adventures | kimberly ah

Nov 05 2014

Adami Adventure, adventures, Office Supplies

JC Penney Museum

One of our first stops while we were exploring Hamilton was the J.C. Penney Museum. The museum is part of the local library and is filled with items used by J.C. Penney personally as well as in his first stores. There is a wax figure of Penney himself anchoring the exhibit…it was a little alarming at first, but he felt like an old friend by the end. Some of my favorite items in the museum were the office supplies–so many fantastic rubber stamps and little notebooks and handbooks. And there was a tricky looking calculator and a gorgeous Underwood typewriter. Swoon! I love this picture from the JC Penney Golden Jubilee Convention in 1952. It was held at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago and it looks like it was a fabulous event! Brannock devices and other shoe-selling tools make me miss good customer service in the shoe departments of today. This is a plate that was made for J.C. Penney’s eightieth birthday. Isn’t James Cash a terrific name?Ah, catalogs…so good for browsing, so bad for the environment.

I didn’t do any research before we went to the museum, but J.C. Penney’s desk is in the museum and unlike most museums, you are invited to sit in his chair. I’m bummed that I learned this after we left and the museum closed. We did thumb through the catalogs though. There was no one working in the museum, so when it came time to buy postcards (which were only 10¢ each!) I took them into the library side to pay for them. I love how quaint and laid-back it was! A few blocks down the main road is the J.C. Penney childhood home. It isn’t open for touring and it’s not in its original location (Penney grew up just outside of town in the countryside.) In the 80s it was saved from being torn down and moved into town and renovated. It sits among the businesses downtown Hamilton, a charming reminder of the man himself.

Tagged adventures, office supplies, parents, rubber stamp

Nov 04 2014

6 Comments

Adami Adventure, adventures

Road Trip to Hamilton, MO

Over the weekend, I took a road trip with my parents. We drove to visit my grandfather in Hamilton, Missouri, a town of 1800 people about an hour away from Kansas City. In between visits to the nursing home, my dad and I adventured about the town, which has a surprising amount to do for its size. Hamilton is the home of JC Penney, the man who founded the department store by the same name in 1902. There’s a quaint little museum devoted to JC Penney in the local library and Penney’s childhood home sits in the center of town. Until the 1980s, there was a Penney’s store in Hamilton. Quilting is a huge business here, too. The Missouri Star Quilt Company (seen in the top photo) opened in 2008 and now it is widely known around the country as a great place to go for fabric and quilting supplies. I first heard about Missouri Star in this NBC Nightly News broadcast, so I was interested to go and check it out. Hamilton is only a few blocks long and there are seven quilt shops in town. It’s pretty amazing. (I’ll talk about both the museum and the quilt shops this week!) Of course I made time for mail! I wrote out postcards at a little bakery (Poppy’s) and at the nursing home.The trip was bittersweet but I’m glad we went. It was good to see my grandpa and to experience the town he’s lived in almost his whole life.

Tagged adventures, memories, parents, snail mail

Oct 30 2014

Forest Park Casket Races 2014

The Forest Park 3rd Annual Casket Races were held on Saturday and they were wickedly fun! It was the perfect day–cool and crisp and sunny. And look at those leaves! We found a good seat on the curb kind of in the middle of the “track” and had a great time seeing the funny costumes and caskets. My favorites were the guys above, who all dressed like The Count from Sesame Street. (Although, I do believe those giant heads cost them the race…not very aerodynamic.) I also loved this Weekend At Bernie’s themed casket. (The second picture shows them carrying Bernie during the post-race casket parade.)The Forest Park Library got into the action with zombie librarians. And the Kiwanis raced a peanut casket.

I love that this happens in Forest Park!

(To see last year’s Casket Races, go here.)

Tagged adventures, forest park, Halloween

Oct 21 2014

1 Comment

adventures, Silent Films

Why Be Good?

On Sunday night Peggy and I went to see Why Be Good? a recently rediscovered silent film from the 1920s starring Colleen Moore*. Why Be Good? was considered lost for many years, but it was rediscovered in an old Italian movie archive in 2012. This was its 21st century North American debut and it was shown as part of Chicago International Film Festival, which Colleen Moore helped start fifty years ago.

In the movie, Colleen Moore plays Pert, a poor flapper girl who is a wildly good dancer, stays out late, wears risqué dresses and makeup and has the appearance of a “bad girl.” But she’s really a good girl underneath it all. She meets a rich man who falls in love with her, but is hesitant to marry Pert because he fears she is too wild (a.k.a. not chaste.) The movie follows the two of them to different night clubs, giving us a glimpse into the “flapper” lifestyle and 1920s night life. (I couldn’t stop looking at the glassware during all of the drinking scenes!)

