A Blast From the Past!!

Surfing my pictures today, looking for the ones I took of my Mom's Tea Pots, I came across My collection of Ephemera, yes I know I'm always surprised to realize I'm a secret hoarder, but honestly I really never planned any of it! Everyone wants to know where I keep all this stuff, but my attic is totally empty, and I do have closet space yet to be filled! The collection I am about to show you, is from my time as a teenager, when we lived in England. I lived  there from the age of twelve thru sixteen, 36 miles south of London in Maidstone Kent/NAS West Malling , and I can't tell you how much my Family enjoyed our time there. When I was fourteen, Me and all my girlfriends would ride the train into London and spend the day shopping, visiting Tea Houses, looking at all the Teddy Boys,  (hoods) they were always the cutest!! Oh God with their Stove Pipe Pants, (skinny jeans), Winklepicker Shoes, (looong pointed toes), great pompadours and black leather studded jackets...I'm telling you they were visions to us! This was in the late 50's early 60's, Mini skirts, Beehive Hair, High heels, and White Lipstick, oh yeah, we were rock'n it! We would go to the Granada in London to see all the Rock shows, and I mean when you saw one, it was a loaded show, at least five top performers, Cliff Richards, Billy Fury, Adam Faith,Chubby Checkers, Bobby Vee, Little Richard, on and on, I saw them all! Can you imagine today letting your young teens  get on a train and traveling somewhere to go shopping??? Gods you can't even let them ride their bikes around the corner! So glad I was born when I was, I don't think anything can beat growing up in the 50's and 60's, ahhh the music led our lives, Rock was bust'n out just like we were! I would go to the store every week and buy Boyfriend Magazine, oh this was a great teen mag with all the scoop on the stars and great hair and makeup tips, and a romantic cartoon series, that you just couldn't wait to read each week! Then the piece de resistance was their centerpage foldout!!! Usually a Male Movie Star or Rock Star! Well I saved a couple of the mags, but all of the centerfolds! I bet I've got pics of Elvis you've never even seen!! Oh and don't get me started on the two scrap books I have filled with clippings from the Mirror News Mag. I don't know what the English News Papers are like now, but they used to be wonderful! Well let me get back to my collection, I keep it all in this little suitcase, and it is filled with all kinds of great stuff! I mean I even have the Menu's from the Ocean Liner USS United States (first class) that we rode over to England on in 1958!! Geesh so much I want to talk about, I get side tracked....

The treasures unfold...

All my programs from the Best Rock Shows Ever!! Dion (Run Around Sue)(got his autograph) Bobby Vee,(Bounce'n Ball) The Shadows and Gary U S Bonds ( Quarter to Three)!! Brings a tear...

Words to two Great Songs!!!

Lord the Stones when they were young...and The Rocky Horror Show, when it was The Show!! Paul Anka (Lonely Boy) oh and I was drawing then too! Oh and the cute little picture one of my English school mates drew, she named it Brigitte ! sniff..

Boyfriend Mags, Richard Chamberlain (Dr Kildare), Young Elvis (got tons of his pics) and George Hammilton.

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Troy Donahue, God did you see the Movie Summer Place??? Swoon..George Chakiris and James Daren, oh and in the back, Michael Landon (Bonanza)
Isn't this a trip!  and I mean a good one down memory lane! I have so many many more, but I think this is
enough to show, but I just had to add in my picture of Jayne Mansfield (late 1960' s)

When I was 19, I modeled shoes for the Great Shoe Designer Joseph LaRose for 2 1/2 years, and when Jayne Mansfield came to Jacksonville, just to buy his shoes, I got her autograph!!

Like'n My Lichen!

After my moment of forgetting, I decided to go through the pictures I have stored on my computer, and came across some unusual shots I'd taken in the back yard. This is the picture of a Market Umbrella that we've had for the last 12 years! I mean this umbrella has never been brought inside, and we only close it if there are high wind warnings from Tropical Storms or God Forbid Hurricanes. Usually when I close it up, I am busy look'n around the yard to see if there is anything else that might blow over in the storm. But this one day, I just happened to notice the actual umbrella itself, it was covered in the most beautiful Lichen, kinda like a bluish green color, or what I call Verdigris Green, one of my favorite colors in the garden! There were some of the most beautiful shapes, and it was kind of like look'n at an underwater reef.

Now this is 12 years of rain, sun, shade, humidity and heat, ok throw in a couple of freezes too! Here at the Beaches we really don't get the hard freezes too often. But isn't this like a cool Science Experiment!

I mean it's like a Moon Scape! I just love all the ruffles and fuzzy bits. I have this same type of Lichen that grows on the branches of the old Oak Trees that hang over the back yard. Nature at its best!

A Moment of ....

Today I was looking through my Facebook News Feed, and I saw a dress that reminded me of a friend. Well I wanted to share the picture on her Facebook page, because I just knew she would love to see it. The thing was, when I hit the share button and went to type in her name, I couldn't remember it, I mean I could see her face, but her name was gone!! So I thought if I think of her husbands name, surly it will come to me. You know like Dick and Jane, or Bob and Mary.But then I couldn't think of his name either, so sitting there with both of their faces in my mind, I started to panic! I stood up and went to the front door to look outside, thinking if I just take my mind off of the situation, their names will come to me, then I walked to the dining room, and circled back through the kitchen to my computer, still seeing their faces, but their names a total blank! I'm telling you, it was the most scariest moments I've spent, well..ever. I started to cry, and I walked back to the bath where Wayne was taking a shower, he was now at the sink brushing his teeth, he turned to look at me, and saw the tears streaming down my face. I said "Wayne what was the name of the couple we went to the auction with"? Now these are friends that we have known a long time, and all I could use as a reference was an auction we attended together.He said their names, and I just started bawling, I said "Oh God Wayne, I couldn't remember their names"! "I mean I truly could not remember"! "I saw their faces, but that was it"! He said "Rena you just had a moment of forgetfulness, everybody has them"! and he started laughing and kinda gave me a noogie. But it felt so much more than just forgetting, I mean there was no recall at all!! It has taken me all day to shake that feeling. I was so thankful to hear the front doorbell ring, and see my Granddaughter standing there in her cute bikini! She had just come from a friends pool and decided to stop at our place to shower and have some lunch. Seeing her at the age of 16, all young and fresh looking, and with that sweet smell of youth, it just lifted me up! Wow don't you wish...well, you know..