Wigwam Village Souvenirs

I am completely in love with the Wigwam Village built in 1937, located in Cave City, Kentucky.

I have been able to "Sleep in a Wigwam" twice there, which is so much fun!

Mr. Husband Sir got me two vintage souvenirs from the village for Christmas last year, multiplying my little collection to three pieces!

The small plaster teepee above measures about 4 inches tall.  It was bought from the original owner that had gotten it as a souvenir as a child in the 1950s.

I have two linen postcards, the one on the right being the newest addition.

The one on the left is postmarked 1940, from Cave City

The message on the back says:

"Got here about 7:00 last night.  Getting ready to go to Cemetery.  Levie didn't sleep much Wed morn.  She left about 1:00.  I had a woman stay all night two nights and made $1.00.  Be home about Mon.  Love Vance"

The postcard on the right is postmarked Feb 26, 1947 and reads:

"We are staying in the Wigwam Village tonight.  Hope to get home near noon on 27th.  Was so nice to see peacocks in Fla.  Quite a surprise. Don't forget to write us.  Love Ida"

During the Thanksgiving 2017 holiday we took a trip and spent the week in Kentucky.   On the way back home we spent the day in Cave City and checked on the wigwams.

I love them, love them, love them!

Here are a couple of past wigwam adventures:

Sleep in a wigwam!
Kentucky Fried Wigwam Night

Cat Hair Balls!

🎜Cat Hair Balls, Cat Hair Balls!🎝

All over the place!

Don't look now, here one comes smack right in your face!

🎜Cat Hair Balls, Cat Hair Balls!🎝

Get 'em while their hot!

Today is National Hairball Awareness Day!

Why not celebrate with a batch of yummy edible hairballs!

Simply melt a bag of butterscotch chips in a double boiler.

Dump a bag of crunchy chow main noodles in a big bowl.

Pour melted chips over noodles and toss till all is covered.

Scoop out hairball dollops and place onto waxed cookie sheets.  

Let them set til firm, then enjoy! 

Naughty Nudie Glasses

These Pin Up glasses were one of the first vintage items I ever bought.  I found them at a yard sale for 5 bucks over 20 years ago.  Back then I used to actually drink out of them.  When you put an icy beverage in the glass the artist palette "disappears" revealing a peek-a-boo scene.

 The water slide decals have become extremely brittle and I have ceased using them as drinking glasses for quite some time, hoping to keep them intact.  I display them in a cabinet in the living room now.  During our last move, 7 years ago, one of the gals got broken.

I have been holding on to the pieces, knowing I should toss them, but couldn't bring myself to it.  I decided to get all the gals together for a little photo shot one last time.  I scotch taped the glass somewhat together in the top photo.  I am now thinking that doesn't look so bad!  I had plans of making myself toss her out after I got the photo but maybe there is some kick still left in her!

Here is the rest of the gang for their close ups:

While searching on the nets I happen to find the original order form from my very set of glasses!
"Magical Artist Model Glasses"

Broken gal is featured and along the bottom of the card are all the rest, five in the set.

I can't 'break' up the set!

Elberta Jurassic Park

Mr. Husband and I took a day trip out to Elberta, AL a couple of years ago to see the sites.  We checked out a neat antique store complete with live bluegrass music.  We then went on a hunt to find all of the large as life literally roadside attractions...they are just there, off of a road.  The largest is the life sized replica of Stonehenge, called Bamahenge.  Then there are a sprinkling of random dinosaurs that I have decided to name.  Above is Terrence the T-Rex and then there's...

Trixie the triceratops.

and Jethro...the slackjaw-yokel-asaurus.

We also came across this larger than life metal spider sculpture on the grounds of the nearby marina.

Mr. Husband as the serving suggestion.

At the marina, in the water, is sometimes a huge floating woman head and knees.  But the day we went she must have been off having her knees waxed or something because we couldn't find her.

All of these things are along County road 95 in Elberta, AL.

Bamahenge

On our day trip to Elberta, AL we made our way to find Bamahenge, a fiberglass reproduction of Stonehenge.  I say "find" because it's off of a highway with no signs or explanation.  You're just driving down a 'in-the-middle-of-no-where' road and glance off to see among a group of trees slightly obscured...this.

Mr. Husband used as a ratio comparison.

Stonehedgey! 

There are several other neat odd sculptures around the 'henge.  More up next!

Here are some vague instructions on how to find Bamahenge:

Drive US Hwy 98 either eight miles east of Foley, AL, or 21 miles west of downtown Pensacola, FL. Turn south onto County Rd 95. Drive five miles. Turn right onto Fish Trap Rd. Drive a half-mile. Turn left at the Barber Marina sign. Drive one mile. You'll see Bamahenge on the right, set back among the trees. Park on roadside, path goes 200 yards into woods.

