Bouncy Rocket Rider

DSCF2305, originally uploaded by Nels_P_Olsen.

From Nels P. Olsen's Flickr photostream of vintage rocket slides & saucer go-rounds. An absolutely staggering collection to see here from a trip Mr. Olsen took across Iowa on a search for vintage playground equipment.

Saul Bass Playscape 1961

Saul Bass Playscape 1961, originally uploaded by sandiv999.

Woohoo! I would have loved the plank-board jump into the sandpit idea when I was a kid. The builders probably would have had to conveniently locate this park next door to a hospital ;X

Children's Play Sculpture in Czechoslavakia

Children's Play Sculpture in Czechoslavakia, originally uploaded by sandiv999.

Robert Winston Play Sculpture 1961

Robert Winston Play Sculpture 1961, originally uploaded by sandiv999.

Noguchi Playground Art

Remember all those funky designs in your playground as a kid? The equipment that you hardly ever see anymore made into freeformed concrete shapes such resembling large potato chips with holes or some other other-worldly half-dream, half-nightmare form as if from a Dali painting. I do... we had the big potato chip in the schoolyard and even more creations at the city parks (until city officials grew nervous about liability and replaced them with wall-to-wall foam padded safe parks).

Did you know that some of the top designers of the day worked on these creations? Here's a fine example of that playground art designed by none other than Isamu Noguchi.


The Noguchi Playground was the 1952 model made for the United Nations. Yes, apparently even the highest representatives of the world at that time needed a playground. This area was even to be given a special international diplomatic designation, but alas the park was not to become a reality, thanks to Noguchi's NYC nemesis, Robert Moses.

As it happened, Moses's blocking of the UN Playground was the fuel for MoMA championing the design, which in turn led to an exhibition at Creative Playthings' Madison Avenue toyshop. So as it happened in 1953, Creative Playthings approached Noguchi with a proposal for designing commercial playground equipment for thier new spinoff division, Play Sculptures. And the rest (I assume) is history.

You can find a whole heaping collection of Noguchi's broad range of work here on Raimist's Noguchi uploads at Flickr.

For THE book of Noguchi's creativity you can go to Amazon and purchase Ana Maria Torres' 2000 book Isamu Noguchi: A Study of Space.

Still here??? Why not go look at some more mid-century playground designs? Go to Aqua-Velvet.com fast!


Thanks to Daddytypes.com for some background info.

The Fourth of July

My Country 'tis of Thee

Sweet Land of Liberty

Of Thee I Sing

Land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims' pride,
from every mountainside let freedom ring!

Have Yourself a Happy Independence Day!

Have a safe and happy 4th, originally uploaded by ~BostonBill~.

The Third of July

Your friendly neighborhood Space Commander asks: "Have you got your box of sparklers yet?"

Perhaps going for something with a little more "umph!" Like maybe your very own neighborhood arsenal?

Thinking about cracking open his piggy bank about now...

I love this box! Guess that's why I'd kept it stored in our attic.

Cowboys riding rockets... you can't get anymore retro than that ;)

Every manufacturer is out to grab the buyers' attention with the most colorful packaging, and many until recently still drew on the same influences you'd see in mid-century tin-lithographed toys. They're bright, colorful, and promise hours of noisy fun! They have an artform all their own.

Lion Fireworks Box O Tricks, originally uploaded by EpicFireworks.

Vintage Standard Fireworks, originally uploaded by EpicFireworks.


And don't forget to grab some punks to set them off with too!

The Second of July

My blog buddy Atomic Ranch Lady asked "what do we collect/display in celebration of Independance Day?" Mine would be the American flag that's been used by my family and displayed on this house every July 4th since the 1970's.... or as long as I can remember!

Above is one of a set of photos my Dad shot. It's still in the a.m. on this Fourth, the flag has been proudly unfurled on our home, and there's me sitting underneath with a string of ladyfingers and a handful of pop bottle rockets. Doing what I loved best! I was a bit younger than Junior's age here. Since then our flag lost its gold eagle mounting at the tip of the pole some years ago, and it's colors have become faded, but I think she still has a few good years of waving left in her ;)

Below it's the same flag, same house - today.


