KDW

Jeanne and I apply ourselves seriously to the job of dying Easter eggs. This was always done on Good Friday. I am reading the box while Jeanne meticulously starts the dye job.

Mom was always willing to join in the fun at a Girl Scout event!

One of the most pervasive symbols of my childhood years was the Wise’s Potato Chip logo — an owl’s eye in black, yellow, and turquoise, with an arched brow. Over the years it accreted a status like the flaming Eye of Mordor in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings movies. But instead of evil and destruction, it meant fun, parties, and summer vacations.

Naturally, way back when there was a recipe booklet too.

As the only local potato chip around the Trenton-Philly area back then, it had a monopoly on the market. There were store brand chips too, of course, like Acme and Pathmark, but they tasted pretty lame, and Charles Chips were hard to find.

Only barbecue flavor was offered, in contrast’s to today’s sophisticated gourmet competitors (Thai, Buffalo Wing, Salt & Pepper, Sea Salt, Parmesan/Garlic, Cheddar, and Dill Pickle, to name a few.) Sadly julienned chips are now a thing of the past. And yes, there was a recipe for potato chip waffles included therein.

The modern plant layout speaks of hygient and quality. The chips were manufactured in Berkham, PA.

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Love potato chips so much you can’ t bear a holiday without them? Try potat0 chip stuffing for your turkey, surrounded by a garnish of crisp yellow chips!

Other recipes include cake, cookies, and casseroles, the titular ingredient usually pulverized into a salty powder. It was for this reason I actually preferred pretzels as a child, as the saltiness and greasiness of the product were extreme even for a potato chip which was expected to be salty and greasy. (I also remember not a few chips burnt on the edges, and remember the sudden yuck of finding one growing green mold.) Those times were more innocent of heart disease and such. In fact, I did not enjoy my potato chip renaissance until after college, when I discovered the joys of New York Deli brand potato chips, and after I had moved to Seattle, Tim’s and Kettle, and Hawaiian Chips from across the Pacific.

Wise Potato Chips are still around today, with updated packaging.

Makes you think doesn’t it…

One of our favorite things to do in the Summer when Violet was young, was to go on the Dream Cruise.  The boat would leave Kewalo Basin and then anchor off shore of Waikiki.  There were snorkels, goggles and fins for everyone.  A slide went from  the top deck straight into the ocean.  And This huge trampoline was pulled behind the boat.  That’s Violet in the water on the lower right.  This may have been the time the current was very strong, and she had to be rescued by one of the staff lifeguards.

Unfortunately,  Violet suffers from motion sickness.  Although, she will insist that she is just resting…

These are from the city of Lubkhow (?) which is in the southeast part of Poland, near the place the Karpinsis and Bocheneks came from. Each region of Poland had its own dress. The man’s coat looks Russian or even a little Mongolian, but his flat crowned hat looks Amish! The city’s emblem is the happy goat eating the vine.

I updated WordPress to the latest version. Interface is a little different but basically works the same.

Mutant lagomorphs attack the Earth!

Lovechildren of the Easter Rabbit and H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, these monstrosities terrified urban areas in the 1950s, decorating many a child’s bed and rendering it into an eyesore.

Tangiers was a clothing company of the late 1980s whose trendy line was carried at Macy’s. I was out of college then and in my first job, so I bought a lot of trendy clothes. Every season the theme, style, and colors changed, and so did the little tags that came on the clothes. This one was for the “1950s Outer Space” season. (The item I bought from this line was a bluish-purple pair of pegged pants with a tiny houndstooth check pattern on them.)

Forsythia always bloomed in the spring in NJ, usually mid-April. (Here it starts to bloom the second week of March.) Joan’s purple outfit is rock star cool, but my Easter outfit looks like a tablecloth :-/