a sea of turtle soup
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 9:44 AM My great-aunt lived in a pre-revolutionary stone house in Chester County, PA. She was a woman of many interests -- from being a double major in French and Latin at Swarthmore in her 20s to showing AKC championship bassets into her 80s, and reading a book a day all the way through. If you could handle the dust, her attic was a most magical place for any child to explore. She passed away at the ripe age of 98 a couple winters back.
I visited the house recently, and the attic hasn't lost an ounce of its magic (nor dust!). There are stacks upon stacks upon stacks of Country Gentleman, Town & Country, House & Garden, Life and countless other periodicals dating from the turn of the 20th century onwards. Two of my favorite covers are this Town & Country from October 1936 (can you believe how contemporary it feels?!) and a House & Garden from December 1927 (they have the most wonderful art direction during that era!). Another gem I stumbled across was a game called Peter Coddle's Trip To New York. It comes with a hundred or so phrases to insert into a mad lib type booklet -- I scanned a handful for you here. A sea of turtle soup - how marvelous*
house and garden, peter coddle, town and country in Classic
Reader Comments (13)
What a marvelous look into your family's past! Seriously cool! It makes me long for simpler times!
Marvelous indeed! and I am just floored by those covers... true classics!
What a cool look into your family history!! The game you scanned is just too cool - love a paper of pumpkin seeds or a clap of thunder - so filled with imagery!!
looks like a tresure trove and your great-aunt sounds fascinating too! thanks for sharing
What a wonderful story and it seems like your great-aunt was a very talented and special lady!!
xx Kirby
What an interesting game, I think an elderly porcupine and a pumpkin-vine trumpet are my favorites! It must be such fun to get to browse an attic full of these treasures!
I absolutely love going to my grandmother's home, where each visit brings new discoveries- an old cookbook, a unique kitchen tool, a 'trinket' from my grandfather's collection of 'interesting' items, etc. When the kids go back to school, I plan on going there for the day to simply photograph some of these items and converse with her regarding their meaning/origin/& overall 'story.' Sometimes, items that are extremely meaningful and rich in history and/or affection can lose this meaning if not shared and communicated with others of newer generations.
What amazing finds! I remember my grandmother's attic was like a treasure chest. And these phrases you found are hysterical!
Your great aunt sounds divine. And what a life! How magical it must have been to go exploring in that treasure trove of goodies.
I love stories like this - both the finds and the woman. She was certainly ahead of her time - and she lived so long because she had such a vibrant life and an active mind! Good for her!
What fun! It would be so great to frame those up in your home. I love finding treasures!
Love this...what an amazing treasure trove you found. I live in Chester County and visit old stone houses all the time...beautiful country.
Very inspirational. x