Last month Dave, friends, and I attended the Annual Grand National Roadster Show located in Ponoma, California. This is Dave's favorite car show and I have a feeling it will become a tradition for us to attend every year. There is a lot to look at, cars, bands, vendors, etc. We always manage to spend a whole day there and still feel like there was more to see. Dave is lucky I like looking at cars. I feel like they are just as important to viewing into our past as clothing fashions are. I took several pictures and had several favorites. Below are just a portion of the pictures I took that day.
This car was amazing as it was in complete original condition. Meaning paint, interior, and all exterior were as they were the day the car was first purchased. I especially loved the travel souvenir stickers on the windows.
This year's theme was Tiki!!! There were lots of tiki related displays and even Hawaiian dancers. They had one show room that was just filled with nothing but Woodie cars.
I also made a point to stop in Doug Horne's art booth and say hi! I purchased two really cool tiki themed Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein prints to be put up at Halloween. He noticed and complimented my Tiki Tony Murphy necklace I was wearing. Be sure to check out his website featuring his amazing artwork.
I wore a repro tiki themed circle skirt and vintage sweater. The skirt was a killer thrifting find which I was lucky enough to come across just one week prior to the event. Talk about timing!
I want want want all the below props, especially that tiki bar.
The Beatles fan in me absolutely loved this "Yellow Submarine" two in one boat and trailer.
Here's a closer shot of my tiki circle skirt.
Dave was way excited about this car. I love his face in this picture.
This was my favorite car of the day. Totally Jetsons' style with the bubbled window.
Check out that steering wheel!
This was my second favorite. The owner pieced together this beauty for his wife. So sweet!
The push button door opener was different but cool.
About a year ago, Dave and I drove up to Redlands, CA, which is his hometown, to spend the day roaming around town, seeing where Dave grew up, and of course thrifting. We had made plans to take a tour of the Kimberly Crest House but the tours had ended for the day when we arrived. We decided to make a trip back last month to finally take the tour of this magnificent Victorian mansion.
The house was built in 1897 and took just six weeks to build. It's surrounded by many gardens, a citrus grove, angelic statues and fountains, and a carriage house. The house is actually named after it's second owners the Kimberly family who were at the time successful owners of the paper company Kimberly-Clark. It remained their home for the next 75 years.
Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures of the inside. It contained much of the original furnishings which were patterned and styled after designs similar to that of Louis XV and XVI. The home itself is actually not a California owned landmark but rather owned by the "people of Redlands". The Kimberly-Shirk Association is responsible for preserving the estate as well as keeping the history alive.
We were told that the attic has yet to be completely explored and contains many pieces of art, furniture, etc. that have not been touched for more than 100 years. They are always discovering new pieces to add to and place out on display. Boy oh boy do I wish I could spend a day in there just discovering all the wonder it holds! They offer guided tours Thursday through Sunday 1-4pm. Be sure to check it out if you are ever in the area.
The following are my vintage purchases for January 2013:
I found this tiki at a local thrift store. I love the fact that he seems to be holding a four leafed clover.
I found this cute Atenti purse for next to nothing in price. The camping pin up pattern is too cute.
These are vases were likely made in the 1940's around the time the Disney feature film "Bambi" was released. There are no markings to confirm if they are Disney products but cute and purchase worthy regardless.
I found this gold basket at the Long Beach Antiques Market. I'm kicking myself for not buying the matching Kleenex box cover I spotted later. I'm currently using this to hold my sunglasses in my vanity.
The next two photos are an accumulated picture of my recent bangle purchases. The two in the top row of the photo below are not vintage but cute regardless. I bought the faceted yellow Lucite one, green Bakelite spacer, and green Lucite bangles at the Long Beach Antiques Market.
I have been having luck finding bamboo bangles lately. I think I now have plenty! (as in enough)
This gray beaded vintage sweater is yet another Long Beach Antiques Market find.
