Lounge Chair Road Trip No. 17: Inverness, California

Good morning. Tina here.

It seems like every time I need to write a post and it is hot, I want to go on a road trip to the coast.
Today is the same.

We are going to Inverness, where they have celebrated the 4th of July in style. This is a mad race from the seventies, below.

The boat below is grounded forever.

They may not be usable any more, but what fun to wade nearby and maybe have a picnic.

Nice cool sand for Fido's paws.

Or we could choose a shady grove for our picnic. And maybe a nap?

In its heyday, this little hamlet was a great place to spend the summer. Darling cottages and shingled hotels dotted the hillsides. Most of these lovely dwellings are still here. Little winding roadways sneak through the tree roots and climb up to find the refreshing breezes and views of Drakes Bay.

Highland Lodge looks like a cozy place to stay, the scent of eucalyptus and pine floating to us in the fog. Ahhh, fog, doesn't that sound nice and cool on a day like today, where it is supposed to be over 100 degrees in the foothills? I think Inverness will have highs in the sixties. I am so there!

Above, my favorite, Manka's Inverness Lodge, lost to fire. I still grieve. The little newer cabins we stayed in are still there, but our upstairs honeymoon room, the sweet inglenook at the entrance where we would have breakfast, and the amazing restaurant with its windows in the treetops are all gone.

The store and post office building above (also shown in the 4th of July race earlier in this post) still stand and have housed various businesses. It is the iconic spot that greets you when you first hit town.

I think I will pull out my old DVD of the movie "The Fog" which was filmed (partially) in Inverness. As a strange coincidence that movie came out in 1980, which was when my husband and I stayed in Inverness on our honeymoon. I am ready to be scared, just so I can imagine that creeping, cooling, darkening fog and cool off a bit. How about you?

Loving The Colors On These Vintage Stitchery Kits And Projects

I found this gorgeous vintage Sunset Needlepoint stitchery pillow kit recently at a thrift shop.

A big, bright, beautiful "I Love You", and even a couple of ladybugs:

I love IT:

I only snapped a photo of this adorable Noah's Ark felt creation at another thrift shop.
I didn't buy it because it was a little dirty, and their price was higher than I wanted to pay. It's awfully cute, though:

This vintage needlepoint and embroidery pillow is very striking, and it looks great against my vintage (Made in India) bedspread or tablecloth:

"Be Happy" is another needlepoint kit; I found this picture online - but I'd be pretty tickled if I could find one of these at a thrift store!
 I see that both this and "I Love You" were designed by Chris Davenport.
I like your style, Chris!

Here's another colorful crewel kit which just happens to feature one of my favorite color combinations:

And check out this lady, below!
This was in a vintage Los Angeles Times Home Magazine.
How gorgeous are these creations?!

And I'll leave you with one more "I Love You" for the day. It's the same fab design, but for framing rather than a pillow:

Have a good day!!

Patterns From The Past: Simplicity 5670 And 5671 - Two "Cool Print Dresses"

Today's patterns from the past are two from an issue of Simplicity Fashion News, circa 1973.
"Cool print dresses to sew" sound pretty good right about now, with our summer temperatures hovering around 100 degrees-plus this week!

We'll start with pattern number 5670, seen here in a cute blue print (I can't decide whether those are trees or mushrooms? Trees, I think...)

Below, the front and then the back of the pattern - so cute with it's  little floaty butterfly sleeves:

And 5671, a "two-piece dress", is shown in a green and white print:

This one is described as a "top that wraps in front, has fluttery sleeves and flippy short skirt"; the pattern also includes "wide floppy pants".

The pattern back:

 Those separates do look cool - and comfortable, too. I'd make them in a lightweight cotton or rayon for summer.
(Oh - and just in case you are curious about pattern number 5673, which is also described on that page from Simplicity Fashion News, I wrote a post about that one back in 2014. Click here to go back and read it, if you'd like!)

More Vintage Finds

 Just "checking in" today with some more of my favorite thrift store finds.
First up, I have this big, beautiful crewelwork picture:

And a vintage fabric-covered expanding accordion file wallet for receipts or whatever:

A couple of great pieces of vintage dinnerware designed by Russel Wright for Steubenville:

Clearly marked, but they were just out with all of the other, less desirable china and stuff.
 Works for me!

