Day 66: More Pictures In and Around the House, 80s Edition

What have we here? Why, it's the Bromomobile, bidding goodbye to 19th Street in December 1980. At that time I lived in the Oxford house in Koreatown, but after the Nova's tumble and flip down an embankment in the hills above KPFK - I was not the driver! - it was towed to my parents' house, in order to lower the property values in the neighborhood. I never knew they had taken these slides before it went to the junkyard.

I'm amazed at all that greenery! Otherwise, the street looks about the same.

Here's my cousin Paul on the balcony; he would have been on leave from the army. My mother would have taken this shot. Those metal chairs are still there, but that air plant on the wall is long gone. Sometime in the 90s the house was painted green; I preferred the dark wood cabin-y look.

My brother, Kurt, seems engrossed in something on television. As I have mentioned before, that sofa is now downstairs, but the afghan is in the same position on the "new" (i.e., 1984) couch.

The view from the balcony. We don't have all those plants anymore, but we still have the slide!

Day 65: Valley of the Dirty Dolls Part Four

It's been a while since I've served up some old dolls, but I was inspired by my nephew Luke's "artwork" this evening; he took a cheapo modern Bratz-type doll and turned her into a blood-spattered murderess with some of my nail polish. (He also painted her collar to match her miniskirt.)

I have another box of dolls to photograph before I'm done, so I'll see what's left from the first photo session.

This flame-haired dirndl-wearing beauty is merely a bit frizzy and mucky. She seems to have escaped the dreaded doll mold.

 

 I am not sure I can even think of an appropriate comment for this one!

So I'll just have to show you more of him... He's got those Village of the Damned eyes, though in a beautiful shade of light blue.

 Here's another who only needs a good scrubdown in the bath...

 

Although she does have a bit of doll mold on her eyelids and lashes...

 The End. (At least of this part!)

Day 64: The Dead Pen Pal Box Part Four

"This is a really bad letter." The pen pal version of a Dear John letter. Gayle and I had written to each other for a couple of years; I can't remember if I was mad, but I do love how she closes with "Friends always", and almost gloats about the horse I would never see nor even hear about!

 In the same envelope, Gayle sent me this stupid chain letter. Of course I didn't do it (twenty copies?!) - I never once did one of these. I am not sure what happened on the fourth day, but I did not lose any large sums of money in 1974.

Actually, let's look closely at this thing. You are to receive good luck "in the mind"? What does that mean? "Send twenty (20) copies of this letter to people you think need good luck." Twenty copies each?! What' the A.R.S. office? What prayer? I don't understand the General Walsh thing. He ignored this thing; his wife croaked, and then he won $775K! Double indemnity?

 Ronda is sorry. So she decorates a flower with my name.

But the envelope this letter came in was something else:

Marsha lived on a farm in Kansas. This was about the length of many of her letters, but this one ends suddenly. Or more precisely, does not end.

And hark - what's this?

"No I don't speak any other languages. Except the language of love."

I obviously pointed out that she had not finished her letter in my reply, and asked for an explanation of the language of love:

"The language of love is when you just look into someone's eyes and your eyes say what you want to say. Why did you ask me that question anyway?"

Wow, a five hour motorcycle ride; I hope he had a Harley! (She was 12 here, by the way.)

"Well, I better go now. It'll be Thursday in about 2 minutes."

 ********************************

I didn't often stop writing to pen pals and the few times I did, I matched them up with somebody else. I continued to receive letters from my name being printed in the Archie comic book for a couple of years, and a 14 year old boy wrote to me. I matched him up with Martha.

I do hope Marsha and Bill Phillips had a long and prosperous penpalship. And, if they ever met, that he spoke the language of love.

Day 63: Yet More Photos Taken In and Around the House

We just found a pile of photos that my mother had put in a box. Most were ones that had been sent or given to her by friends and relatives, or shots she took around the house to use up a roll of film. But there was also the odd Poloroid, or extra prints.

My parents looked after their friends' the Schumann's kitten for three weeks in the late 90s. I helped, once I returned from petsitting somewhere else. I am trying to remember his name! He is on the bar, next to the pachinko machine. That's my pink hat and a Christmas card (with the cat face) below him.

 I was 5000 miles away when many of these photos were taken. At some point in the 90s my parents bought a thermal pool cover. My father was very particular about the way one should put it on or take it off, which was a bit maddening at times. But at least he finally realized you didn't really have to get in the pool with all your clothes on to do it!

At some point the back fence was painted green, and the butterflies came down. I have no idea what happened to them.

You can see the "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree in its planter on the right.

Here it is in use, in 2003 if the date on the print is correct. It lasted five or six years, maybe more.

While we're at Christmas, this was on the wall behind the little tree:

And here's my mom addressing her Christmas cards in the dining room. This was marked 1996 on the back. I think these were photos sent by a holiday houseguest that year. By the way, that white birdcage thing is still there in the upper corner, and that silver bauble thing is still hanging from the lamp.

