Monday, August 22, 2016

Back to the 50's at My Girl Drive-In


Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you are 
enjoying these late August days. Here we have
had nearly two weeks of very hot and dry
weather, with no rain in sight. 

I have been busy watering my gardens, 
staying cool, and also celebrating my daughter Heather's
birthday over the weekend. 


 I am getting ahead of myself, though.

First, I want to share the wonderful 
50th anniversary and retirement party
for our friends, Bill and Judy at 
'My Girl's Drive -In and Museum'. 

Aren't they adorable? And they still look the same 
after all these years, with one daughter, one son, 
and two grandsons to show for it.

They met at a similar 'Drive-in' -
he cruising with his buddies, and she with
her girlfriends! 

Bill was a long-time co-worker of the Mr.
and is very missed since his retirement.


Their sweet daughter and grandson, 
doing server duties.......


Love the old candy machine :) 

This is the diner kitchen.

'My Girl' is 'our song' :)
It was the song we danced to at our
very first high school dance.
I was a freshman. He was a sophomore.
The rest is history......


The menu posted outside at the 'drive-in'. 
Don't you love those 50's prices?


You could pull up to the bays and intercom 
your order and a roller-skating server would deliver it :) 

Today it was 'just us', Bill and Judy, 
their family, and about 75 of their friends, 
so the drive-in service was replaced by 
a buffet. 


Refreshments kept cold in authentic 50's 
coolers and wash tub. 


The buffet utensils and plates.....


Of course, juke-box music! 

Everything is vintage :)


Remember these?


A few of the hundreds of 50's records around the
perimeter of the ceilings.

Love Roy Orbison!


There was even a gas-station on site, although
just for 'show'. Remember those blue phone booths?


Gas pumps used to be so stylish......

Ramblin' Man worked at an old gas-station
as a teenager that still had these old pumps.

He had to turn a crank
on the side to 'prime' the pump!


Here I am in my best 50's
housewife imitation! 
Pearls, cardigan and a scarf tied around my hair. 
My shirt dress has a full-sweep circle skirt. 
Everything is vintage:)
 xx
I can remember hanging out with him
 on Saturday nights at that gas-station.

The owner would let me stay as long as I tidied up
the 'office'. He would give me $5 for my efforts.
Good money back then for a teenager!

Sweet memories.


Remember glass bottles from the coke machine?

Somehow it tasted better from a bottle! It didn't
have that metallic after-taste.






At the back of the building, there was a car museum!

Several rooms of beautifully restored 50's gems.






Love those sherbet colors and chrome details!
Check out the white-walled tires, too!

All around the perimeter were 50's memorabilia.


Spiegel catalog.


Ramblin' man in front of a vintage 'Airstream'.

Khaki's and short sleeved plaid shirt.
Men's fashions don't change very much!


It was an honor to celebrate Bill and Judy's
very impressive milestones.

It was a day filled with tender memories
and wistful hopes as they begin
a new chapter in their lives.

xoxo


Next time I will share the lovely ride home.

xoxo

And the song,
from beginning to end, I found in
the heart of an old friend.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...
It has not survival value; rather it is one of those
things that gives value to survival.

C.S. Lewis

42 comments:

  1. Ooooh wow!! This post has me wanting to head over to that diner! What a gem! Love how everything inside is so authentic; add the car museum with all those awesome cars, and that place sounds absolutely fantastic! Those rides are real beautiful. Great photo of you by the gas pump; you did a very nice job on the '50s outfit. And, of course, the phone booth reminds me of a certain secret agent by the name of Maxwell Smart. There actually was a working phone booth in the local city park until just a few years ago. And those prices on that menu are hard to believe! If only I could stop at some restaurants with prices from 60 years ago! I have seen a couple juke boxes (that one looks in good shape), but I don't think I've ever seen a candy machine quite like the one you showed. Anyway, glad you had a great time, and so happy you took the time to share it with us! Many thanks!

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  2. What a wonderful place to celebrate 50 years of marriage! Those drive-ins had a culture all their own. I remember going to them and thinking it such luxury to have the food brought to the car window.
    You look lovely in your vintage housewife outfit.

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  3. What a delightful diner, Karen. It reminds me of one we have in town called "Mel's Diner." I get swept away in this era, always have, and love everything about diners. Congratulations to your dear friends on their anniversary. 50 years, that's very special. You look so cute standing next to the gas pump in your vintage clothes. Yes, I remember the blue phone booths. That mint green car is so cool. What a fun celebration. The 50's prices were something else, huh?

