Greetings from Breton Woods, N.J.

The Breton Woods club community sprouted up in the 1930s. The location was desirable because of it's proximity to the Metedeconk River. Originally a Boy Scout camp, Breton Woods was popular because its cabins were affordable for working families and the plot of land was included with the cabin purchase.

In researching the history of Breton Woods, I found this wonderful collection of home movies taken in the 1930s showcasing many of the recreational activities popular there, which included boating, parades, sports, and beauty pageants. Please click HERE to have a look.

anywhere but here

It's late August in southern California.... the point where, every year, I have lost nearly all patience with the heat of summer + I find myself dreaming of being anywhere but here.

This bunch of postcards represents places I'd rather be, those of more forgiving climate and things I've never seen before.

Here's to cooler temperatures soon + more film photographs to share as a result.

"More than 55,000,000 people pass through the portals of the San Francisco Ferry Building each year, where boat connections are made for the East Bay cities and for other rail connections in all directions. The Ferry Building with its clock is one of the landmarks of the city."

"The Niagara River leaves Lake Erie at Buffalo at an elevation of about 600 feet above sea level to run a turbulent course for twenty-seven miles to Lake Ontario. In this journey, it descends over 300 feet, 160 feel of descent is made at the Falls shown in this picture, located about twenty miles from its source."

"Norris Geyser Basin is the first geyser land reached on the Grand Loop trip after leaving Mammoth Hot Springs. Valentine Geyser is distinguished by its crater like deep pit and Ledge Geyser, right near it across the trail, plays from 3 vents. Both are irregular in action."

"After leaving Las Vegas, the railroad winds over slopes to the commanding height of Glorietta Pass (Alt. 7,422 ft.). The downward ride is through Apache Canyon, where, in 1849, noted battles were fought between Kearney's army and the Mexicans, and in 1962 between Federal and Confederate forces."

Cedar Point postcards

Long before Sandusky, Ohio's Cedar Point was known as the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World", it was a popular vacation destination for the local railroad, fishing, and shipping industry employees and their families. Cedar Point as an amusement park opened in 1870, with recreational areas, bathhouses, dance halls, and lodging quarters. Shortly after electricity was installed at the park in 1891, the park's first roller coaster opened -- the 25-foot tall Switchback Railway, which topped out at the breakneck speed of 10 mph.

After the turn of the century, rides and attractions were being added in rapid succession to meet demand. In 1905, the 600-room Hotel Breakers opened and still stands to this day, despite the fact that major additions and renovations over the years have altered the original building to the point of the site being removed from the National Register of Historic Places, where it was first listed in 1982.

It was after WWII that changes at the park drastically began. Much of what remained from the early days was neglected or outdated, to the point that Cedar Point was without a functioning roller coaster. During the 1950s and well into the 1960s many new rides were added -- exciting rides, thrill rides -- which caused an upswing in popularity that has brought the amusement park -- now the second oldest in the country -- to become a destination not just for regional vacationers, but coaster enthusiasts from all over the world.

I picked up these three linen postcards this week, gorgeous representations of Cedar Point's offerings in the 1920s. The back of each is printed with "The G.A. Boeckling Co., Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio". George Arthur Boeckling was the president of the Cedar Point Pleasure Resort Company from   1897 until his death in 1931. He is responsible for the surge in popularity Cedar Point went through in the early part of the century, and was often referred to as "the man who made Cedar Point".