Slightly out of focus mom, in same position but showing the kitchen. You can see the bulletin board next to the fridge; I can assure you that some of the contents are the same, 18 plus years later. That was my grandmother's china cupboard (Anyone out there have need of one?); we were just washing most of the contents this past weekend.

Here my dad is wearing the shirt I showed in a previous entry. He's in the den, my brother's old room, and you can see part of his vast 78s collection and my equally vast Barbie and snowstorm collection. Behind him is a mounting board with some softened insects pinned to it. That desk was later moved to the bug room; it was my childhood desk from when we lived in Gardena.

Day 62: Stuff on the Walls Part Three

There's a lot of stuff on the walls here; I'm not even sure I've finished photographing it all.

In the family room my father had a very large custom built cabinet to hold moth cases. The outside he covered with cork. It's where I would display my Christmas cards each year that I was around, but this is what normally was pinned up there:

This below, however, I put up, sometime in the early 00s. It was done by Audrey Herbertson and is my favorite drawing ever, or at least apart from the one done in the sixties by Audrey's mom and myself of the combined Leuschner Lutze family, which unfortunately is, I think, lost.

I don't mind that Adam, around 7 or 8 here, towers above me, and that I look a bit like Phyllis Diller. Audrey has given me some hot pink earrings, Twiggy eyelashes, a multi-heart and Hello Kitty trimmed frock and blue boots. Not sure what those objects are in the top left portion; perhaps some bone fragments from our imaginary friend, The Scary Skeleton?

The writing has faded, but this is mine, too, from my first trip to Africa in 2004.

 

 I am embarrassed to admit I cannot remember this artist's name. He was at Bergamot Station for a few weeks around the turn of the century; he would do these paintings, a bunch at a time, on old boards, hundreds a day. It's cartoonish and primitive but I like this sort of stuff better than most modern art. They were really cheap, too, five or ten bucks each. Therefore I have a lot of them. Quality AND quantity!

Knott's Berry Farm has taken out their groovy black and white photo booth - boo hiss! Below Luke's and my photos is a drawing from Luke. And some eye pencils. (This is in my room.)

Day 61: The Posters on My Wall Part Two

 Must have got this at a record store or something in 1979. I used three songs off this LP for the soundtrack of a video film I made that year, which I need to get transferred from Beta.

I think this one was from work; they were on CBS. I can't remember when they stopped selling 8-tracks, but they were still alive and well in the late seventies

I have no recollection of where or when I got this poster.

I think this was from that place that advertised in Creem though I'm not sure if I sent away for it or if someone gave it to me. I think the latter.

I went to this exhibition at the ICA in the late seventies.

Another poster from that place in the back of Creem...

Think I bought this one in London...

A fly poster from when I lived in Dave Hall's house in Leeds. Yes, I was at this gig; it was in 1983.

When were there ever dress restrictions?!

Day 60: More Photos Taken In and Around the House

Selfie in the downstairs bathroom mirror, 1978. I managed to avoid the flash reflection problem, but should have got out the Windex, I suppose. Of course the wallpaper, bead curtain (not seen here) and shower door are still the same today.

 Snoozing brings peace and harmony. Daisy the cockapoo, who loved both the kitties, Zowie the cat who survived the dryer and only tolerated Daisy, and Tabitha, who despised them both, on my parents' bed. The lamp on the nightstand, from the Grand Canyon, is still there, as is the cedar chest next to it. Rotary phone replaced sometime in the eighties. Paperwork would have belonged to my father; probably church treasurer figures as I see a calculator.

Embarrassing shot I found in one of my mom's photo albums. This would have also been late 1978; my fringe/bangs having been recently bleached as my mother kept complaining about the Pinkissimo Crazy Colours shade (I think she paid me...) This is the living room; that couch is still here but is now downstairs. The afghan, made by my grandmother is on the 1984 couch, about three feet away from me right now. I am doing homework, probably Linguistics. The Morris book bag was a gift from Dan and Toni Winter's mom. That small dark object on my left shoulder is Todd Rundgren's guitar pick, which I wore on a chain around my neck. And hark! In front of the book bag are a couple letters that probably arrived that day. But I cannot tell who they are from.

Same couch a few months later. This is March 1979 and that is my German pen pal, Christel, who was visiting her aunt in Orange County. A lot of the things on the shelves behind us are still on those shelves. Kristin graduation photo at nine o'clock. Not quite sure what the spaceship was, though I see a box labeled UFO. It was around my birthday so if you gave me this thing and I have forgotten, please forgive me.

I guess my mother was trying to use up a roll of film. This would have been from the late seventies too, although those DeGrazia paintings remained up there until this year. Most of the objects on the mantelpiece are now on those other shelves; I see all the birds and most of the vases. That orange pillow resided there for decades; I think it only was thrown out recently. Or maybe it's still lurking here somewhere.

 Some kind of party my parents threw for their church friends. They seem to be watching something on TV. Though the guy in the leather jacket is watching something in the other direction.

 Same party I think, in the dining room. Now it's looking like Saint Patrick's Day!

 My sister on the balcony in her confirmation dress, 1974. Not many of those trees in the background are left now.