This yellow fleck blazer was purchased at a local thrift store. I'm looking forward to piecing it together for an outfit soon.
I was hoping to find one of these Norway sweaters for Christmas but ended up finding one after the holidays. I guess I'll just have to save it for next fall.
Cute flower pewter buttons.
This it my final item purchased in January. It's a vintage 1960's short set or jumper. It too was purchased at the Long Beach Antiques Market for a really great price. I know it's 60's (rather than 50's) but I was thinking of bringing it to Las Vegas for Viva.
A few weeks back Dave and I plus friends visited the Long Beach Antique Market. It is held every third Sunday of each month at the Veteran's Stadium. This is a huge market! We felt like we still had a couple rows of vendors to look at before calling it a day. It was also an unusually warm winter day; that mixed with the heat reflecting off the black top made it an easy decision to leave when we did so.
I ended up purchasing a few items (to be featured in my January Thrift Blog) but was actually frustrated with some of the vendors as they were not willing to haggle with price at all. I suppose I need to work on that myself in the future. Below are pictures of Dave and I checking out some treasures (most of which were out of our price range all together but picture worthy regardless).
Who doesn't need an wooden Elvis clock. At $40, I think I'll actually have to pass.
Dave doing his "The Artist" movie impression.
Beautiful Rattan furniture!!
Vintage radios. I love the green one in the middle.
Awesome Moss lamps. I want, I want, I want!!
There was a television crew there filming what seemed to be like a TLC thrift selling show. I did not recognize the blond host (as I don't have cable) and didn't get any better pictures. Just funny to run across this while shopping.
Bakelite galore!
It was really crowded, despite what the pictures show. I wish I had more pictures to share but I was a bit overwhelmed making sure I looked at everything that I could while dodging the crowds.
We ended the day in Huntington Beach with drinks and an early dinner at Don the Beachcomber's. There was a Reggae Fest going on so we were also treated to some cool live music.
We definitely have plans to return to the flea market but will make a point to get there earlier in the future. We have plans to visit the Rosebowl San Bernadino market as well as the Topanga Vintage Market when time is permitting.
MeduSirena the Fire Eating Mermaid
By Suzanne Pestana
I'm sure by now you have taken notice of my slight obsession with all things tiki and Hawaiian by my many thrift related purchases. It truly runs in the blood. My great great grandparents emigrated from the Madera Islands (near Portugal) to Hawaii to work and live on the sugar plantations located in Maui. They later moved to California by way of Hawaii becoming a U.S. Territory on July 7th, 1898. Hawaii later became a U.S. state on August 21, 1959. I recall as a child that many of our family get togethers were Hawaiian themed and I still have many cousins in Hawaii, so it has been a common theme in my life. Most recently I have started learning to play the Ukulele, which was gifted to me by my parents as a birthday gift. I will be the third known generation to play the instrument. Below is a picture of my family circa 1984 at a family reunion. I think I remember they even hired hula dancers for this event. I'm the rugrat in the blue dress. Dave wore the shirt my dad is wearing in this picture the day he proposed to me at the Bali Hai.
Two years ago I was doing a random search on Google for "Tiki" in San Diego, and came across the Tiki Oasis website advertising their annual event held right here in San Diego. I was so excited and am so happy I went as I ended up meeting several amazing new friends that share the same love of all things tiki. I was also introduced to some of the staple "stars" of the event. One which truly stood out for me was MeduSirena the Fire Eating Mermaid.
I believe it was a 20/20 or Night News special that first introduced me to the aquatic sport of swimming and performing like a mermaid. I was taken aback and was in awe of these women and their love of what was considered to be a dying art. I was anxious to learn more about the history of this sport and thought a conversation with Marina Anderson, aka MeduSirena, would do me some good.
Suz - What is your first memory of being introduced to the aquatic art performance act of performing as a mermaid?
