 40's and everyone exploded with concepts of glass globes, candy canes, gingerbread men and exotic tree toppers.

You know how we often think that people resemble their pets, especially their dogs? This collage of vintage holiday photos show how the suburban woman of the house reflected the trends in her trees. I am guessing most are from the mid 50s into the late 60s. Kitsch was in fashion and trees became less "life like" and artificiality was embraced as style. The line between garish and fashion was blurry to be sure. But you cannot deny that they were unique as well as special.

Enjoy the few that I have posted and check out the link for all 43 photos.

Vintage Everyday - Holiday snapshots