Because the movie was made Pre-Code, there were racy (for the time) shots of Pert in her bra and slip and suggestive (for the time) dialogue. (Of course, it’s nothing like movies today.) The wardrobe was just fabulous. Every shoe, every slip, every dress, every coat, every handbag was breathtaking. At one point Pert pulls out a slip that had her name embroidered on it. They don’t make slips like that anymore. (Do they even make slips?) And the music, especially the jazz in the nightclubs, was fantastic. I think there needs to be a soundtrack release. And I know a lot of people don’t like silent films (or haven’t given them a chance) but with Colleen Moore’s expressive facial expressions and the music, I didn’t even realize I was reading the title cards.

The movie was introduced by CIFF founder Michael Kutza (pictured, underneath Colleen Moore on the big screen). He was in his twenties when he had the idea to start an International Film Festival in Chicago. Since he was so young and not socially connected, he was introduced to Colleen Moore. She was living in Chicago at the time and still had many Hollywood connections. In the early years, she helped get a lot of movie stars involved with the festival and gave it a strong start in the community. He told a hilarious story about wanting to invite Joan Crawford to lunch. She was in Chicago for business during her time on the Board of Directors for Pepsi-Co. Colleen Moore told him no, that Joan’s “wings” (facelift tape around the eyes, something like this.) would never make it through lunch!

I’ve never gone to any of the film festivals in Chicago, but this experience made me want to pay more attention to these local opportunities. I’m not a huge movie person but I do love old gems and I enjoy learning about the history of Hollywood. Peggy is a movie encyclopedia so it’s always fun to go with her and learn a little bit more than I would as a movie novice. For instance, Peggy knew Neil Hamilton, the actor who played Pert’s love interest, also played Commissioner Gordon on Batman (the TV show.)

Now that Why Be Good? has been found and re-released, it will hopefully show up at more movie festivals and indie theaters. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for it, even if you only go to see the stunning Colleen Moore and her stylish flapper wardrobe!

*Chicagoans might know Colleen Moore for her fairy castle at the Museum of Science & Industry.

P.S. A little bit more about the discovery and restoration of Why Be Good? There are some great still shots of the movie so you can get a little taste of the clothes!

Tagged adventures, Silent Film

Oct 13 2014

2 Comments

adventures, celebrations

Jackie Lakely at Gather

My artist-friend Jackie is showing her latest series of paintings at Gather, an arts and crafts studio/children’s play place in Evanston. On Saturday, Peggy, Naoto and I drove up for Jackie’s opening. Jackie combines painting and mixed media collage in most of her work. This particular series is The Alphabet Series–twenty-six pieces that incorporate objects and animals representing each letter. With few exceptions, Jackie’s work is bright and vibrant and layered with paints, papers, patterns, textures and colors. We had such a fun time walking through the alphabet and finding all of the bits and pieces within each painting to represent the letter. For instance, Party Cat above has carrot cake, candles, cups of coffee, cookies, cupcake, cat…Many of the pieces had a bit of phone book, the Periodic Table of Elements and postage stamps (!!!) worked into them. Hillside House is a great example of these tiny details. The elements of hydrogen and helium are there, plus a tiny map of the hemispheres, some H phone book pages (including the number for my favorite place, Hala Kahiki tiki bar!!), and the best part….…the vintage cancelled HOMEMAKERS postage stamp!! It was so much fun looking for these tiny details. My pictures really don’t do justice to Jackie’s work. The layers and textures get a little lost on a computer screen. But if you’re in Evanston, go see it in person! Kids or no kids, Gather is a really neat space, and obviously I think Jackie’s work is worth the trip.

From top to bottom: Garden Friends (starring Jackie’s greyhound, Alex), Night Lights, Bluebird & Bear, Party Cat, Hillside House and Red Tent. Jackie has a post on her blog where she shares some details about the paintings and you can see more of the paintings.

Tagged adventures, celebrations

Sep 24 2014

7 Comments

adventures, Forest Park, Oak Park, gardening, summer manifesto

Plot #6: I Picked A Loofah

I finally picked a loofah! I’m not sure it’s really ready, but this particular one kept falling out of our plot and I was nervous it would get stepped on. Plus, when I picked it, it had a giant slug on it (which I touched by accident and that is not a feeling my memory will be erasing anytime soon.) It was the lightest-colored*, most hollow sounding, biggest loofah on the vines, so I figured I would sacrifice it to see how “ready” the others might be.

So the next step is to cut into the experimental loofah to see if it’s “sponge-worthy.” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist a tiny Seinfeld shout-out. Also, totally different “sponge-worthy.”)