Perdido Beach Trading Company

A couple of years ago Mr. Husband and I took a day trip out to Elberta, Al.  There are loads of neat stuff to see out there.  One place we stopped in at was Perdido Beach Trading Company.  It is housed in an antique gas station/general store looking place.

This is a busy photo but I wanted to show off to the left where the people are.  In that side room a blue grass band gets together on Saturdays to practice/perform!

Here are a few photos of the place, all packed out with neat stuff.

The outside of the building is loaded down with interesting stuff also.  We bought several things, one being this Kroger Peanut Butter Jar.  It's a fun little place.

For the next several posts I am going to put up a few more cool spots to check out in Elberta.

Perdido Beach Trading Company is located
31995 US-98
Elberta, Al 36530

South Of The Border

I use this blog as kind of a memory exercise.   When ever I write a post I recall past posts that relate and I include their links.  But apparently I am heading into dementia.  I could have sworn that I had never posted about going to South of the Border.  I even wrote up this entire post about it.  When I neared the end of the post I recalled having an old post featuring a thrifted SOB souvenir.  I typed in "South of the border" in my blog search and oh my word.  I had wrote a full post already and had even published it during the year it actually happened! 2012!
Well...I am just going to put this one up too.  Some of the photos are different so....enjoy, again.

I can't believe I have never posted about our trip to the mecca of concrete kitsch!

One of the seven wonders of Roadside America:

South of the Border

Dillon, South Carolina

We took a summer trip in 2012 to visit Pedro and all of the over sized critters and confections that take up residency at the South of the Border complex.

This place is simply amazing!

Pun heavy billboards beckon travelers from miles away.

"You never sausage a place!  You're always a wiener at Pedro's!"

  

This 97 foot Pedro sign welcoming travelers is classic gorgeous mid-century roadside! 

So what is South of the Border?  One would think it's a town since it's over 300 acres.  It has gas stations, restaurants, lodging, shops, attractions, and even a bank and fire station... and happens to also be filled with loads of colorful over-sized ''perfect for photo-op'' concrete sculptures.  It is basically a classic tourist trap.

There are so many shops and attractions, we didn't get to see everything.  There is a huge firework shop, perfect to grab some illegal bottle rockets not allowed in North Carolina.  A shop that only sells hats from around the world, which is where PB picked up the fez seen in all the pics.  The place is so big they have a map for guests to navigate the complex!

For a mere 2 bucks you can ride to the top of the 200 foot observation sombrero. Who can pass up a deal like that?

The day we went it was sweltering, so we had to pass on doing some stuff like the train ride and the miniature golf. We had a nice Mexican dinner, did some tacky souvenir shopping, and danced around the brim of the observation sombrero tower.  But the best was taking photos with all the fun concrete horses, gorillas, chickens, flamingos, alligators, ice cream cones, dolphins, dinosaurs, elephants, tortoises, zebras, giraffes, and a jackolope!

I'll let the photos take over.  Here is only a fraction of the ones we took.

Sombrero headed boy.

There isn't a bunch of history out there about South of the Border but here is a bit I picked up:
South of the Border started out as a small beer stand in 1949, conveniently located south of the border of the dry counties of North Carolina in South Carolina, not down Mexico way.  It was a highly visited destination as you can imagine.  It grew from there to include a grill then motel (gotta have some place to sleep it off!).  The owner was one of very few people in the region at the time who employed people of other races and cultures.  He apparently had a stand off involving a rifle when the KKK tried to harm one of his African American employees.  He also invited two immigrants he met during a trip to Mexico to work for him.  They became his right and left hands helping to build up the complex even more.  One of them was named Pedro and the name stuck as the mascot.  Over the decades the complex has grown and at one time was the primary employment of the region of Dillon.

Here a few small souvenirs we picked up while shopping there: a set of ceramic siesta sleeping salt and pepper shakers, postcards, a button, a bumper sticker, and a brochure.  The wooden book stand on the right I picked up from a thrift store several years ago.

One of the best little jokes we now say on a regular basis came out of this trip to South of the Border.  As we were leaving, getting gas, and grabbing a drink from one of the several convenience stores, my mom asks the clerk "Do you only have Pepsi in this town?"  He replied deadpanned with "Well ma'am...it really isn't a town."
From then on if we go to a restaurant that only serves Pepsi we say
"They only have Pepsi in this town." 


