Tales From the Crypt

A repository for human ashes.

In San Francsico's Inner Richmond District.

Built in 1898 designed by architect Bernard J.S. Cahill. 1 Loraine Court San Francisco Calif.

4 labyrinthine levels to explore! For the Indiana Jones inside all of us!

Ghost Imaging Flash no Flash

potato rack

rotary telephones

fit for a king made for you

a Mrs. James Van Hooton 

a Mrs. James Van Hooten

potato rack

rotary telephones

fit for a king made for you

seal of excellence

Wood blocks: found at a sale that actually had an industrial printing press in the home and an entire bar stocked with alcohol still in the bottles. Bride: found at a sale where the person running the show was surprised that the surviving children didn't want to keep the negative.

Outfitting my Desktop Part II : Second Hand + Estate Sale Finds

Vintage Lit-Ning steel desktop sorter.  As indicated by the typed label on the underside of the organizer, this once belonged to an E. Mau.  purchased for $1!

Vintage UNderhill 3506 wooden ruler.  Mission Pants Factory was a S.F. retail outpost located at 1965 Mission Street, specializing in Riding and Uniform Breeches, Pants from Cords to Slacks and Jackets from Leather to Cloth.  $0.25 cents!

Antique solid wood desk chair.  Superior craftsmanship and sensual sinuous curves.  The seller, an older man who couldn't decide if he was excited or upset to have sold his beloved 1970's bar, the one that had been under the back deck since the Nixon Administration, the one that he was feverishly rubbing with "Liquid Gold", the one that two men on their way to a S.F. 49'ers football game purchased, offered to rub my chair in "Liquid Gold" for no extra charge.  Before I could decline his offer, the older man poured a dollop of "Liquid Gold" onto the chair and began to rub!  purchased for $20!

Also worth noting, at the same sale there was a small 

handwritten hobo sign affixed by a rusty 

nail to the side gate with, 

"Girly Mags .50 cents."

outfitting my desktop part I (click here)

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (Moss Beach, Calif.)

Articulated Bottle Stoppers Part II: The Video

Cabinet of curiosities in foreground! A future post!

Articulated Bottle Stoppers Part I

My vintage hand-carved articulated bottle stopper. This dapper gent has lost his hat and his cork somewhere between the local watering hole and the racetrack. A slight tug on the knotted double string animates a wave of the arm and a nod of the head. Video to be added tomorrow! (picked this one up at a local charity store $0.75 cents  4 inches tall)   

Bottle Stoppers on Ebay:

UK Ebay has a 3.5 inch tall curious articulated elephant stopper: lift the tail and the head raises and the ears retract back.  Auction ending in 4 days bidding starts at GPB 12.00 approx. $18.57 USD!

Ebay has a pair of bottle stopper gents with bids at $15.00. Push down on the lever for one gent and he moves his mouth and raises his hat to reveal a man hiding inside. Push the lever down on the other gent and he raises his stein and opens his mouth.  Auction ending in 5 days!  

Naturally Dance Moves to Inspire...Dance Shoes

Bande à Parte (1964) Dancing at the Cafe

Benny & Joon (1993) Dancing at the Cafe

Natural Shoes Dancing Moves

Acorn Shoes (2008) Dancing at the Preserve

In the El Corte De Madera Creek Open Space Preserve (San Mateo County, Calif.) Sandstone formation in the foreground!

Outfitting my Desktop Part I : Second Hand + Estate Sale Finds

Perpetual desktop calendar by Park Sherman Co. Eco-friendly, easy to operate, and low-tech! 

$.75 cents!

"The Executive Stapler" Aceliner model no. 502 by Ace Fastener Corp. Founded 1952. Steel chrome finish. Stylishly sexy! $1 with staples inside!

Old wooden 5x8 inch frame by AGFA Ansco Corporation Binghamton, NY. Vintage postcard "Comparative Osteology of Primates" from the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. Darwinian chic! Frame: $1! Postcard: $.25 cents!

Pair of hand-blown smoke glass bottles with stoppers. A steal at $5. Made in Western Germany by Süssmuth. Makes me think of Apotek! 

5 inches tall!

outfitting my desktop part II (click here)

Let there be Curtain-Walls Glass Steel and Reinforced Concrete

International appeal, style, cultural, historical value.  Built 1925-1931. The Van Nelle factory designed by architiects Leneert Van Der Vlught and Johannes Brinkman, Rotterdam, NL. Functionalism for the processing of tea, coffee, and tobacco. The factory can be seen arriving and departing Rotterdam by train. Did I just see an Oompa loompa? Models (architectural) stored next door! Special tours of the Van Nelle factory can be arranged through Van Nelle Ontwerpfabriek and tours of the models through the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI).  

Living in a Miniature World

Climate Controlled NAI Architecture Open Model Storage

I arrived at the Van Nelle factory in dutch style, rickety tourist bicycle, checked-in at a guards quiosk and was ushered to the storage facility, where I was directed to store my valuables in a locker. No flash photography, no touching of the models, no walking down the secondary isles. Greeted by a young Dutch architecture student, I had a private tour of the storage facility. Not bad for 5 euros. In broken English and awkward moments of silence, I had to formulate my own conclusions about the models on display. From Koolhaas, Coenen, to Van Eyck, my favorite model was fashioned out of eggshells. Some of the models where extremely detailed (high fashion) with precision crafted door knobs and miniature electrical outlets whereas other models could be easily mistaken for slapstick student work (commercial). An excellent way to compliment my week in Rotterdam for a student lighting design workshop. Tours can be arranged through NAI Open Model Storage and casting calls are held the last sunday of each month at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00.  

Eggshell Model

So Many Pumpkins So Little Time

We almost didn't stop. The momentum of the car said no, but our cerebrums said yes! And feast we did, our eyes upon a sea of Coastal California's finest pumpkins. Nikki Garcia adorns a pair of Modern Amusement sunglasses, clearly to protect her retnas from the intense UV rays of a cool autumn harvest.