Blogging at Over 10,000 Feet

Well, this is a Thrift Shop Romantic first, I must say. This would be my premiere post composed at over 10,000 feet in the air!

Yes, I'm heading home to Pittsburgh from Thanksgiving and being the thrifty gal that I am, I couldn't resist taking advantage of the free holiday WiFi on the plane.

It's this WiFi, that allows me to efficiently bring some photos of the Florida Keys to you all today. Then Wednesday I'll be back to our normal treasure-hunting and decorating with a new Treasure Box post.

Here we have some feathered friends hunkered down in the strong breeze following a stormy day...
This is in Islamorada outside the Whale Harbor Inn, a seafood buffet where my father and I enjoyed entirely too much Thanksgiving feast.

Did you know the pelicans in Florida are required by the State Waterbird Aquatic Traffic Bureau to swim in "V" formations?...
Yes, they get licensed to make sure they know the rules of the surf, and they have to have it renewed every five years. They are, of course, billed for this service. :)

Right now you can just hear the trio above saying, "Okay, Peter, Penny, you take flank. I'll take point. Let's triangulate!"

Funny that with so much wind earlier in the day, the water could be so glassy...
And this, this just made me laugh. Originally, I had only wanted a shot of the sign because of "Captain Ron." (Anyone familiar with the film of the same name starring Kurt Russell will know why it's funny.)...All around are largish fishing vessels, which tourists can charter for a day of fishing adventure. However, Dad and I soon realized, Captain Ron's boat for hire was perhaps just a little bit, um, more budget-oriented than the ones around it...Okay, maybe a lot more budget-oriented. It's not easy being a swashbuckling pirate when you're also a little dinghy...Anyway, what trip to the tropics would be complete without a few shots of Mother Nature in all her beachly glory?...
And with this, we dock yet another holiday for the year...
If you missed last Wednesday's post, with some humorous looks at vintage Thanksgiving, click here.

This Wednesday, we'll dive into some Florida thrifting and yard saling. Hope to see you then!

Blogging at Over 10,000 Feet

Well, this is a Thrift Shop Romantic first, I must say. This would be my premiere post composed at over 10,000 feet in the air!

Yes, I'm heading home to Pittsburgh from Thanksgiving and being the thrifty gal that I am, I couldn't resist taking advantage of the free holiday WiFi on the plane.

It's this WiFi, that allows me to efficiently bring some photos of the Florida Keys to you all today. Then Wednesday I'll be back to our normal treasure-hunting and decorating with a new Treasure Box post.

Here we have some feathered friends hunkered down in the strong breeze following a stormy day...
This is in Islamorada outside the Whale Harbor Inn, a seafood buffet where my father and I enjoyed entirely too much Thanksgiving feast.

Did you know the pelicans in Florida are required by the State Waterbird Aquatic Traffic Bureau to swim in "V" formations?...
Yes, they get licensed to make sure they know the rules of the surf, and they have to have it renewed every five years. They are, of course, billed for this service. :)

Right now you can just hear the trio above saying, "Okay, Peter, Penny, you take flank. I'll take point. Let's triangulate!"

Funny that with so much wind earlier in the day, the water could be so glassy...
And this, this just made me laugh. Originally, I had only wanted a shot of the sign because of "Captain Ron." (Anyone familiar with the film of the same name starring Kurt Russell will know why it's funny.)...All around are largish fishing vessels, which tourists can charter for a day of fishing adventure. However, Dad and I soon realized, Captain Ron's boat for hire was perhaps just a little bit, um, more budget-oriented than the ones around it...Okay, maybe a lot more budget-oriented. It's not easy being a swashbuckling pirate when you're also a little dinghy...Anyway, what trip to the tropics would be complete without a few shots of Mother Nature in all her beachly glory?...
And with this, we dock yet another holiday for the year...
If you missed last Wednesday's post, with some humorous looks at vintage Thanksgiving, click here.

This Wednesday, we'll dive into some Florida thrifting and yard saling. Hope to see you then!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Turkey Temptations

There was something in the Treasure Box this week-- only I can't show it to you yet!

Yes, the power of Christmas gifting thrifting means the items I bought are for a buddy who happens to read the blog. She's getting a little nifty thrifted basket o' fun for the Christmas season, and I will entirely spoil the surprise by sharing the finds with you.

I promise to do so once the gift's been sent her way.

That said, I certainly don't want to leave you good folks-- who've come all the way over here-- empty-handed today. So since I have so many new readers this year, who probably have not perused past pages of the publication... I offer you two previous T-day posts-- both of which might give you a good holiday chuckle.

• The first was last year's entirely made-up tour of my yearly Thanksgiving setting-- the Florida Everglades-- all of it told through vintage postcards and cheerful fibs. Yes, see how I would celebrate the holiday if I actually hung out with Seminole Indians and narrowly avoided being chomped by alligators... and in Technicolor, too! Click here.

• The second contains cards from my Victorian Thanksgiving postcard collection. I love the images they used back then, and I believe you will, too. Click here for that.