I will report back soon, along with some fall garden shots. Our tomatoes are really slowing down, but with the crazy gorgeous weather we’re having this week, I’m thinking maybe a few more Juliets will emerge. Cheers to a perfect early fall!

*I should note that the loofah looks really green in this picture but it’s significantly lighter than that in real life…maybe Presley’s eyes are bringing out the greenness?

Tagged adventures, food, forest park, garden, gardening, summer

Sep 23 2014

5 Comments

Forest Park, Oak Park, Postal Consumer Advisory Council, snail mail

USPS Consumer Advisory Council Meeting 1

Last week I attended my first meeting of the Oak Park area Postal Consumer Advisory Council. As I mentioned in this post, the council was formed due to many, many complaints last winter involving delayed and missed deliveries in the Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park (Illinois) areas. Our group’s goal is to help the post office see and fix their issues from the customer viewpoint, to collect customer complaints (and compliments!) from others in our neighborhoods and to help the post office educate its customers on some of their limitations.

There were several “department heads” at our meeting, including the Oak Park area Postmaster, Phillip Crawford and eight other Station Managers and other staff who work for the USPS in regional marketing and management. There were about ten customer volunteers ranging in age from 30s-70s. Most of the volunteers were long-term Oak Parkers and I was the lone representative from Forest Park. It was clear that everyone in the room understood that the problems were severe, and no one was making excuses (though there were explanations) and everyone seemed to genuinely love the post office. It felt good to be in the company of other USPS lovers!

I have so many thoughts and learned so much already, even though our first meeting goals were limited to outlining the purpose of the council and introducing ourselves. I have a hodgepodge of things to share this time. I think over the next meetings, there will be more structure and our conversations will be more focused on individual problems and solutions (for instance: late deliveries, missed deliveries, counter service, post office building conditions, etc.) But for this time, I decided just to share the most interesting details. Please let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to clarify.

These consumer advisory councils were very popular in post offices through the 1980s. In the 90s they kind of fell out of favor. The USPS is hoping that by bringing some councils back, the relationship and flow of communication between the post office and its customers will improve.
The USPS sees package delivery as the future of the post office.
Oak Park will become a Sunday & Holiday delivery hub for area Amazon Prime customers. (A council member asked why the USPS would take on a new, large responsibility while they are still reeling from a disaster of a winter last year. But again, if package delivery is the future of the post office, how could they not take this opportunity?)
During the 2013 holiday season, the USPS expected a 14% increase in package volume. The actual increase was 39%. Obviously the USPS was sorely ill-prepared for the volume of mail. To be fair, FedEx and UPS experienced a lot of problems too. The Postmaster believes that this year, with better staffing and systems, they will be ready for another huge holiday season.
All routes in Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest now have permanent carriers. When a route doesn’t have a permanent carrier, another carrier would have to finish her route and then continue her day to finish another route. This obviously leads to delays in mail delivery, mistakes due to unfamiliarity and fatigued carriers. The Postmaster seemed confident that just by being comfortably staffed, the USPS is ready for the upcoming holidays. Plus, they have a small team of back-up carriers in case some of the newer carriers don’t work out. “Delivering mail isn’t for everyone.”
The River Forest carriers, who had been working out of the Oak Park South Station for the past two years, are now back at the River Forest Post Office.
One volunteer council member brought up the broken-down state of some of the blue mailboxes and had concerns about building maintenance.
We asked to have a letter carrier and a counter employee at some of the meetings as we discuss specific topics.
We discussed villages’ and customers’ roles in mail delivery. Oak Park (and I assume Forest Park and River Forest) has an ordinance that requires homeowners to care for their sidewalks during winter. However, this ordinance is rarely (or never, according to some Oak Parkers) enforced by the village. Snowy and icy sidewalks and streets not only slow down mail delivery, but they also make conditions dangerous for the letter carriers. The Postmaster told a story of one letter carrier in south Oak Park who delivered mail to a house in spite of its icy stairs. He fell and broke his tailbone and was out of work for several months.

One thing that the Postmaster told us as members of the advisory council is that he’d like us to be a bridge of communication to connect the post office to the area customers. Part of this role is collecting complaints (or compliments!) from my friends and neighbors. If you live in Oak Park, Forest Park or River Forest, Illinois and have a comment, complaint or a question about your mail delivery, post office counter service or anything else USPS related, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact me via email or twitter (details on my About page.) If you don’t live in our area, please feel free to comment as well (always feel free to comment!)

And, if you ever want immediate feedback about a customer experience issue, this is a more direct route to your Station Manager or Postmaster:

1-800-ASK-USPS

hotline@uspsoig.gov

I think that’s everything…whew!

