Sunday, September 30, 2012



You've got mail...


There was a time ...
when  written correspondence 
came in a stamped posted envelope

It's not likely that this generation and those to follow
 will be collecting bundles of
 love letters-
"quelle dommage" 

... with quill and paper

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

to Josephine 

"Your image,  and the intoxicating pleasures of last night, allow my senses no rest."

JOSEPHINE DE BEAUHARNAIS
The tight lipped Josephine, never seen smiling 
because she had bad teeth, knew how to lay on her charms
...pardon the pun

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT
No  matinee idol but 
never judge a book by it's cover

Was Madame Bovary a figment of his imagination 
or was she based on his lover, Louise Colet  ?


"I will cover you with love when next I see you, with caresses, with ecstasy.
I want to gorge you with all the joys of the flesh so that you faint..."

The old guy had a way with words

ELIZABETH BARRETT & ROBERT BROWNING
The Victorian lovers exchanged 574 letters before they finally eloped

"How do I love thee, let me count the ways.."
"Grow old with me the best is yet to come."

The art of letter writing and posting is  in a death spiral


TOM HANKS & MEG RYAN
fall in love over the internet
YOU'VE GOT MAIL
Billet-doux are destined to languish in a cloud in the ethernet
and the mailbox is primarily a receptacle for 
catalogs and junk mail- 
a sad fate for a government service
that is mandated in our constitution as vital to democracy


Electronic mail has driven the post office into rapid decline
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
The First Post Master General

Private carriers have also hurt the US Postal Service
forcing it to raise rates and lay off 28,000 postal workers.



Will the image of a gorgeous Mad Man inspire you to mail a letter ?


In 1850  $5.00 paid to get a letter from New York to San Francisco in 10 days

In the 1930's during The Great Depression, 

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT
established the Department of Public Works as part of 
THE NEW DEAL

People were put to work building United States Post Offices

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON
 starring Bill Murray as FDR
and Laura Linney as Daisey Suckley

reveals their very close relationship
between the President and his secretary
In theatres December 7, 2012

After his death in 1945, Anna Roosevelt discovered a stack of letters from Daisy 
to FDR hidden under the stamps in her father's collection box .

When Daisy died in 1991 FDR's letters to her were found
in an old suitcase under her bed. 
CLOSEST COMPANION is the revealing story of their relationship based on the letters 

FDR believed in the postal system and the US Post Office and was an avid stamp collector

"They are generally the most important of public buildings, ... and seen daily by thousands who have little opportunity to feel the influence of the great architectural works in the large cities."

1,100 post office buildings were built under FDR's  NEW DEAL,
Beautifully architected buildings crafted of the finest materials

Quality and Lavish Public Art



Despite community objections,  thousands of these historical buildings are now slated for closure.... 300 have closed since January of 2011 and 3,700 more are on the chopping block



                                                      enough to make one think of 

GOING POSTAL

"Buildings that once physically embodied the honesty, efficiency, 
and even culture of government. Perhaps that is why they must go."
The Guardian UK

Modesto, California Post Office 
 A Rennaissance style Palazzo
built under the Hoover Administration



 1930's era murals of local farming activities
MODESTO is on the auction block.  
One hopes that the developer who purchases this glorious building will preserve it

THE PETALUMA POST OFFICE 
PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA
has been spared to date
Re-cycling at it's best

OLD POST OFFICE WASHINGTON, DC
is now 
The Smithsonian Postal Museum

LAS VEGAS POST OFFICE
An impressive Neo-classical building
was sold by the Federal Government to the City of Las Vegas for $1.00
It is now 
The Museum of Organized Crime


NASHVILLE POST OFFICE
is now the 
FRIST CENTER for the Visual Arts


The ST HELENA , California Post Office

Neither sleet nor snow nor gloom of night...


NORMAN ROCKWELL
The ever-reliable mailman

Retired St Helena Postal, Worker Marvin Humphry has turned
to painting delicious little treasures 


PIECE OF CAKE
for sale behind the counter of the St. Helena Post Office


The personal mailbox

is  a way of expressing personal style




So is this a political endorsement or commentary ?


