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

GOOSE & GANDER

 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