I found a Shabby Chic-style lamp, complete with (truly) "chippy" paint, and I happened to have the lampshade already.
 I had added the fringe to this old shade quite some time ago.
I think they work perfectly together:

 I found a really nice vintage flannel-backed vinyl tablecloth (you know, back when they were heavier, and well-made?) for our largest patio table in a bright floral:

And a vintage green corduroy bedspread that I found thrown on the ground at an estate sale makes a nice-looking new sofa cover, as you can see below:

I already had all of the pillows.
And they were all thrift finds, as well!

Wagons Ho! The El Dorado Roses Ride with Wagon Train 2016 from Pollock Pines to Placerville

Finally! Computer trouble all day. It took forever to load the pictures on here, and then they were all backward. The summer solstice was working against me.

The beginning of June I was lucky again to be able to ride with the Wagon Train. This time it was longer, we went all the way from Pollock Pines to Placerville.

My seatmates in the surrey with the fringe on top were the 2015 El Dorado Rose, Bonny, and her Court (Judy with Bonny above.)

I was told to be there at 9:00 am. Unfortunately, the rest of the group were told 7:30, so they waited a long while, since the Wagon Train headed out about 9:45.

I sat with Carol, on the right below. 

There is a lot to do to get ready, so as we waited we watched the wagon in front of us hitch up their horses.

In front of us on the surrey were two seatmates who are in third and fourth grades. They had a book they were sharing. They had just met the day before, but seemed to get along very well.

Annette (that is the back of her below) is the grandmother of one of the girls, and the other girl's mom was riding a horse a way in front of us.

Just like last year we had single riders who rode alongside and in front and back, watching over all the wagons and helping keep the pace.

We took several breaks, and the horses got water at each one. This stop below was at the Cedar Grove Grocery. I lived close to here for almost four years, so that was fun for me.

The day was perfectly glorious, in the eighties, breezy, it couldn't have been nicer.

After leaving Pony Express Trail we were on Carson Road and soon entered the town of Camino. We stopped right in front of the hotel for a break. There were many people there to great us.

Below Doc Davey Wiser and his wife bring their buggy to a stop for some R & R.

In front of the hotel were large plates of giant cookies, bottled water and other drinks. I chatted with our driver Annette's mother for quite a while. She has lived in Camino for about seventy years.

The people of Camino were very welcoming! All along the entire route the neighbors came out to wave, some could even wave from their windows! I saw several people I knew.

After our refreshments we moved on, passed High Hill Ranch where we had started last year, and came to our lunch stop at Boa Vista, where I think the tri tip sandwich and the blueberry turnovers were the popular favorites.

Then on the road again. In front of us was a small wagon, and the people riding in it had to sit on hard wooden benches, I was so glad to be in our surrey with padded seats and shocks! What luxury!

I had taken a picture of the house below last year. Since then, it has new owners and the yard is all cleaned up, and they were sitting on the porch waving. Not a lonely home any longer!

This is Ladybug, she was with us last year too but I didn't get a decent picture of her. Here she is sitting next to me ready to head into town. She was so good. 

We stopped for a while on Jacquier Road in Smithflat, I am not sure why, however, we stopped there last year also.  One of our single riders let his horse have a bit of appetizer along the side of the road while we waited.

Finally, after another break on Smithflat Road almost to Broadway, we began our trek towards downtown. I was getting low on pictures, so I waited to begin taking more until we were closer.

Kicking back in front of the soda works, above, and scooting by the Chamber of Commerce, below.

Again, my friend Marilyn, who I worked with at the Heritage Museum, was out to greet us. I threw her a kiss as we went by.

I always have to get a good shot of the Courthouse, I spent a lot of time there (working) and I love that old building.

This lady (I didn't catch her name) was a sort-of portable MC as we neared the bell tower.

.

 Bell Tower now in view! It only took about six hours to get here!

When I was young we watched the much bigger Wagon Train parade from our doctor's offices, which were in this building above the theater. It was a great vantage point!

The bell tower was where the action was, and I spied some familiar faces in the crowd. My El Dorado Rose Court ladies, Anita and Suzanne were there sitting on a bale of hay. (I missed getting their photo), and below a family I well know, with little Dax getting his first gander at the Wagon Train.

The bookery workers and their families gathered near the door.

My final shot of the day was well dressed ladies on the balcony of the Cary House welcoming us to town.

It was a very fun trip, quite long compared to last year, but we rode in comfort. The surrey owner and driver, Annette, does not charge the Roses for the ride, and it costs her quite a bit to bring the horses and surrey to town for the trip. She is not sure if she will continue to drive it next year. If she doesn't, I doubt if I will be along for the ride, but I am very thankful I was able to ride along for two years!