Oh, and for those who didn't get a chance to check out my somewhat early Christmas decorating so far, you can view that post here.

That said, I will see you all Sunday with a post inspired by my holiday adventures-- where ever they may take me.

Pace yourselves on the turkey, American readers. :) And to folks outside the U.S., I hope you have yourselves a great rest of the week.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Turkey Temptations

There was something in the Treasure Box this week-- only I can't show it to you yet!

Yes, the power of Christmas gifting thrifting means the items I bought are for a buddy who happens to read the blog. She's getting a little nifty thrifted basket o' fun for the Christmas season, and I will entirely spoil the surprise by sharing the finds with you.

I promise to do so once the gift's been sent her way.

That said, I certainly don't want to leave you good folks-- who've come all the way over here-- empty-handed today. So since I have so many new readers this year, who probably have not perused past pages of the publication... I offer you two previous T-day posts-- both of which might give you a good holiday chuckle.

• The first was last year's entirely made-up tour of my yearly Thanksgiving setting-- the Florida Everglades-- all of it told through vintage postcards and cheerful fibs. Yes, see how I would celebrate the holiday if I actually hung out with Seminole Indians and narrowly avoided being chomped by alligators... and in Technicolor, too! Click here.

• The second contains cards from my Victorian Thanksgiving postcard collection. I love the images they used back then, and I believe you will, too. Click here for that.

Oh, and for those who didn't get a chance to check out my somewhat early Christmas decorating so far, you can view that post here.

That said, I will see you all Sunday with a post inspired by my holiday adventures-- where ever they may take me.

Pace yourselves on the turkey, American readers. :) And to folks outside the U.S., I hope you have yourselves a great rest of the week.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Heating Things Up a Bit

I don't know about you all, but I'm tired of sub-zero temperatures and snow. I mean, yesterday it creeped up to a whopping 30 degrees instead of -2, and it felt like a heatwave.

Worse, it's affecting my... (gasp!)... thrifting! It's been so unpleasant out, I haven't dared stir from my home or office. So I decided, in protest, what would be in the Treasure Box for you this week would be photos-- photos of things that are not in my home, or anywhere near me...

Yes, I was noodling around with some of my extra photos from my trip to Florida last year.

Like this cutie...


Just look at that sweet whiskered face! He was down at the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida. And you'd never believe, this was a fairly distant photo that the wonders of technology allowed me to crop into this handsome portrait...

Dig those big brown eyes and teeny-tiny little ears!

He was a talented fellow, too, that sealion. He originally thought he might want to play for the Lakers...


But his jumpshot wasn't great. Sorta the same problem Shaq has, I guess. So what he discovered he really wanted to do was sing...


This just made me laugh. I'm sure the dentist has no problem checking out those molars, either.

A bit of cropping meant I could show you a closeup on our dolphin pal here, too...


And an action shot with another flippered friend...


I'd have cropped more, but I couldn't bear to cut out those gorgeous, gorgeous palm trees! Just what we need now, right?

Now we can zoom in so nicely on Mr. Polly Parrot here...

And it's funny, but I usually do get stared at by parrots. I suspect it's because of my red hair they may think I'm one of them...

I am fond of crackers and sunflower seeds.

And, you know, some of these parrots work hard for the money. No vacation in the tropics for them! No sir, this one makes daily graceful commutes on this barrel...


And then we go from parrots, to parrotfish!... Have you ever seen such coloring on a fish?


But alas-- our trip to the tropics is, as always, over too soon. We try to take time to smell the flowers, like this giant hibiscus...


We pause, to enjoy the cool greenery of a mini-rainforest...


But then... then we must slowly mosey along home...


I suppose I haven't really tortoise anything at all today, have I? :) Ah, well. There's always this coming Sunday.

Or you you check out last Sunday's post on Thrifty Tablescapes for Valentine's Day.

Keep warm, my friends!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Heating Things Up a Bit

I don't know about you all, but I'm tired of sub-zero temperatures and snow. I mean, yesterday it creeped up to a whopping 30 degrees instead of -2, and it felt like a heatwave.

Worse, it's affecting my... (gasp!)... thrifting! It's been so unpleasant out, I haven't dared stir from my home or office. So I decided, in protest, what would be in the Treasure Box for you this week would be photos-- photos of things that are not in my home, or anywhere near me...

Yes, I was noodling around with some of my extra photos from my trip to Florida last year.

Like this cutie...


Just look at that sweet whiskered face! He was down at the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida. And you'd never believe, this was a fairly distant photo that the wonders of technology allowed me to crop into this handsome portrait...

Dig those big brown eyes and teeny-tiny little ears!

He was a talented fellow, too, that sealion. He originally thought he might want to play for the Lakers...


But his jumpshot wasn't great. Sorta the same problem Shaq has, I guess. So what he discovered he really wanted to do was sing...


This just made me laugh. I'm sure the dentist has no problem checking out those molars, either.

A bit of cropping meant I could show you a closeup on our dolphin pal here, too...


