Sunday, April 27, 2014

I Watched it For a Little While

 

 I thought it was time to mention this Omaha landmark before it disappears like all the other distinctive places.
 $44.95 a night seems reasonable enough. but honestly this seems like the kind of place you  wouldn't be spending the whole night. That stretch of L street isn't exactly posh. There is a K-Mart within walking distance, which makes me sad they don't do the Blue Light Special anymore. I suppose I ought to explain the Blue Light Special. K Mart had a mobile discount cart they would move to different areas of the store and it had a  blue light on a tall pole (so you could see it across the store). When the light moved on to the next spot, the special was over. This was a "thing" people did (in the Midwest anyway) in the 60's and 70's. Nothing like a Saturday night with your parents at K mart chasing the blue light.

Know what you could have bought at K Mart in the 60's? A set of Burwood thingies for your living room.
 Sure, they catch dust like crazy, but that's what you have children for-dusting the wall art. Or polishing the leaves of the jade plant.
Yeah, they're going to need a good going over with a damp cloth.

 
This one is plastic made by Dart Industries. These were later (70's, I think). We didn't have anything like this because my mother was a painter (meaning we had her work hanging in the house). This will go nicely with the white and gold chalkware swan.


By now you should be convinced that Nebraska is where the 70's went to die (and haven't quite finished the job)but in the event you still remain unconvinced, here's a bit of California pottery to make the case. Strangely, I already owned the bowls that fit around this beauty-now I have a set.
 You wouldn't put fruit in it, and cover it so I'm not sure what I'll use it for.
 I don't know why I love this stuff the way I do. Anyway, for .69 cents I wasn't about to leave it.
I found a new wall I like for photos. This one is outside Thrift World at 36th and Q. The building dates from the early 70's, when stonework like this looked modern.

 
This little relic has seen better days, but then so have I. I handed over my five bucks as fast as I could before someone bought it out from under me.
This is a handsewn dress (not by me). It would look better on a thinner person, but I didn't have one of those, so here's how it looks on me.
It was rainy, so I got out my trusty plastic rain bonnet. And the sign from Janice because hey, I can't have kids on my lawn in the rain-it'll leave footprints.


So now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to spend what's left of the weekend relaxing in our rumpus room.
Man, I wish they still did the Blue Light Special at K Mart.

7 comments:

Helga said...

K Mart is fairly newish to NZ (we're a little backwards here), but I do remember blue light specials at Australian K Marts when I was a kiddie! That hotel is pretty funky, and with the bonus of a close K Mart they must do a roaring trade!!
Digging the "Burwood" thingies. A whole pile of them would make a great bed head. :)

Goody said...

@ Helga

I'm surprised that K Mart is a multi-national as the stores around here are dying a slow death. The place is always empty when I go.

Curtise said...

All this kitsch-y Americana, are we in a John Waters film again? I love it - motels and K Mart and Blue Light Specials, 70s wall art and pottery, crazy paving walls, vanity cases and rain hoods... In the same way that other people's crazy families are fabulously appealing, their retro quirkiness is too. Liking the print on your frock very much as well (red tights, red tights!) xxx

Pull Your Socks Up! said...

We STILL have them here in Queensland, Australia, except our local K-Mart has a red light special cart. I want to stay at that motel. It looks like something out of every US horror flick I've watched in the past decade, the X-Files and Breaking Bad, except the one where Wendy and her meth friends hung out may have been cheaper ;). Your earrings have got me going, your rain bonnet and sign have me swooning and your new suitcase, I'm dying. xoxo

Goody said...

A RED light special? Oh man, that would be perfect next to that motel (a Red Light District is slang for a place where prostitutes work their trade, right?).

Of course at $44 a night, one would have to turn several tricks to make a profit.

Sue said...

I just love your 'keep off the lawn' sign!!

Goody said...

@ Sue

Janice (Columbia Creations) had her husband make it for me. It sits in my front window above my small garden. The postman is used to it now, but various metre readers have been stopped dead in their tracks by it. It is much too nice to stick in the actual lawn.