P.S. Pictured above, my council notebook, a doctored up Field Notes Shelterwood.

Tagged adventures, forest park, office supplies, snail mail

Sep 17 2014

LWA Social at the Forest Park Library

On Saturday, I attended the LWA Letter Social at my public library (as mentioned in this post.) As usual, I regret not taking more pictures. Kathy and Donovan had an amazing spread of stationery and mail art supplies, an array of rubber stamps and four fantastic typewriters. I used the Tippa pictured above and it typed like a dream! It moved like butter (or buttah!) I wrote a letter and two special thank you notes (which I will be sharing soon!) and had a great chat with all of the other women writing letters. (It was all women, a coincidence I just realized.) A few of us came back to our place and enjoyed Negronis and funny conversation. After everyone left, I wrote some more letters and postcards until dinner. I’m officially staying on top of my to-be-returned pile and it feels great!

Tagged adventures, cocktails, forest park, mail art, snail mail

Sep 16 2014

4 Comments

adventures, crafty adventures

Renegade Craft Fair 2014

Last year, we were in Japan during the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair and I really missed it as part of my “end of summer” routine. I love going to Renegade, so when it rolled around again this summer I knew to keep the weekend open.

I didn’t buy very much and as usual I had “non-buyers remorse”. I wish I had researched better before we went. I usually comb through all of the sellers’ sites and make a wishlist of things to look for, but I didn’t do as much investigative work this year and I missed out on a couple of things that I wish I’d seen. We got about two-thirds of the way through the fair and the crowds were picking up and we were hungry!! So, we skimmed through part of the fair, which was fine by me because tacos were waiting for us at Naoto’s office. Plus, there’s always the internet…I picked up a lot of business cards and can purchase from the comfort of my pajamas!

So, what did I buy? I have been eying this Peg & Awl bag for almost a year now. (Mine is a slightly larger version of this one.) I love its polished rustic feel–it’s neat and tidy and not too bulky, but also has a worn, casual feel. I love the waxed canvas and the antique deadstock red gingham fabric trim. When I read that the straps were made from antique WWII gun slings, well that sealed the deal. So far, I’m loving this bag…it’s the perfect size for my planner and my wallet and a few other necessities and the front pocket is perfect for my phone and a lip balm (the real necessities!)I should also note that the bag makes an excellent cat nap mat, according to Presley. (Thanks for leaving your fur behind, cat!) The Into the Night postcard set from New Academy Press is so good that I came home and ordered two extra sets (because I couldn’t imagine parting with this one.) The set comes in a screen printed folder with a screen printed band. I’m thinking I will be able to turn it into a tiny staple-bound notebook when I’m all done with the cards. It’s just too fancy to throw away! The postcards are gorgeous screen prints that create a scene together and also work really well as a single card.We are going to frame this set for our bedroom wall. (The bedroom is lacking in wall art, style and creative direction.)

I also bought a paper tape (which is less than exciting) and a small gift (which I will share after Christmas). All in all it was a great Renegade. The weather was perfect–cool and sunny–and the company was wonderful. It’s always fun to meet the creative people behind the wares.

If you’d like to read more from Renegade Chicago, Rebecca from Hugs are Fun has a great post on Renegade with detailed shots of some of the booths and Robyn from Robayre has a lot of great stuff to share too.

OH, and if you missed Renegade, Show of Hands is coming up on November 22 and 23. Karen and I went last year and it was as great as Renegade, only smaller. I highly recommend is as a kick-off to your holiday shopping!

(My 2012 Renegade post is here.)

Tagged adventures, crafts, diy, mail art, Renegade Chicago, shopping, snail mail, summer

Sep 15 2014

1 Comment

adventures, Forest Park, Oak Park, gardening, summer manifesto

Plot #6: The Loofah Takeover

This is the south end of our plot, where the flowers and the Brandywine tomatoes reside. And yes, that’s a loofah vine growing all the way over there. (The loofahs were planted on the northeast corner of our four-by-eight plot.) I’m not so worried, since our tomatoes are almost done, but man, next year we really do need to plan our plot better! Back in the north end of the plot, you can see the loofahs are overflowing outside of our raised bed…I’ve been tucking them back into the border, but some of the loofahs are cozily making themselves at home. They sound a tiny bit more hollow than they did last week, and their color is lightening ever so slightly, so hopefully, we can pick them soon. (I know I keep saying this, but really…I have no idea when the perfect time for picking is!) It has been really cold here the past few days–sweater weather, sock weather, jacket weather cold. I’m personally loving it, but I’m hoping it means long fall and not early winter. Yikes!