George Washington established the United States Postal Service to
ensure a free flow of information between citizens and government. 

HMMMM.... just more junk mail ???



As I am be-moaning the sad contents of the personal mailbox
which bi-annually gets crammed with no less then 
6 sets of catalogs from RH despite my continuous requests to


a mysterious brown package is  snuggly  tucked into our box

The return address holds promise of something special



OMG!
The box inside assures me it's a treasure

Thank you SO much dear friend
It will be cherished

FULCO DI VERDURA
1898-1978

 Italian aristocrat and jewlery designer 
whose carreer was launched when he was 
introduced to Coco Channel by Cole Porter
Fulco with Coco when he was the head of 
Channel Jewlery
With financial backing of Vincent Astor and Cole Porter
Verdura opened his own salon in New York in 1939

Night and Day 
cufflinks designed for Cole Porter in tribute
to the composer and his famous lyrics

COLE PORTER

GRETA GARBO
wearing
Verdura bracelet








Verdura bracelets incorporated in
another Coco Channel design

MARLENE DIETRICH
wearing a VERDURA cuff
J LO 
encrusted in Verdura
exemplifies the staying power of these timeless pieces

THE BOOK
of Fulco's designs


VERDURA 

greens
and 
vegetables

...which leads me to a jewel of a salad 
compliments of
Chef Kelly McCowan
at
 St Helena, Napa Valley
CHEF KELLY McCOWAN
Everything on the menu is fantastic-
 prepared with  inspiration and passion 
(The Burger could be the absolute BEST in the world)


GOOSE and GANDER
A  pub-like eatery in a prohibition- era tavern

Watermellon and Rock Shrimp Salad with Lime Chili vinagrette
 and roasted peanuts

Serves 4

12 oz.  Watermelon diced 1/4"-1/2"
10 oz. deveined and lightly sauteed ( pre-cooked may be substituted)
  4 oz.  shelled roasted peanuts
  3 oz. Thai Chili Vinaigrette see recipe below
  4 oz. pickled bean sprouts chilled see recipe below
  1/2 bunch fresh mint picked and torn
  1/2 bunch fresh basil preferably Thai picked and torn
  1/2 bunch cilantro picked and torn



Method:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl
Toss well to separate and season
SERVE IMMEDIATELY

Pickled Bean Sprouts
1 Cup  White Wine Vinegar
1 Cup  Sugar
1 tsp toasted mustard seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1 tsp red peppercorns
3 Bay leaves
24 oz Mung bean sprouts

Method:
Heat vinegar-sugar-and spices to simmer
Pour over sprouts and cure- 
Cool and reserve

Thai Chile Lime Vinaigrette
I have cut  Chef Kelly's recipe to make home use quantity

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
   2 oz fish sauce
10 Thai chilies sliced into 1/8" rounds  ( I have used 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
  1 Tblsp sugar
  2 tsp.finely minced garlic
Combine all the above in a mixing bowl and whisk in 2Tbls peanut oil

Make GOOSE AND GANDER a  MUST when you are in Wine Country

Now I am going to mail my  thank you note to Kelly for sharing his recipe
I need to go to the post office to pick up the perfect 'food'stamp

or shall I just send him an e-mail ?


Cheers,
Rela









2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good bit of research my dear mixed with of course the brilliant imagination of the author. Fun unexpected slices of observation. Keep it going. Much appreciated! xx Sher

Joni Gustaveson said...

Thank you for the nice post on the Post...
Our Post Office does not deliver to the homes and businesses here in Carmel. We are "forced" to go interact with one another, while we gather our mail. Our boxes are old, like your photo, and a low number is considered a status symbol of sorts. When it comes up for a public vote, (to have home delivery) it is usually because of some newcomer, who doesn't like to walk downtown. It is always voted down and this little social time we share with one another, continues to add so much to our community. We know all of the postal workers by name and they know us by name and many times by our number...how do they do that? Long live the post office.