Holiday Stitchin'

Gentle Friends just a quick post to wrap up the week...  but its only Wednesday you say, yes, it is, but today is my Friday - I took off Thursday and Friday extending the weekend on either end -  since we have Monday off for Memorial Day I have made it a 5 day off "weekend."  Woo Hoo!!  No plans except loafing about  - and some stitching - and the usual weekend stuff.

I wanted to catch you up with my LK's "ABC's of Christmas" - it's such a fun piece to work on and moves along quickly....  here's were I am as of last night...

... way past the half way point and really moving into the home stretch.

Have a super weekend and I'll be back next week!!

Take care,

edgar

"There's nothing to see really, we're inside a Chinese dragon. "

Gentle Friends the Post title is a great quote from a really funny film, but first let me talk about how this past weekend were two really lovely days, warm (for SF) and sunny... Saturday we did our usual thrifting around.....  here's some things I picked up....

From l to r - a great brilliant cut glass compote, a blue banded TG Green Cornish Dark Blue milk jug, some local honey from a bee keeper in the Mission - he had set up a little stand on the sidewalk  -  it is some tasty unfiltered local honey, a really lovely Russian lacquered box, and an over sized cup and saucer in the "Harvest Time " pattern by Johnson Bothers.

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Now for the film reference.... after shopping we didn't want to go home so it was over to find the steps from one of the funniest films ever...  "What's Up Doc" - 1972 starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal and Madeline Kahn. 

 It's a great funny film that takes place in and around the city of San Francisco.  The last part of the film there is a great chase sequence that involves locations all over the city....  here is a clip of the second half of the chase ...  (dubbed in German, I couldn't find it in English)..

...at about the 3 minute spot they going down the steps at Alta Plaza, the movie company did not have permission to do this scene, but it is a great one.  In doing this scene they did some pretty significant damage to the steps and although "fixed" the fix still fall apart....  we made a visit to Alta Plaza...  here are some snaps...

Looking down from the top  - the steps lead down to Pierce Street, Clay Street is the cross street and runs along the Park....

Looking up at the step from the across Clay Street.

Since Alta Plaza is at the top if Pacific Heights (an affluent area of SF) between the houses and buildings you can see the Bay and across to the Marin Headlands.  The views are really super!!

At the top of the Plaza is a great playground that on a sunny Saturday was full of Birthday parties.

Another shot of the City from the top of the Plaza looking SW, you can see Sutro Tower in the distance.  San Francisco has had so many films shot here, its kind of fun to see how things have changed or not over the years.

That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks for dropping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Thanks!!

Gentle Friends, I wanted to thank you for the input about the SBBC, keep a look out for further updates in the next few months.

Thanks for stopping by - 

Take care,

edgar

What do you think????

Gentle Friends, I have been mulling over, on a way back burner in my mind, for a while now starting up or I should say re-starting the "Stitching Bloggers Birthday Club."  Although there were  a few problems -  overall it was a fun group  - and I think lots of fun to stitch and receive for Birthdays.

Now, my question to all you Blogging Buddies - how much interest would there be in my getting this Group going again?  Let me know your thoughts.....  Thanks.  

Clicking HERE takes you the old SBBC Blog "How it Works", a guideline of expectations for those participating.

Have a super weekend !!

Take care,

edgar

Polishing Silver

Gentle Friends I had a few questions about how I polish my silver and keep it shiny...  Let me say up front that if you use your silver pieces, that the tarnish will not build up (tarnish is the sulfur dioxide in the air reacting with the metal) - not only will it stay cleaner and be easier to polish, but you are building up that lovely warm patina that will make it move valuable.  The difference between "tarnish:" and "Patina" is that tarnish is over all discolored silver and "Patina" can only occur on a piece of silver after lots of use and handling.  Some silver pieces even come from the factory with an applied oxidation which is a darkening of the decoration or design, so be careful when you polish to not remove that which makes your silver lovely and valuable.

In the mail yesterday I received a small Sterling bowl (Towle "Normandy" pattern) that I had won on the Bay of evil, and it arrived, as most silver does, tarnished and filthy, notice the really black oxidized spots.....

Here's some of my silver with the "new" piece in front

So I pulled out a few smaller pieces to show the difference in "clean" and not so clean silver.  For the most part there is only one way to get silver beautifully clean, good old fashioned "elbow grease."  In addition to "EG" I like to use a nice paste cleaner...

I grew up using Wrights and have cleaned tons of silver, my Granny's, my mom's and mine over the years, there are other pastes out there but I always seem to come back to Wrights.  There are also some very abrasive "dips" that instantly "clean silver", and although they do get the tarnish off, they also strip a piece of all its warmth, turning silver into something that looks like chrome.  Yes, I do keep a bottle of Tarnex, but use it infrequently and when I do I use it, I use it sparingly to dab out black spots that I can not rub out.

I start off by getting my silver towels out, old bath towels I use for silver.  I clean my silver in the kitchen sink with running clean water...

...put a little of the paste on the sponge then rub any tarnish off, next rinse off and repeat as necessary until clean..... move on the next piece.  I do a few piece at a time...

... and let the clean pieces sit under running water until I am ready to switch to drying mode.  You have to either dry as you go or let a few pieces build up, if you sit a piece of silver to the side without drying it off you run the risk of water marks and that defeats your cleaning the silver to a lustrous shine.

When all the silver is clean and dried off you will have some lovely things to use and look at.......

