Sunday, November 26, 2006

It burns, ow!

That nasty storm that buffeted BC last week blew down an electrical cable in the back yard, singing a tree with crackly pink sparks. An enormous amount of blue smoke made it appear bigger than the minor nuisance it caused. The tree itself hardly suffered much and it's still there, on the edge of Highway 99 behind the house.

Speaking of pink flames, I'd rather find them in the fireplace for the sole purpose of keeping us warm and toasty till next April.

Visiting Victoria

Dave, Mona and I took a quick jaunt to Victoria on the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island last week, right in the middle of a stormy patch of miserable weather. To remind me of why I left my birthplace for good ten years ago, I shot this from a car deck aboard BC Ferries. Cold as an ex-boyfriend. Bleh.

As you'll scroll further, the most noteworthy event was a walkabout through Ross Bay Cemetary.

Above/below: fine examples of funereal symbolism.



The back of a marker commemorating the lives of two young people.

Although her portrait graces Mr. Bossi's epitaph, Mrs. Bossi is not buried by her husband, but about 100 feet away in a less artful looking plot. This is the only tangible example I know of a married couple taking their domestic squabbles to their grave(s).

"It is a rotten world. {Artful politicians are its bane} It's saving grace is the artlessness of the young and the wonders of the sky."

There is an archive photo in the provincial museum of John Dean leaning against his tablet after that 'politician bit' was tacked on, proving in fact that it was not a posthumus correction.

The 'Pimp' plot, formerly Grimp. Someone cunning peeled off a select portion of lead lettering at least twenty years ago; the time when I first stumbled upon it.

The imfamous 'blue angel' of Ross Bay. Many restoration attempts by kind volunteers haven't completely removed the blue spray paint from this very ornate marble grave marker. Karma is sure to get the dude who took her lovely right hand (open palm, relaxed fingers with manicured nails as I remember it).

Time for Quiet Reflection

Lets leave Ross Bay, shall we? Victoria really is a place for 'newlyweds and nearly-deads'. Nice big trees tho'.

Christ Church Catherdral is one of the great architectural gems on the Island. Very peaceful.

I took this pic late in the day and all the votives were spoken for, otherwise I would have lit one for myself.

A break in the soggy weather prompted me to take an ancestor worship break at another cemetary, Royal Oak, at the other side of town. The incense was Dave's idea (good call). I hope granpa isn't freaked out by the 'big white guy' visiting him with his granddaughter.

New Additions

Two more for the road, and another 40-50's Tom Thumb in a nice matte kelly green. It's great when they come into my possession in great condition.

This American Flyer doesn't look at all like a toy. Then again, imaginations abounded in mass quantities back in the 20's.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Taking a break from firewood to blog

Dave was kind enough to take a fleeting pic of me looking like a squatting troll at the back of Nibbles the truck doing firewood in lieu of blogging, the reason why I've been so absent lately. Watch your back **ahem** I mean, I luv you Dave.

Whistler can be very nice at times...

and a stone cold teet on a frozen baby bottle the next day. Literally.



The new deck will have to wait another 7 months before it sees another dinner entertained on it. We've had just one, but it was a very satisfying one.

Wine Rack 2.2


Poor thing... I've built it twice, redesigned it twice and hence the 2.2 distinction. I can live with this version and it stores the few bottles we have in the kitchen of mostly African wines. believe it or not, it's made of common plywood scraps and little bits of cedar.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Collecting Cash Registers

I hinted of posting these examples a while ago and here they are. Green and blue matching Registers frm Western Stamping Co. I Love that they are scaled down versions of their adult counterparts.



This one has a dial for ringing in different kinds of pretend merchandise and a thing on the side for printing out pretend receipts.



The only Tom Thumb in my collection made in England, and it came with extra pretend coinage.

This one has no manufacturers stamp and promptly stopped working after I gave it a new paint job and window. Darn.

Ooh la la, very pink!

Kamkap register in sanitary looking pressed sheet steel.

Another cash register from England, this time it's in pence and shilling denominations.

These two tiny black registers are about 80 years old and by Durable Toy and Novelty. They still ding loudly when the till opens.



These two are respectively by Aster (Japan) and Dunham (USA) and I don't know anything about them. I replaced a few buttons on the Aster with a bit of hot glue and paint.



The most impractical one of the bunch. The whole thing has to be turned upside down and shaken to make the buttons pop out for replay. No sense putting money in it, is there?

Things Other Than Toy Cash Registers

Once in a while, a previous toy owner (usually children) will leave a memento inside like this teeny-weenie handmade newsprint money. I've got twenty smackeroos!

My dearly departed uncle once had this on his dresser. I use it on my desk and it still works great.

The KAY-an-EE Toy SewMaster, "proudly made in Berlin-US Zone".

Maybe the only place you'll ever see a red Zimphone. In the 50's, Two sisters had matching zimphones and talked for hours in separate bedrooms (I'm imagining pink walls and poodle prints). Fast forward 55 years later and I pick up one of the pair on eBay. It takes 6 D-cell batteries to operate.