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