movie inspiration: phyllis diller

There's a really great doc on Netflix right now about Phyllis Diller - Goodnight, We Love You. You see most of her final stand-up performance, hear interviews with tons of comedians and her family, and you get to see inside her closet - and she has kept everything. I've always loved her. She didn't make fun of anyone except herself, and her on-stage persona owned every one of her flaws and foibles.
And the clothes.. you know I love the clothes.



She wore this in the 60s to drive around in a vintage convertible -



This is maybe 1/20 of her closet.



All of the glasses -




And for good measure - my Phil Dil records -



When I'm an old lady I am totally doing my eyebrows like that.

21

Jesse just sent over this pic she took of me in 1997 or so.  Really good outfit - 70s smocked Victorian-style blouse, camo pants, and most likely combat boots.  The more I change the more I stay the same.

weekend getaway

Miami



Key West




Cancun

pig race

Went to the county swine judging last night, but my camera wasn't cooperating. I only got this one pic of the pig race beforehand.

nature and stuff

Ended up taking a 10 mile bike ride through the state park today and photographing animals in the wild.
We saw a feral sow and her piglets -




many many white pelicans -



and 5 alligators -




Then we went to the park cafe and ate some deep-fried gator bites.
The end.

sarasota county fair

more pics from the county fair here

movie inspiration: bulldog drummond (1929)

I am so pleased that Netflix finally added the very first Bulldog Drummond movie. This one stars Ronald Coleman as Bulldog - he's great but Ray Milland in Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937) is my favorite. This is actually the first talkie B.D. - there was another made in 1922. I've seen 5 of them now. They made 19, and there is one slated for 2013!!! No other info available on that one. Believe you'll hear about it when I know.



This one takes place all in one night, so there's only one costume to mention, but it is one of the best examples of draping I've seen. At first I was just into the jewelry and shoulder jazz she's got going on -



but then I got a look at the whole dress. It looks like it's got a separate skirt at the back, but if you watch her move throughout the film you'll see it's all of one piece.





And the silver shoes are lovely too -

and now for something of historical significance II

I have managed to amass quite a tidy collection of vintage photographs over the years - this being the prized piece - a previously unpublished photograph of President Roosevelt.
These were taken in 1934 when he visited the Norris Dam in Tennessee.






Here is a link to the speech FDR made on that day.

These were taken by Bernie Presnal, who helped build the Norris Dam while working in a CCC camp. I found a massive collection of his photographs abandoned in an apartment here in Florida many years ago. Many more of his pictures and letters can be seen here.

State Fair Take II

There's a big difference between going to the fair at 10AM on a Wednesday and 6PM on a Saturday. I had to go back to get pictures with all the lights on.

















And here's a little video of the Magnum in action. You might want to turn your volume down - there's quite a bit of screaming.




The rest of the pics are here for your viewing pleasure.