Prisons and Toilets: Two Funky-Themed Restaurants

Prison-Themed Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.



Toilet-Themed Restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan.



Read more about, Modern Toilet, the toilet-inspired eatery, and see pics!

Things That Make Me Smile

The Twist Cone in Aberdeen, South Dakota.


Scotty's Drive In, Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Creamed Corn Nuggets...
Rebel Burgers...
French Fries...
Frozen Coke...
Yum!


Dean Martin Variety Show


This house, as seen in the '80s movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
It is now on the auction block! It has an asking
price of $2.3 million.


Ruth Reichl books.
She was a food and restaurant critic for the NY Times.


This funky orange L-shaped sofa,
that I found on Atomic Addiction.




This ultimate 80's CD box set that I found at a
used cd store, but you can buy on Amazon.


My hand-painted tv/stereo cabinet that I bought for $250.


Crocheted sushi...The pattern to make this can be found at the
NeedleNoodles Shop on Etsy.
Too bad, I don't crochet.

A Beautiful Sunset and a Gorgeous Evening in the Ozarks

Today, we had a reprieve from the heat wave that has gripped the Ozarks for over a week now. It was refreshing to sit outside, enjoy the evening in comfort, see the beautiful sunset, and watch the lightning bugs.








These photos were actually shot by my brother who lives outside of town.


I am topping off a perfect summer evening by basking in sounds of oldies from Ella Fitzgerald, Bennie Goodman, Johnny Mercer, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and other crooners. I found a terrific internet radio station, Canuckteach Crooners, that plays only this kind of music.

Fortunately the summer is still young, so I am looking forward to many more evenings like this. Life is good!

Wall Decor: A Once-Hated Painting, Now a Favorite, and a Vintage Homecoming Queen

About 13 years ago, I commissioned a friend of a friend to paint a portrait as a gift for my grandma. This was not at all what I was expecting! I knew my grandma would not like it, so I kept it for myself. I almost threw it in the trash, but it has since grown on me. Perhaps, my tastes have changed somewhat. I remember the guy who painted it was a struggling, starving-artist type. His name was Jason Peck, and he had the coolest loft apartment in downtown Springfield. This was long before, the resurgence of the downtown area, and before living there was cool. At the time, he told me he paid $250 per month for the loft above the Pen-Mac building. That was the first loft I had ever seen in my life. There are no lofts like that in Aberdeen, South Dakota. I am sure, the rent on that loft has quadrupled, at the very least. Last I heard, Jason had moved back to Chicago, and was working in a Starbucks.


This is a portrait of my mom after she was voted Homecoming Queen in her high school in Brentford, South Dakota. Brentford is a farming town, which now has a population of approximately 70 people. She was the lucky girl, singled out in a graduating class of 13 students. The frame is the original one that my grandma kept the picture in, back in the mid-1960's.

Vintage Menus: Big Boy, La Tour en Rand, and Revolving Towers

I liked eating at the Big Boy in my hometown of Aberdeen, South Dakota when I was a kid. I really miss places like that! This menu is from another Big Boy, in California. The menu is dated 1969. I have found that Sanka was a popular offering at most restaurants in the '60s and '70s. While I never tried it, I believe it was a type of coffee beverage.













This menu is fron La Tour en Rand, which at one time, sat atop the the Holiday Inn, downtown, Kansas City. Yes, it was in the revolving tower. What a view that must have been!