The Penny Scale

There was one of these in the local diner in my home town.  It was next to the restrooms and it cost a penny.  That is it did when it worked.  The people who owned this one were smart enough to put it next to a picnic ground. I guess the American obsession with weight is nothing new.

The Cup

The Stanley Cup finals begin next week.  I was born in a small town 50 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, and I'll be rooting for the Penguins.  This photo is labeled, "The Springfield Indians, Springfield, Mass."  The Indians played in the AHL from 1954 to 1967, and won the Calder Cup three years in a row.  The 1959-60, 1960-61, and 1961-62 seasons.  I've been going through club photos, and I think this one is from the 60-61 season, said to be the greatest team in league history.  I'm not 100% certain, but I think number 2 in the second row is Ken Schinkel, who went on to play, and coach the Pittsburgh Penguins.

So, you read it here first, Pens in 6.  Sorry Nashville.

When Ya Gotta Go

Ya gotta go.  Has anyone else noticed there are fewer and fewer public restrooms.

At the Zoo

Written on the back, "Taken at the Continental Divide."  Those of us of a certain age can remember when it was possible to travel the country, going from one roadside zoo to another.  Most of them were pretty much like the one in this photo.  Wooden pens, dirty, and way too small for the animals being exhibited.

Canary In Danger

Drunk grandpa decides to get rid of the damn canary.  But how to do it without granny finding out?

Joyce Needs To Puke

Written on the back, "April 1953 Joyce Jones."  I'll bet it was alcohol.

The Here, There, and Everywhere Collection-Murray Hill

So, the war's over, the men are back, and the women have left their wartime work and wait at home, in the suburbs, for their husbands to come home.  Just like a John Cheever story.

Murray Hill is a town in New Jersey, and it's connected to New York City by train.  No doubt this lady's husband got on the morning train to Hoboken, got the ferry to Manhattan and worked in an office.  Then, at the end of the day it was back to Murray Hill, a martini and the perfect children.  At least that's the stereotype.

This post is the back side of yesterday's entry. Click on The Here There and Everywhere Collection in labels to see other images.

The Here, There, and Everywhere Collection-Suburban Life

So, I bought an envelope full of photos that the dealer told me came from an estate sale, and are all related.  As I've noted from the first post, I have my doubts.  For more details, click on the Here There and Everywhere Collection in labels for more details, and to see other parts of the collection.

Say suburbia, and most people think of the fifties and the post war housing boom.  I don't have a date on this album page, but forties or fifties is a definite possibility.  Note the Popular Science magazine in the rack next to the couch in the first photo.  The magazine wasn't aimed at scientists, but it's readership was mostly people with a bit better education than the general public.

The Shoe Lady's Photographer?

I found this photo in the same box as the photos from the shoe lady series, it's the same format, same era, and same type of paper.  I'm guessing that this guy was her photographer, although, of course, there's no way I can verify that.  The Pride of the Yankees, from the movie theater marquee in the background, dates this photo to 1942.  Too, the camera looks like a Busch Pressman, a great camera.  Click on Shoe Lady in labels to see what I've found so far.

The Shoe Lady In Profile

It's the shoe lady in profile.  At least I think it's her.  This time, she's not standing on someone's shoulders.  Click on shoe lady in labels if none of this makes sense.

S. S. Alcoa Pennant

It's not often that I get to post something with an exact date, but I can with this one.  The Alcoa Pennant was launched on June 6, 1941.  She was built by Consolidated Steel at their shipyards in Wilmington, California.   The ship was built for The Alcoa Steamship Company and was supposed to transport bauxite, but World War 2 changed all that.  After completion, including the addition of deck guns, on January 26, 1942, the Alcoa Pennant was put on indefinite charter by the U.S. Navy, and despite her slow speed, and time spent in war zones, manged to survive the conflict.  She was scrapped in Mobile, Alabama in May, 1965.

The Here, There, and Everywhere Collection-The Flip Side

From the same page as the last post, just the other side.  Since there was only one photo on the page, I didn't see the need to show position.  Click on The Here There and Everywhere Collection in labels to see more.

The Here, There, and Everywhere Collection-Children and Water

In a nutshell, I bought an envelope of photographs, and was told they all came from an estate sale.  Maybe they did, maybe they didn't.   In any case, click on The Here There and Everywhere Collection in labels for more info and to see other parts of the collection.  It'll be awhile before it all gets posted.

So, why the title?  Well, take a close look at the top photo, and you can see sprinklers watering something, and in the bottom, kids are slurping away at a water fountain while the bespectacled adult looks into the camera.  This album page must have come from an upper middle class family, at least.  How many working class people put their sons in such fancy clothes?