A red painted building sits behind overgrown bushes. A large sign out front reads "Gene Valla's Blue Gum Luncheon-Dinners." A neon martini glass tops the large sign.

Photo Essay: Americana Through the Eyes of a 16 Year Old

January 26, 2022, 8 Comments

Recently Patrick and I went did a massive clean out and reorganization of our garage. Part of it involved me sifting through boxes of photos. Yes, real, glossy, shot on film type of photos. Growing up in the infancy of digital photography means my early memories were captured on film, and I learned the ropes…

Myself, wearing a white t-shirt, with a jean vest over, and jean shorts, standing in front of a Springfield Police car that has crashed into a lamppost in front of Lard Lad Donuts.

Greetings from Springfield

January 22, 2020, 5 Comments

When Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, they also acquired the rights to The Simpsons. Which leaves the future of Springfield at Universal Studios a little uncertain. So, I decided it was high time to give Springfield its moment to shine here on the blog, because, honestly, the theming is pretty good, and gives a decent…

Long Form: Reasons for and the Transition To California

July 10, 2017, 13 Comments

When I asked what you wanted to see on the blog, someone asked to share our transition to Southern California from Oregon, and discuss if there were any regrets, differences between the two locals, and any tips for those thinking of moving. I’ve been working on this post for awhile, but was on the fence…

I Brake for Vintage Neon

April 20, 2017, Leave a Comment on I Brake for Vintage Neon

Throughout our entire trip there was lots of yelling “I’m pulling over!” or “Pull over!” depending on who was driving. Sometimes it was quite frantic. I have been called “dramatic” at times. But I just can’t help myself when I see a good vintage neon sign! And boy were there a lot of good ones!…

Greetings from Portland

March 27, 2017, Leave a Comment on Greetings from Portland

Patrick and I are in Portland for a couple of days for his work, and I tagged along to spend some time with friends, see my dad, and do a bit of shopping. I felt it was a perfect opportunity to share more of my vintage postcard collection! This time I bring you vintage Portland…

A Return to the Rose City

November 3, 2014, 4 Comments

After only a month in Orange, Patrick and I had to make a trip back to Portland. Our trip was mainly for a friend’s wedding, but also for Patrick’s work, and it also happened to fall around the time of the October antique show at Portland’s Expo Center. I honestly didn’t find too much at…

Aloha Portland

September 10, 2014, 17 Comments

In this case, “Aloha” means “Goodbye”. Last night Patrick and I had a small going-away party at one of our favorite bars in town, Hale Pele. The fabulous tiki atmosphere I felt was fitting as we were traveling to a more tropical climate, and it gave me a very good excuse to wear my new-to-me…

I Brake for Antiques

September 8, 2014, 9 Comments

Over the weekend I took a break from packing to travel south to visit with my dad and go to two antique shows, Albany’s Antiques in the Streets and the Coburg Antique Fair. Both started early and my dad and I walked up the rows of canopy draped vendors who had their vintage wares out…

Antiques in the Park

August 4, 2014, 6 Comments

Oh my, it has been awhile, hasn’t it? If you like Atomic Redhead on Facebook then you’ll have maybe seen the status update making note that I have been incredibly stressed out lately, which has lead to a lack of blogging. And while I have done some fun things (which you may have seen if you follow…

Cover Girl

July 12, 2014, 6 Comments

A few weeks ago while at the 99W Drive-In Patrick and I were chatting with Brian, the owner and operator of the 99W. He made mention that a man from Ruralite magazine would be attending working on a piece about drive-ins. As the evening progressed, Patrick and I made our way back to our car, played…