recent finds from the Orange Show swap meet

I absolutely love going to the swap meet.

Growing up in San Diego, my dad was at Kobey's Swap Meet at the San Diego Sports Arena nearly every weekend, sometimes buying, sometimes selling. I'm pretty sure this is where the "thrill of the hunt" seed was planted in me, I absolutely love searching for treasures, diamonds in the rough.

While Kobey's had segregated "old" and "new" sections of the grounds, unfortunately many contemporary swap meets are mostly "new" items and of zero interest to me. I've permanently crossed many local swap meets off of my list because of this, but there is one nearby that never disappoints -- the San Bernardino Swap Meet at the National Orange Show Fairgrounds. From the treasures waiting to be found to the characters you're destined to meet, it's very reminiscent of the countless weekends wandering the aisles with my dad.

This swap meet is massive. We usually go about twice a year, and always find something special. Last Sunday was our first outing of the new year, and we came away with a ton of great stuff, including a set of Jarts lawn darts, a clay wheeled skateboard, and, of course, some wonderful postcards to add to my collection. I'll likely share all of them here at some point, but I'll begin today with this set of Disneyland postcards from the 1970s.

The mysterious depths of the legendary Seven Seas have been brought to reality for passengers aboard one of Disneyland's air-conditioned submarines. Guests enjoy looking through portholes to view an underwater panorama of sunken treasures, mermaids, a sea serpent, and beautiful floral and fauna of the underseas world.

Brillant "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks burst over the Disneyland Castle every summer evening as a part of the show in "Disneyland After Dark."

A ghostly ball reaches its height as frolicking spirits perch, precariously, on a huge chandelier. They are just a few of the 999 fun-loving ghosts in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

Playful Indian elephants, at home in their own enchanted bathing pool, have a trunk full of watery surprises for guests on a cruise down the Rivers of Adventure in Disneyland.

Gazelles, gnus, zebra, lions, and giraffes tell the story and point up the law of the jungle... survival of the fittest... in this expansive grassland region along the banks of the Rivers of the World in Disneyland's Adventureland.

Playful Indian elephants, at home in their own enchanted bathing pool, have a trunk full of watery surprises for guests on a cruise down the Rivers of Adventure in Disneyland. 

Dusk comes to Frontierland as the Mark Twain steamboat makes its way past Cascade Mountain on a peaceful trip along the banks of the Rivers of America.

A bobsled finds a watery surprise in a glacial lake after twisting and careening down the icy Matterhorn Mountain.

The Rainbow Ridge Mine Train takes guests deep into underground caverns where breathtaking waterfalls, multi-colored stalactites and stalagmites are seen inside beautiful Rainbow Caverns in Frontierland.

Along the winding Seven Seaways, guests embark on the "Happiest Cruise that ever sailed" -- Disneyland's exciting musical fantasy, "It's a Small World."

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."

Balboa Park Turns 100, Part 4

San Diego's Balboa Park turns 100 years old this year, and to celebrate I've been working on a series of Balboa Park-related posts that include both my own photographs and postcards from my collection that are relevant to the Panama-California Exposition. For part 4 I'm going to bend the rules a little to include two items that precede the Exposition because I think they are too fantastic to leave out.

Enjoy!

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Though El Cajon, CA was referred to as "Cajon" for about 30 years in the late 1800s, it was changed back to "El Cajon" in 1905. Correspondent Josie G. didn't use the proper name of the town 9 years after this fact.

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The San Diego County Courthouse was built in 1889 and stood at the corner of Front Street and Broadway. It was demolished in 1959 and replaced by a modern county courthouse. That building was completed in 1961 and was razed to be replaced with a $555M superior court building, now under construction and scheduled to open in 1916.

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I absolutely love this correspondence: "Thurs. morning 9-23-09. Dear Alberta, arrived O.K. stopping at Richelieu 1055 5th St. Mr. + Mrs. Bowles send ___. Taking a street car ride this morning to Coronado this afternoon. Weather fine. Your mother feeling daily good. She joins me in love. Yours, L"

 The Richelieu Hotel was located at 1055 5th Ave. in downtown San Diego. The House of Blues is located on that plot now. This Wells Fargo handbook for travelers from 1915 I found while looking up the Richelieu is very informative and a great artifact from the Exposition, click here to have a look.

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These three postcards were part of the motherlode I mentioned in my last post.

Interested in catching up with the Balboa Park Turns 100 series? Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Washington, D.C.

Late last week I hit a local antique store in search of one specific item that I need was sure they'd have. 

A few hours later, after not finding that one item (a plastic 200 ft. 8mm film reel, in case you're wondering) & instead diving head first into a collection of postcards, film, negatives, and prints, I emerged with a ton of wonderful pieces to add to my collection.