Marina - My Father was an avid diver and sailed a lot in the Caribbean. He taught me to free dive at age three. That, combined with my Mother's love for "Old Hollywood" spectacles led to what would evolve to become my aquatic performances later on.
Suz - Where do you currently perform?
Marina - I perform all over the globe; where ever there is a workable body of water to perform in. My primary location is at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel's 'Wreck Bar', which is designed like a sunken Spanish Galleon, complete with portholes that look into the Hotel Pool's interior. My work at the Wreck Bar began with a pursuit of preserving these now rare underwater attraction establishments which were so very popular once during the Golden Age of Tourism.
Suz - Do you have any personal inspirations for your love of the sport?
Marina - Certainly! Annette Kellerman, Esther Williams, Freddy Mercury, Eartha Kitt, Newt Perry, Ricou Browning, Ginger Stanley, Diane Webber, Gene Kelly, Iris Chacon, Jacques Cousteau--Oh man, this could take a while...
Suz - What training did you acquire for your performances? What and where was your very first performance?
I have been an ongoing freediver for quite some time now. That combined with my background in Polynesian and Oriental dance has been the platform for my ongoing training. The MeduSirena Swim-style resulted as its own.
Long distance runs,core training, breath hold lap swimming, and a general sense of what flows in an underwater environment are certainly helpful in learning to navigate the liquid space stage medium.
Suz - What has been your very favorite performance to date? Do you have a favorite costume of choice? Perhaps a favorite song to perform to?
Marina - The performances are quite diverse. I certainly LOVED working with Falcon's Treehouse performing for the Virtual Aquarium in Macau. To create such a memorable image that continues to be projected years after is very fulfilling (and besides, I'm a bit of a tech geek).
Any unique situation is terrific! My swim debut at Tiki Oasis was amazing; the entire pool was surrounded, including all the guests crowding on the hotel room porches, watching me swim as a spotlight followed me in the pool. It was a total Esther Williams moment. <3<3
Swimming in Kaua'i made my heart sing, Atlantis in the Bahamas, Palm Springs... Las Vegas... Gosh, really... I just love the adventure that every venue offers. (as long as the water is not freezing!)
My favorite costume was the body paint. It really allowed me to not think about drag and just swim. As for songs; anything with a "mood". Love retro Exotica but also like some 80's tunes.
Suz - When did you start performing at Tiki Oasis and how did you become involved?
Marina - I've had the pleasure of knowing Otto since my Mai-Kai dancing days back in 2000. I had been performing for some time by then, and was honored to be invited to Tiki Oasis X as a headliner. So that was the start of the TO adventure. It has made me a happy bi-coastal performer. I LOVE performing for the TO crowds!
Suz - Do you have any personal or professional goals with your performance acts?
Marina - To meet and thank the Japanese Ama and Korean Haenyo who are the "real deal". To continue to refine the MeduSirena Style of swimming (it will always be evolving), and offer it to more aspiring swim performers. To see those few Porthole pool bars survive and thrive to the point of expansion... a revival of aquatic performances. To give Ricou Browning a HUGE hug and thank him for all his amazing underwater work in film & television. To hold Esther Williams' hand and tearfully thank her (happy tears of course).
Suz - Do you have any suggestions for someone that might want to pursue this sport? Do you offer lessons or provide training for interested parties?
Marina - Physically make yourself the best you possibly can. That means, eat well, exercise, take care of that bod (its a rental- ya gotta return it at the end of it all) and train, train, train.
Yes, I do offer training in the MeduSirena "Aquaticat" Style of swimming, and offer workshops wherever I'm called to do them in the U.S and all over the globe. I also help to train models in underwater work and serve as a stunt swimmer and consultant for underwater scenes in film.
Suz - I'd like to thank Marina for letting me interview her about her fascinating body of work. It's truly inspiring to see how she is keeping the art alive! If you would like to know more about Marina, please check out the links below to both her Facebook and website pages.