    ~Sheri

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  4. What a delightful post and pictures! Love the wedding photo and the bride's hat. Too cute! I would love to eat at that diner. Those prices made me laugh. Oh those were the days! Thank you for sharing such a lovely occasion.

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  5. I'm a child of the fifties...December 1959. it's great to see the memorabilia from that time period. I've been in a Restaraunt in NC with a fifties theme. How fun it was to sit and imagine how my mother spent her teen years during the early fifties. You look so cute standing there by the gas pump, pearls and all!

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  6. Oh what aneat neat neat stroll down memory lane!

    I got a big kick out of that pumpkin colored Ford Edsel - my mom drove one when I was in kindergarten - and it died on the way with her taking a couple friends and me to school. I remember being mortified about that and I was only 5. I think I was practicing being a teen early, haha.

    Anyway, this post was AWESOME. Thanks for the memories. ♥

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  7. What a wonderful place to celebrate their anniversary! I love all those authentic details. (I love Roy Orbison too.) And you look swell in your outfit:)

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  8. That is a fun place to celebrate the anniversary! and all those old cars are enchanting :)
    I am glad to see your picture and you look so fine in white.

    Have a wonderful day Karen :)

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  9. Hi Karen, it looks like you had a fabulous time! I loved seeing all these photos of things from my childhood. I wonder if our grandchildren will ever know what a "phone booth" is? (Haha). And, I love Your vintage outfit, too. Enjoy week dear one, Pat xx

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  10. Now that is my era. What a fun party. I would love it. Great outfit too.

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  11. My gosh...this must have been one great party! Hurray for this happy couple and fifty sweet years. You look spectacular at the gas pump in all your vintage finery. I smiled all through this post!

    Jane

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  12. Dear KAren,
    thank you for more wonderful pictures from this beautiful place, I love this kind of vintage ! But so far away, too far away from me ...
    Have a wonderful week, my dear friend,
    sending Love and hugs and blessings,
    Claudia xo

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  13. How beautiful, all those lovely 50s things looking just like new. A great place for a party. x

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  14. Dear Karen,

    Loved seeing your friends 50th anniversary celebrations and congratulations to them.
    You look fabulous in your vintage outfit, with pearls and cute dress.
    The diner and the old cars are gorgeous and so lovely to see.
    Happy week
    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  15. This is such a great spot, I would love to go there. OH the memories.
    Thanks for this interesting post. I miss those old drive inns. yvonne

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  16. Boy do these pics bring back memories! I think those truly were the good old days! Have a great week.

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  17. i LOVE the my girl drive-in. we have a similar one but yours is way better!!! YaY, for the good old days, they always make me feel happy!!!!

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  18. Wow, what an amazing place for a party. So much fun to see it all.

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  19. and many thanks for your kind words!! i am getting there for sure!!!!

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  20. Stunning post Karen. Oh if only we could turn back time. Coke did taste better in bottles and I remember a nice old man actually filling up my tank with fuel and checking my tyre pressures!! No customer service now.
    Gorgeous photos, LOVED the Diner and all of those wonderful cars.
    You both look very smart in your vintage clothes. I still wear pearls occasionally!
    Thank you for sharing your memories. Have a great week, can't wait for the drive home :)x

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  21. What a wonderful, amazing post, dearest Karen !

    After this period of 'interlude' which I had to allow myself due to work reasons - the Short Lets I manage here at Tenuta Geremia, the speech about the Empress of Austria I had to prepare and to perform at the conference which was held last Saturday at Madonna di Campiglio, in our Dolomiti, some works of restoration here and the family to join and follow took me far from the pc for more than a month and a half - I'm so glad to be here again, I've been missing you so much !

    You have to know that I love the 50's so this place has truly won my heart and it is really perfect to celebrate such an important Anniversary !

    Hope your week is off to a good start I'm sending my dearest love to you

    Xx Dany

    P.S.: Congratulations to your friends for their milestone :) !

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  22. Congrats to your friends on retirement, and their 50th anniversary!

    What a fantastic place to celebrate too.