This is the first in what is going to be a series of many posts sharing the treasures I picked up that day. Please enjoy these linen photographs of Washington, D.C. All are unused, the captions are what each card has printed on the back. And if you're so inclined, have a listen to the Magnetic Fields -- Washington, D.C. while you're at it.

"These beautiful Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees which line Riverside Drive, Potomac Park, are a gift of the Japanese Government to the United States Government. In the Spring of the year they are a most beautiful sight and might suggest to the traveler a scene in old Nippon itself."

"The Jefferson Memorial is at the south end of the Tidal Basin. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia (1743-1826) was the author of the Declaration of Independence and one of the Signers. As a member of Congress he originated our system of coinage. Was Secretary of State in Washington's first term, Vice-President with John Adams and President 1801-09. Founder of the first Republican Party, from which the Democratic Party of today claims descent."
Copyright 1922

"The Executive Mansion stands sedately at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, about a mile and a half northwest of the Capitol Building. The White House, built of white-painted gray Virginia sandstone, is 170 feet in length and 85 feet wide. Two stories high with a basement at ground level and an attic. Cornerstone laid in 1792. President John Adams in 1800 was the first occupant."

"The Lincoln Memorial, modeled after a classic Greek Temple, is situated on an eminence in Potomac Park on the banks of the Potomac River. It is a monumental marble structure and a worthy and fitting memorial to Abraham Lincoln. Statue of Lincoln (by Daniel French) is in the center of the memorial, while smaller halls at each side of central space contain Second Inaugural and Gettysburg addresses. Surrounding the walls incasing these memorials is a colonnade of 36 columns for each of the 36 States in the Inion at the time of Lincoln's death. Immediately in front of the Memorial is a large reflecting pool, the placid waters of which mirror the classic lines of this beautiful Temple and the Washington Monument."

"This is one of the most beautiful structures of its kind in the world, the gift of the late Andrew W. Mellon to the nation. The Gallery houses the great art collections of Mr. Mellon and Samuel H. Kress of New York."

"The White House has been the home of the Presidents from the time of John Adams to the present. Washington selected the site, laid the corner-stone in 1792, and with his wife inspected the finished building in 1799. The building is of Virginian freestone. After the house had been fired by British troops in 1814, and only the walls were left standing, the restored exterior was painted white to obliterate marks of the fire."

"The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846 by the generosity of James Smithson, "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." Its purpose is to stimulate, encourage and reward scientific investigation and study."

"The Smithsonian Institution is located on the Mall near 10th Street. It was created by Act of Congress in 1846, under the terms of the will of James Smithson to found an establishment for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge among men," under the name of the Smithsonian Institution."

"A stupendous shaft of granite, 555 feet 5 1/8 inches in height. It is 55 feet square at the base, 34 at the top, and terminates in a pyramid of pure aluminum. The foundation of rock and cement is 36 feet deep, 126 feet square. The corner stone was laid in 1848, the monument was finished in 1885. It is the highest work of masonry in the world."

"The Washington Monument is one of the tallest structures in the world built of stone and masonry. It is a white marble shaft with a non-tarnishing aluminum tip which looks like silver. The Monument stands 555 5 1/8 inches high."

Coming soon -- Balboa Park Turns 100, Part 4. 

Follow the links below for the first three installments:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

postcards, part 6

I just picked these gems up yesterday at my favorite thrift store.

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Interested in seeing my previous postcard collection posts? Follow the links below:

Postcards, part 5
Postcards, part 4
Postcards, part 3
Postcards, part 2
Postcards, part 1

postcards, part 4

This time around I chose city scenes from my collection of postcards. I love the linen postcards and artwork from the 1930s and '40s, the feel and color of them are so unique. These selections feature places I've had the opportunity to see myself (New York, Columbus), others to hopefully see in the future (downtown Boston), and the Carthay Circle Theatre, well... it's alive in film and photographs and, in a way, on Buena Vista Street. Enjoy.

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back, postmarked August 17, 1940

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The Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles opened in 1926 and was demolished in 1969. 

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back, postmarked October 2, 1938

While the Deshler Wallick was demolished in 1970, the adjoining LeVeque Tower and Palace Theatre still stand.  

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back, postmarked July 1, 1935 (It looks like I'm not the only one who has sent postcards to myself)

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As this is part 4 of an ongoing and potentially infinite number of postcard entries, feel free to catch up with the previous entries via the links below. I've already got a theme picked out for part 5, so it shouldn't be long.

Postcards, part 1.
Postcards, part 2.
Postcards, part 3.