Post Cards from Nowhere, pt. 5

Either this poor, absolutely helpless and clueless man is utterly unable to get dressed without his daughter's assistance - or - his daughter has taken a fancy to his only shirt and run away with it.

This one seems to be both to and from Canaan, MO, although I can't blame Anna Weymeyer for spending the penny rather than walk the message out to R.F.D. No. 1 herself.

Post Cards from Nowhere, pt. 4

Crackers. That's pretty much it. It's a cracker store. Uneeda Biscuit, Saltine Biscuits, Graham Crackers, and Zu Zu, plus a life-sized picture of a box of Uneeda Biscuits on the wall behind the counter, in case you forget what they look like. I would think that a picture of a naked cracker would have been more appealing.

Will call on
Louis F. Meinert
Evansville Indiana
{and a street address that's hard to read}

Post Cards from Nowhere, pt. 3

 

Isn't she adorable, this bathing beauty at the beach? Captioned "A Water Lilly." The writing on the front says "Come on in the water is great - {illegible - probably sender's name} Troy -" I know it means Troy NY because that's where it was postmarked on January 10, 1905. (that 75¢ was the price I paid for the card many years later). It's addressed to:

Miss Toots Llewellyn
Clifton Springs
Ont. Co. (Ontario County) New York

Now, I think that this must have been a gag card, because New York is not a place to swim in the winter - even bundled up like that. You would need to be a Polar Bear to do that comfortably...

...and speaking of Polar Bears, there are people all over the country (maybe the world) who have a tradition of jumping in the icy water on New Year's Day, and they call themselves Polar Bears. In Austin, I'm not so sure I'd give them the same cred. They jump into Barton Springs Pool, which is a spring fed pool with a constant year-round temperature of 70° (not warm enough for me ever, but that's not the point) and the high temperatures that day ranged between 60° and 70°. Not exactly "polar," not *yet* anyway. In fact, it has been downright pleasant lately. I was sitting outside in flipflops and a light wrap on New Year's Eve (but they were my dressy flipflops)
;-)

Post Cards from Nowhere, pt. 2

Postmarked Aug 28, 1910. The writing on this one is hard to decipher into anything that makes sense.

As I've been looking through these old post cards, I've done searches on the people named on them. This postcard recipient (Miss Besse Vincent) was apparently a fine cook, with recipes in the "Grayville Cookbook - 1912-1913" Lobster a la Newburg, and Fondant For Chocolate Cream. I guess no matter how far back you go and how insignificant it seems, you can still end up with a permanent internet presence.

Obviously Besse was well-bred and not a hillbilly like my people. I remember when my aunt (the one who had moved from rural Illinois to the fancy burbs around Chicago, married a corporate lawyer and turned Republican - even befriending W. Clement Stone, a $10 million contributor to Nixon) said she was bringing hors d'oevres to the family gathering - everybody (behind her back, of course) raised pinkies, pushed their noses up and made fun of what a snoot she had become with her fancy-schmancy hors d'oevres.

Those city ways!

Post Cards from Nowhere, pt. 1

For all you Staycationers (or Workationers) out there taking virtual trips, I am starting a series of Post Card scans. Hopefully, most of these will make the place you are now seem like a sweeter deal. This is from Stuttgart, Arkansas, and shows some heads sticking up out of a rice field.

postmarked Jan 21, 1911
addressed to:

Mrs. Ed Heidemann
Brighton IL
Macoupin Co.
25

Dear Sister: --
Well words never can tell the beautiful country down here. Everybody is putting in garden and plowing dont have to wear any coats the violets are in bloom wish you could really be with us.
Meal & Gus

ADDENDUM late Saturday:
Stuttgart, Arkansas, claims to be the "Rice and Duck Capital of the World."