... you can see that all the tarnish came off the bowl, even the black spots inside came off with a little extra rubbing and attention.  I love to clean my silver and usually haul out some of it weekly in rotation, if I have not used it in a while... I find it very therapeutic.  Let me know if you have any questions.

That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

PS I have not been compensated for this commercial by Wrights Silver Cream, I just love the Stuff!!

Some Weekend Things.....

Gentle Friends, sorry about no posting yesterday, but we had no connectivity at all until almost 9:30am , and by that time I needed to be in full "work" mode, and not "girding my loins" mode for the day....  

Our weekend started on Friday evening with a fun dinner at the Beach Chalet, not that the food is that good, it isn't, but the view is super and it was early enough to be able to watch the sun sink in the west (if the fog had not been so dense, that would have happened...)  we were having dinner with a friend of ours who lives out in the Outer Sunset, near this restaurant, so it was a good choice.  I got some snaps....

,,,,, looking north towards the Marin Headlands, the Cliff House is on the right... and we watched this...

... large ship bringing things from China into port... and watched this....

......... large ship going out of the Golden Gate on a cruise....

... and here they are passing each other, with some of wind surfers that were out that evening.

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Saturday found us out and about thrifting and at one of the estate Sales was the mother load of royal books - the focus was the 20th century and the Windsor, and especially Diana, Princess of Wales.  I found some things.... and here's the haul..

I found a couple of old Life magazines featuring the Duke of Windsor, also a couple of great books specifically about Royal "stuff" The Royal Jewels and 100 years of Royal Style.  In the piles of books and things I found 5 copies of "A Kings Story: The Memoirs of the Duke of Windsor. At one of the thrift shops I got a couple of DVD's and the Christmas Book and CD.  It was a pretty good day!!

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Here is a snap of where I am with the ABC's of Christmas...

... it's coming right along!!

That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Watchin' TeeVee

Gentle Friends i thought I would wrap up the week with a little TV plug........ I finally got a copy of Rome Season II from Amazon ( to complete the set) and now I am re-watching the series.  What a super production - and you can see where the tons of cash were spent to bring it fruition!!

I am still stitching away on ABC's of Christmas and will have an update on Monday.  I wanted to thank everyone for the help in identifying the liquor box - I knew it was way under priced at the shop!

That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by, do stop again and have a super weekend!!

Take care,

edgar

Weekend Thrifting

Gentle Friends thanks so much for stopping by, I wanted to mention a few tings I picked up last weekend while out and about doing my usual thrifting and estate sale shopping.  Here's a couple of pieces I especially liked....

....  the silver piece turned out really nice, it started off really black with years of tarnish, and polished up beautifully, the pattern is "Navarre," the "deep Cut" plate is a piece from the Westmorelnad Company and was cheap to begin with, then when I got it to the counter it turned out to be on sale and was half price - now you can't beat that!!

This next piece I picked up at a thrift store and wanted to show some snaps to get other opinions....

Now I would call this a table top "cellarette,"  It looks kind of like a desk, made of mahogany with it's original or very old brasses, and the brass ball feet are either really old or original..  The finish is faded from sunlight on three sides, there is a chip from the mahogany veneer on the back left side, but overall still in pretty good condition on the front and top.  It has two of it's original decanters (or very old hand blown, gilt decorated ones)  The lining is in good condition on the interior and the removable dividers.  It stands about 9 1/2" tall and is about 7" square.......  what do you think?????  I can't find out anything on the Internet nor do I know where to start looking. 

That's about it for today sports fans - do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Christmas Stitching

Gentle Friends thanks so much for all your kind comments about our Friday upheaval...  we've not heard a word about "crazy" so we think he is gone for good. 

I stitched some on LK "ABC's of Christmas" and here's were it stands....

..... it's seems to be stitching up pretty fast, and I knew I would enjoy this little piece.

That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks again for stopping, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

A Little Friday Drama

Gentle Friends you never think about all the odd evil crazy that lurks in the world until it comes homes to roost....  well. Friday as we turned the corner to go up the hill home, we hit a wall of police, ambulances, firetrucks and crowds of people...... and our street .... had been yellow taped off without access.

The first thing we thought was "oh. my. god... that crazy fool has done something.... "  

Let me back track a bit - down the hall from us lives the oddest and most completely unbalanced person - who has sent odd letters to the neighbors.  He has also gone through two different room mates in the last year, usually ending up with screaming in the halls and stuff being thrown in the street in front of the building.....  basically the guy is just all around unhinged.  The building owners have been trying to get him out of the building for the last couple of months due to his odd behavior and threatening other residents - and it all came to a head on Friday afternoon.  

At around 2:00pm they evacuated the building (most people were at work) and at around 3:00pm or so we got home to find those that were home milling about just waiting to see if the Bomb Squad found anything or if anything detonated.  

Now, there are lots of kitties and hounds in our building, most tenants have one or the other - and all I could think about was our four who hounds.  You see, this crazy person - threatening to blow up our building lives 4 doors down the hall from us.  So for an agonizing couple of hours as the police, bomb specialists in anti-bomb suits...

searched all over the two buildings, and took apart his SUV - we waited, and waited and waited. 

While all of us were waiting the News Vultures showed up - two film crews, the newspaper reporters and two helicopters hovering.  It was a freaking circus.  

In the end they took "crazy" away - and let us back in without incident.  The only thing that turned up were two large bottles of acetone that the HAZMAT team found and took away - or at least that was what we were told........ and everyone is safe and sound.  

That's about it for today sports fans - nothing like a little excitement to start off the weekend!!

Take care,

edgar