Saturday, August 28, 2010

Clan Gathering

Last weekend, David and I went to a clan gathering in the Highlands.  This was our first time at such a gathering--apparently they do it every three to five years.  It was really fun.  And it's the most bizarre feeling to be in a room full of people with the same last name and ultimate family heritage!


The gathering lasted a full week with people from all over the world (Australia, U.S., Canada, and closer to home--Scotland) but we were only able to join in on the weekend.  The highlight for me was a visit to nearby Elgin and the cathedral.


We had so much fun looking around the ruins.  You can even climb up one of the towers that is left for views over the town.

From far away:

Up close:
And inside:
 I'm getting a lot of wear out of the trousers I made from the Simplicity repro 1941 pattern.  I am thinking of making up another pair as part of the Hepburn & Hepburn project (more on that later).  I absolutely love them and wear them all the time!

Later in the day we went to a woolen mill (alas no fabric for me--they didn't have many bolts and the ones they did have were REALLY expensive).  But the grounds of the woolen mill shop were lovely.  So we took some photos near one of the houses:

We had such a fabulous time and definitely plan to go to the next clan gathering!


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Monday, August 23, 2010

South Pacific on Tour

My mom surprised me and bought us tickets to go and see South Pacific while it was on tour in Portland!  I absolutely love the musical (and the costumes)!  Check out the recent post from Casey's elegant musings with some 1950's scans of fabrics and outfits inspired by South Pacific.

This is one of my favorite numbers from the movie:



 

The tour production was fantastic! Check out if it's coming to your city.

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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Up, up and away...

in my beautiful, my beautiful ballooooooon!  I am so excited!  I have wanted to go up in a hot air balloon for awhile now.  It is even on my list of 33 things to do this year.  So when my sister said she wanted to do it too--that really got the ball rolling and practically the whole family got involved!

It was such an amazing experience.  We went with the Vista Balloon company, one of the only hot air balloon experiences in Oregon.  We arrived bright and early (5:45am!) and helped blow up the balloons.

First, you roll them out, it's amazing how big they actually are:


Then you fill them with hot air (watching out for the flames!):

And then you tip it right side up and get in!  It does get a bit warm inside the balloon basket when they fire it up:


Here's some of the other balloons that were already in the sky:

It was such an amazing experience and so much fun with my family!  The views from the balloon were breathtaking.  In all, about five balloons took off that morning.


Here's a picture of our reflection over the water:


The weather was perfect--it didn't rain at all while we were out!


Our balloon pilot was actually the owner of the company!  He was an expert at landing--so we ended up landing right where the champagne brunch was taking place!  No need for a balloon chase vehicle for us:

After we landed, we deflated the balloon.  Then it's like rolling up a super long sleeping bag and stuffing it into a bag:


I had such an amazing time and I will always remember our balloon trip!
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Monday, August 16, 2010

Oldest Building in Newport: Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

I love lighthouses.  They are always so magestic.  The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon is the oldest building in this historic town (built in 1871).  It is also the only existing Oregon lighthouse with the living quarters attached, and the only historic wooden Oregon lighthouse still standing.   And it's so charming!


The inside of the house is preserved as a museum with furnishing as it would have been when the lightkeeper, his wife and their six children lived there for a short period of time.  There was even an old sewing machine (not a singer as far as I could tell):
I also found this photo from July 1948 of the Miss Newport delegation in front of the lighthouse:
Just three months earlier in April 1948, 26 people met as the first members of the Lincoln County Historical Society.  One of their first goals was preserving the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse for use as a museum.  The Society is still going strong today with plans to restore a historic bayfront house that will soon become the Pacific Maritime and Heritage Center.
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Saturday, August 14, 2010

1941 Crab Festival

Found this great photo of the 1941 Newport Crab Festival Candidates.  I must say that the late 30's and early 40's is probably my favorite time period in terms of fashion:


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Friday, August 13, 2010

Miss Newport 1948

I have some more lovely photos from the Miss Newport pageant--except this time from 1948 when Beverly Jean Duncan won the title.

I must say, I'm not as excited by the 1948 swimsuits as I was by the ones from 1947 (they are a bit too shiny for my taste--look more like foundational garments then swimsuits)...what do you think?


I do love these photos of Beverly Jean on the beach:

And this photo in front of the Yaquina Bay Bridge:

And here is a photo of the Miss Newport delegation for 1948 (lots of culotte shorts):
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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Miss Newport 1947

I came across some great photos of the Miss Newport contest from 1947.  The winner was a lovely lady named Helen McFetridge.

I think I am in love with the last two swimsuits!

And I absolutely adore this picture:

Here is the Miss Newport delegation in front of the Abbey Pier and the Abbey Hotel:

And this photo on the beach (I LOVE this swimsuit!!):
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Deco Delight: Yaquina Bay Bridge

Another treasure just outside the coastal town of Newport, Oregon is the Yaquina Bay Bridge.  It is truly an Art Deco delight.  The bridge opened in September of 1936 at a cost of over a million dollars!!!

I bought this amazing print which shows the bridge in 1939:


These are the stairs leading up to the pedestrian portion of the bridge:


Check out the deco details on the columns at the top of the stairs (and I'm wearing my newly created ruffle blouse):


Check out the underside of the bridge!  I love how it is just as detailed!


And this is the view from the side:


We were lucky enough to stay in a hotel near the harbor, so we had a delightful view of the bridge.

I was also able to spend some time in the historic research library in Newport where I found this amazing photo of Miss 1947 Newport in front of the bridge:


Oh how I love her blouse!!!  And the bike too!!  I'll be posting more historic photos of Newport this week.
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Newport Beauty Contest: 1938

Check out this photo of the winner of the Newport Beauty Contest in 1938 (and the Mayor of the city standing next to her).  I absolutely ADORE her swimsuit and shoes!!!

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Monday, August 9, 2010

Historic Nye Beach, Oregon

One of my favorite things about the Pacific Northwest is the Oregon Coast.  I just got back from a trip to Newport, Oregon which is a lovely coastal town.  Newport has been a resort destination since the 1800's.  One of the highlights both then and now is Historic Nye Beach.


This beach holds special significance for me because it's where David and I held a bonfire with our family and friends after our wedding!


We went early in the day and practically had the beach to ourselves!

Sweater and trousers? Yup, it's the Oregon Coast...so even though it's August--it was only about 65 degrees.
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Saturday, August 7, 2010

More from New Orleans...

Another big highlight from New Orleans was visiting Jackson Square.  This square has been a meeting place and cultural center (originally called the Place d'Armes) since the early 1800's if not earlier.  After the Battle of New Orleans (1814), the square was renamed Jackson Square after general Andrew Jackson.  The center of the square has an impressive equestrian statue of Mr. Jackson.




I just love the look of the St. Louis Cathedral in the back!




There are historic buildings all around Jackson Square in the French Quarter. I absolutely love the architecture!




The streetview looks very similar to what it looked like in the 1940's:




This is the view looking down the street from Jackson Square:


I found this really fun photo of New Orleans in 1939.  This is a group of high school girls getting ready to go to camp!  I love the clothes!!




Hope you are having a great August!
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