Here I am again, looking kind of sleepy. I would usually sleep in during Summer vacation, but this morning was an exception! Rain or shine I bet those cowboy boots never left my feet for longer than two seconds until I outgrew 'em... Ha :P


What I'd like to ask is this: "Do you have any favorite photos from the Fourth of July (and for our readers overseas, from any holiday special to you)?" It can be of family gatherings, parades, picnics, big events or small... something that says something important to you or what you remember. Share them if you'd like and Have fun remembering why the holiday means something to you.

The First of July

It starts with a glimmer of anticipation deep in the back of the pre-adolescent boy's mind in early June. By late June, it's a burning coal that keeps growing until only one week is left and the countdown begins, then it bursts into flame and consumes him. No, we aren't talking about girls (that comes later on!) We are talking Fireworks. As in the FOURTH - Independence Day - one of the Big Three holidays of the kid year that takes a back seat to NO other day... short of your own birthday of course :)

No sooner were the tent stakes pounded in the ground than I would hop on my Stingray and pedal down the street, take a right and speed halfway across the neighborhood to the closest fireworks stand and spend every penny I could pack into both front pockets of my cut-offs.


Once back home I'd light my punk over the kitchen stove, then dutifully take up residence on the front steps of our home for the next four days straight. Those days were filled with dreaming up all kinds of new imaginative ways to light off a ladyfinger in the mailbox or perfecting the aim of a pop bottle rocket so that it could reach the very edge of space (at least I thought it did).

Yep, in my mind the Fourth of July was the best day of the year... even better than my own birthday!

Some of the old fireworks saved along with my cigar box from kidhood

Fiberglass Shades Go On Trial - Part II

I warned you there would be more to come...

You remember my matched pair of fiberglass shades, right? They were yellowed from years of dirt, the metal hoops had turned brown and their lacing had disintergrated into fragments... These two were not in a happy place!

It was time to act and to coordinate a rescue effort. I removed the pieces of old lacing and the metal hoops, then smoothed off the corrosion and other yuckiness from the hoops with fine steel wool, and washed off any greasy residue. Now the hoops got several light coats of fresh gold (or brass) metallic paint to replicate the original finish. You could have the metal parts professionally plated, but ummm, I don't have any relatives in that line of business ;)

Next it was time for the fiberglass shades to get some attention. They weren't stained, just that overall they could use a thorough cleaning. I read somewhere about a fiberglass boat cleaner which might be used to reverse yellowing, but I was not willing to experiment on two irreplacable shades. I went with something less drastic, I filled the bathtub with mildly warm water, enough to immerse the whole shade and gently scrubbed any bug spots with a small bristle brush. The shades really soak up the warm water and it seemed to help smooth out some minor dimples too. I didn't use any detergent, otherwise I'd start with a dishwashing soap like Dove.

I had done some research if chlorine bleach might help brighten the yellowing, but after a little Googling I found that any products containing chlorine bleach could actually set stains in fiberglass, so I dropped that idea. And of course abrasive cleaners aren't recommended for fiberglass either.

After their bath I padded the two shades down with a bath towel so they weren't dripping wet and to help avoid any risk of water staining while they air dried. The results: though there's discoloring from age, they were noticably brighter after being cleaned.

Next up: there was the lace situation to be tackled!


Now that they were cleaned, the two shades could have the hoops reattached with new lacing. I went to Hobby Lobby to see what might be available. In the leather crafts they had a reel of goatskin lace in dark brown in two widths. I brought along a piece of my old lacing to compare and went with the smaller width. They also carried reels available in black, and a wider variety in shorter lengths on cards, including metallic colors (much like my original lamp lace still showed traces of) but the carded laces would have been too wide for my particular shades.

Restitching was the easiest part, with a bit of patience. I started at the seam and gradually tightening the lace as the hoop is secured (but not too tight). I double checked that I ran the lacing in the same direction both top and bottom, otherwise the effect may not have been a good one! Finally the two loose ends of the lace were tied in a sailors knot, in the same fashion as the original lace was knotted.

The Verdict: I solemnly swear that overall I am pleased with how my shades turned out, Your Honor. And I can testify that today I have a happy matching pair of nightstand lamps again!

= = =

A Friendly Disclaimer: This example illustrates what I did to repair my shades. I am NOT a professional fiberglass lamp restoration expert. Individual results will likely vary. You may choose to follow my methods, but I cannot be held responsible for any unforeseen results, including further staining, accidental dismemberment and worse. Please use your own common sense and judgement before proceeding!


Cleaning tips from:

• Deadly Nightshades
• All Green Things

Dealers and Suppliers:

• Moonshine Shades