Past SOB links, including the one I forgot ever happened:
SOB thrifted stuff and music video
SOB Etch-a-Sketch Frame
SOB 2012

Texas-Ware

Here's another neat estate sale find.  A melamine Texas-Ware mixing bowl.

I really like the smeary confetti pattern in/on it.

Reddy Kilowatt

Reddy Killowatt, what a cutie!

I picked up this ceramic ashtray at the flea market for a dollar.

Then I found this measuring glass at an estate sale.

Some brief history about Reddy Killowatt:

Reddy Killowatt was first conceived in 1926 to help promote a friendly feel to electricity.  During the 20s while most cities were hooked up, the outlaying farms were not.  For that matter farmers didn't have interest in having electricity added to their homes.  They had managed for centuries without it. It was seen as a costly indulgence and a potential deadly hazard. Reddy was hired to persuade them hayseeds with his sweet shocking smile!

The image of Reddy Killowatt that appears on advertising items like mine was designed in 1946 by Walter Lanz, who created Woody Woodpecker.  Reddy liked to show consumers all the wonderful things that electricity could do for them.  His decline came about during the 1970s when consuming resources (his primary bag) shifted to environmental conservation.  His final demise came about as did all the fictional spokesmen...or bolts, fruits, tires... did when companies started to use boring abstract designs and fonts for the company's logos.

Here is Reddy singing in the kitchen:

Mr. Husband Sir may recognize the voice of Reddy....It's Walter Tetley of Gildersleeve fame...It's Leeeeroy!!!

Atomic Dots Federal Glass Bowls

As I am still working on stuff (a word here meaning decluttering, cleaning, organizing, decorating) around my house I have been putting up on MHICTY some of my favorite cute doodads that made the joy cut and not to be seen as mere clutter.

I picked these Federal Glass mixing bowls up at an estate sale (same one I found the amazing trunkload of feed sack fabric).  It was one of those exhilarating sales where the house hadn't been lived in for years, and the family had lived in it for decades previously.  The house was scheduled to be demolished and everything was for sale.  Most of the windows were boarded up and the only light was supplied by a few bare bulbs on extension cords.  I found these bowls in a top dark cabinet in the kitchen, horribly dusty and dirty. 

After looking a bit online I learned that the set included 3 other bowls.  A smaller one with red dots and two larger with teal and chartreuse green dots.  

It makes me wonder if the other bowls were there but too high for me to see, but I doubt it.  When I pulled these down I had several other shoppers eyeing them. So I am sure they checked behind me and I didn't see anyone toting them around (and you better believe I look at what other people are buying!) Maybe the cockroaches took off with them!

Easter Bunny Banquet

      

   This jello mold is called "Easter Bunny Banquet" per Kroger circa 1950s.

I certainly wouldn't call a jello mold a "banquet".  Maybe if you are the same ratio size of the marshmallow bunny to a big mound of jello.  That would be like eating a jello mold the size of a hot tub!

Kroger is fairly vague with instructions for Easter Bunny Banquet but I guess they figured it's jello how hard is that to mess up? Here is the How to:

" Make pink fluffy gelatin with Kroger Strawberry Gelatin Dessert. When your strawberry gelatin is partially set, fold in drained fruits, nuts, and whipped cream."

They are steadfast about the use of their fine flavored gelatin as the primary ingredient.  

"Kroger Gelatin Desserts have true fresh-fruit flavor...set faster, stay firm longer.  Always use Kroger Gelatin dessert to insure perfect results every time." 

Of course the only reason to make this is to fashion some cute marshmallow bunnies!  

"Fashion snow white bunnies out of Kroger Marshmallows.  Put them together with dampened toothpicks.  Cut pink ears from stiff paper.  Draw face on top marshmallow."

I went with using a competitors store brand cranberry gelatin dessert along with generic marshmallows.  I guessed those orange shiny slugs around the base of the dessert were peaches...but I am not so sure. When I compare my finished dessert to the original something looks off.  I did use generic canned peaches, maybe they should have been Kroger.  Also the bumpy white topping on the original could be Kroger cottage cheese.  I went with a dollop of off-brand cool whip.

I am not big into Easter and this is the best I did this year, a boring highly generic jello mold. A jello mold that if the bunny wasn't there it wouldn't be thought of as Easter related at all.  It could work for a Breast Cancer awareness dish even.  So really all my Easter effort this year is two large marshmallows and some scrap pink construction paper.

I even let it get away that it's April Fools Day!

Here are some sparse past Easter posts with a bit more hop to them:

Delicious Glamour Easter Egg Cake
Easter Droppings
A Peepin' Easter Craft
Quick Like a Bunny Cake
Easter Decor