    Thanks for sharing ~ FlowerLady

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  23. You look gorgeous in a la 50's mode - and what fun to celebrate at the diner! A 50 years together is very special. You tell them they did well getting "out" - as in retirement! I ran a workshop on the weekend and our Employment Manager told us there will be no such thing as retirement in the future!
    Hope the rain allows you to take a break from watering soon!
    Wren x

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  24. Dearest Karen,
    Wow, that was such a very special place to go back in time for celebrating their 50th anniversary. For both of you also lots of fond memories coming back.
    Special photos too, for treasuring for a long time to come!
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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  25. Oh, I would love to see that diner in person and I just love 50's cars. I particularly love the '57 Chevy, the year I was born. What a fun party to go to. Maybe I should do that as the theme for my upcoming 60th! That would be fun!

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  26. Such a lovely post and wonderful pictures.
    You do look lovely ... and I still like wearing pearls.
    I also like Roy Orbison music.

    It is good to look back with fond memories.

    All the best Jan

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  27. So much fun, Karen! Thanks for posting! xx

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  28. What a fun party venue, Karen! You looked adorable in your vintage outfit and your Ramblin' man looks so handsome. My late beloved worked at a gas station on weekends when we were teenagers, too. I often would take my parents' car for a fill up, just to see him! Oh, the sweet memories! ❤️

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  29. A great place to celebrate a 50th party. Wonderful pictures and I must say you look so beautiful with the old gas pump.

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  30. "I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way....My Girl!"

    How I remember everything you shared. And more so...What a blast from the past!!!!

    Did you have the felt skirt? I did...a pink one with a poodle stitched with sequins, a pink pom pom necklace, my black and white saddle shoes and bobbie socks!

    Cat's eye glass frames....cherry cokes...Oh and speaking of coke in a bottle, the bottom of those bottles had where the cola was bottled...we used to have a 'thing going'...each drink, the whole girly clan would see which of our bottles of coke had the bottling facility that was farthest from our town....whoever had the farthest had to buy the next round of cokes for us all.

    Good ol' days.

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  31. Oh how fun that must have been, not only celebrating your friends anniversary and retirement but just walking around and looking at all the antiques :) We had a couple places in town that would have the players right at the table that you could pick out your songs, I always loved going to those as a kid :) We also had a soda pop shop that we went to and you took around a carrier that you filled with your choice of pop took it home for the week and than brought back your bottles and did it all over again the next week, simple pleasures we had back then! I loved the outfit you wore for the day, you are Beautiful!!

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  32. Look at you, sweet Karen...you look adorable :) This was such a fun post and my, what a wonderful place to celebrate. I was sighing over several of the pictures and memories shared.

    Have a joyous day, my friend. Hugs!

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  33. Hello, wonderful post and tribute for your friends' anniversary. The drive-in was an awesome place for their party. You do look pretty in your party dress. Great series of photos. Happy Wednesday, enjoy your day!

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  34. awww--thank you for the compliment and so glad you enjoyed the post about the alley. I sure love to walk the pretty alleys here. Oh my goodness....I LOVE THIS POST YOU PUT UP!! What an amazing diner--I love it. Looks so authentic...I guess because so much of it IS!!? HA HA LOL Love the old jukebox and yes I remember the little table jukeboxes. I loved the Speigel catalogues too....so many pretty clothes to look at. Just love all the neat things you put on here, what a fun post. I remember the gas tanks and gas stations like that as well. And in my Ma-Maw's hometown I went to get me and ice cold Dr. Pepper from a machine that looked just like the one you posted on here. What a treat it was to walk across the yards and go get that cold drink! You look adorable in your party outfit!

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  35. Wow, what a fun place & fun anniversary party! Love all the retro touches. Especially the old juke box. :)

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  36. Hi Karen, Oh I just loved this post. What an incredible spot for a special anniversary party. You friends are a darling couple and the cake is beautiful. How beautiful you are Karen standing by the gas pump. Loved your outfit!
    Thanks for sharing this awesome post! Have a great rest of the week. xo

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  37. Hi Karen, Oh I just loved this post. What an incredible spot for a special anniversary party. You friends are a darling couple and the cake is beautiful. How beautiful you are Karen standing by the gas pump. Loved your outfit!
    Thanks for sharing this awesome post! Have a great rest of the week. xo

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  38. You look beautiful :-) I really enjoyed this post and all the vintage things included. I don't remember them in "person" but i love history and vintage items. Thank you for sharing!

    Blessings,
    Jill

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  39. Now that looks like a fun place for a party! Love the photos!

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  40. It must have been a nice day as the place is really wonderful!

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  41. What a cool place. It all looked so fun and retro. - It was great you were able to celebrate this special occasion with your friends.

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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