And an action shot with another flippered friend...


I'd have cropped more, but I couldn't bear to cut out those gorgeous, gorgeous palm trees! Just what we need now, right?

Now we can zoom in so nicely on Mr. Polly Parrot here...

And it's funny, but I usually do get stared at by parrots. I suspect it's because of my red hair they may think I'm one of them...

I am fond of crackers and sunflower seeds.

And, you know, some of these parrots work hard for the money. No vacation in the tropics for them! No sir, this one makes daily graceful commutes on this barrel...


And then we go from parrots, to parrotfish!... Have you ever seen such coloring on a fish?


But alas-- our trip to the tropics is, as always, over too soon. We try to take time to smell the flowers, like this giant hibiscus...


We pause, to enjoy the cool greenery of a mini-rainforest...


But then... then we must slowly mosey along home...


I suppose I haven't really tortoise anything at all today, have I? :) Ah, well. There's always this coming Sunday.

Or you you check out last Sunday's post on Thrifty Tablescapes for Valentine's Day.

Keep warm, my friends!

Holiday Road: TSR's 2008 Thanksgiving Vacation in Postcards

Ah, pack your Aloha shirts and sandals, my buddies, and break out that sunscreen-- because The Thrift Shop Romantic is headed to the tropics! For Thanksgiving this year, I'll be hitting the skies and flying to the Florida Keys to visit my dad. So I thought I'd take you all on a little preview of my travels, as through this pack of 1940s Florida souvenir postcards...


Because, ya know, my trips are exactly like 60-year-old tourism shots. In fact, you'd be surprised how colorized the world looks when I go on vacation. It's weird.


So here we are on the way to the Florida Keys, a string of islands right off the Florida peninsula. And because it's Thanksgiving, you know we'll be having the traditional Thanksgiving holiday feast main course--

Roasted coconuts!...

What, you mean you don't have to climb coconut palms to get just the right coconuts for the Thanksgiving table? You don't husk that coconut and then pop it in the oven for 7 hours to roast it just to perfection? You don't carve the coconut at the table, and have coconut dressing, and mashed coconut, coconut slaw and finely aged coconut wine?

You mean you don't finish with coconut cream pie?

Hm. I could swear everybody did that. Like, the Pilgrims, and just, well, everyone.

Strange.

Well, I bet after your big holiday feast, you all make sure you get in a nice bit of canoeing. We always do. A perfect way to work off those calories!


Then we go visit our neighbors...


As you can see, they like to canoe, too. You know, there's simply nothing like a little Thanksgiving fellowship, spending time with the people you care about.

If there's time, we'll all get together and help Farmer Joe nearby pick some of those ripe juicy oranges from his orchard...


Okay, so Farmer Joe doesn't exactly know we're helping him. In fact, it's best to keep an eye out for Farmer Joe and his men when you're picking... And don't forget to duck when the shotgun bullets whiz past your head.

But there's nothing like the feeling of helping your fellow man do an honest day of labor.

That's something to be thankful for!

Once we return home with our Thanksgiving oranges, we drop them off and head back out to peer in our other neighbors' windows and watch the football games...


Why, we don't have TV, but that never puts a damper on our finding out which college trounced the other. We like to keep informed, dontchaknow. This works out really well, as long as we don't accidentally lean on a window and trip the neighbor's alarms.

Darned ADT home protection! Well... lesson learned, right?

Now me, if I'm not delayed by the local law enforcement at this point, I always like to take a nice walk in the Everglades swamp just around dusk. There is simply nothing more beautiful than the sun setting over over mangrove trees, the palms, the three foot tall mosquitoes and the alligators...


Of course, for two years in a row, the gators ate the breadcrumbs I was leaving behind me, and I totally lost my way back to the fanboat. Who knew gators were so big on croutons? So, I found myself just wandering around lost at night, with only the stars to light my way.


Eventually, I ran into some Cuban refugees, who were just as lost as I was. It was really nice to have company, and I appreciated how Juan and Carlos beat off that gator from my leg. You were very brave Carlos. Juan and I still miss you. Rest in peace, hermano!


Ah, it was a beautiful dawn that morning. Juan and I stood on the shore, looking on the light of a brand new day, as the sun rose over the Atlantic.

Or perhaps.... just perhaps...

I've been making mountains out of molehills today.

Ya never know!

A note to my regular readers, due to the wonders of technology and the fact my hotel seems to have Wireless, I'm going to attempt to continue posting this Thanksgiving holiday long distance, and will try to respond to comments as often as I can.

Treasure Box Wednesday will be posted as normal, and barring technical problems, Sunday's post will be posted here at the Blogspot address only, and not on the Thriftshopromantic.com address. (I can't update that part of the system long distance.) That will be updated when I get back.

Sunday, I plan to share with you some photos of what I actually did over the holiday. And (ahem) yes, I'll give your regards to Juan.

• If you missed last week's Treasure Box Wednesday, click here. It was a massive Shiny Brite find!

And perhaps I'll see you all Wednesday!