Flea Market Find: Games for Grownups Book

I knew I had a treasure in my hands when I found this "Games for Grownups" book (published in 1951) at Rossi's the other weekend in the quarter bin.

Games I might actually try at my next house party:
The Smelling Game, Guggenheim, and Memory Lane

Weirdest games:
The Orange Game, Sew a Button, and Applesauce

There were cute little stick figure gems throughout this book, too, which was adorable. And there are more than 100 games chronicled in this hardback book. Considering I paid 25 cents, that's unbelievable value. ;)

The introduction goes on to explain that many of these games were played overseas during World War II to lighten the mood. Kinda crazy that the book was published only a few years after. The original book owners had actually lived through that period and had their own memories of those times.

I was a little bummed the slipcover of the book was long gone, but still a great find. Hopefully I can put it to use next time Mark and I have friends over.

Have any of you ever seen a book like this?

From Pittsburgh to Philly on the Lincoln Highway

I found another little piece of American history at a nearby flea market. It cost me a dollar. The Lincoln Highway, the first coast-to-coast highway in the country, has a significant 324-mile leg in Pennsylvania.

I knew Mark would enjoy this one, since he grew up right off of the Lincoln Highway (Route 30).  The road crosses through Pennsylvania, but these first two are from right near his parents' house.

Nearly a century of development have radically changed the land, but the shape of the road has more or less remained the same.  Mark was instantly able to explain to me where the pictures on these two postcards came from.

(Read more below.)

But not everything about the road has changed.  Many of the beautiful scenic views driving through the state are still found along the highway.  We're hoping to take a trip to Gettysburg sometime this year, which will take us directly along this route.  Maybe we can even find some of the same views that are in these postcards.

The Lincoln Highway, which stretches from San Francisco to New York City, was dedicated in 1913, and remains a well-traveled historic route. Even Rick Sebak, a well-known Pittsburgh documentary filmmaker (essentially a local legend), made a movie about the highway a few years ago.

Judging from the looks of the cars in the postcards, I'm guessing this booklet was distributed within a few years of the highway being dedicated. Like some of the other postcard booklets I've collected, these cards are attached and two-sided, and accordion fold in and out.

But more than anything, what makes this collection most special for me is the fact that I'm familiar with several of these areas. I haven't driven the Lincoln Highway intentionally, per se, but I've driven small parts here in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Seeing how roads and landscapes change over time is always fascinating to me.

Another fun fact: Back in the day, it could take 30 days to travel the road from end to end.

According to the Association's 1916 Official Road Guide a trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific on the Lincoln Highway, to make it in 30 days the motorist would need to average 18 miles an hour for six hours per day, and driving was only done during daylight hours.

I can't imagine driving thousands of miles at 18 mph, but of course, it was a different time 100 years ago.

How do you think roads and landscapes where you've lived have changed over the past century?

On the Catwalk

I never thought I'd walk a cat on a leash. Not ever. But then Waldo happened.

Outfit: Dress, J. Crew, via Avalon Exchange; scarf, Modcloth (old) (similar); shoes, Marshalls; tights and cat leash, Target.

In case you don't know, he was a stray we brought in from outdoors that's been spooked by a variety of stimuli outside, like speeding cars and rain. He'll cry, howl, hide, or sometimes, have a combination of those reactions to those things. We call it kitty PTSD, probably as a result of his abandonment.

However, he's an extremely friendly, affectionate, people-loving cat otherwise. And he does love looking out the window. And following the sound of birds. We live near a busy road, and don't really have a yard, so Mark and I have been trying to leash train him. I think it's a nice middle ground where he can breathe some outdoor air on occasion while not completely freaking out.

The vet guessed he was about five months old in the fall when we took him in, and I did some reading online about leash training cats. Basically, the younger they are, the more adaptable they will be.

So we occasionally strapped the harness onto him in the winter, rewarding him with an excessive amount of treats for tolerating it. But just within the last few weeks, we began taking him outside with the leash because it's finally freaking warm enough. But I'll tell you now: Cats aren't like walking dogs. I kind of just follow where he wants to go, within reason.

Waldo tends to start slow. He'll bask in the sun for a few minutes, laying around and adapting to the outdoors, and then he'll start walking when he's ready. I've been taking him out about once a week for 20 to 30 minutes. It's just enough time where he can get his paws dirty and explore some fresh scenery.

A friend who walks her cat outside told me it's been a great way to curb door dashing. Her cat associates the leash with the outdoors and he'll purr as she's putting it on. Waldo isn't quite at that point yet.

For this photo shoot we drove to a nearby park, so Wally was a little more nervous than usual about going outside, but I think he did really well. Hopefully we'll make it back over there soon.

In other news, ahh it finally feels like spring. A dress without a sweater was totally doable on this day, with the high temp reaching a fiery 60 degrees! Also, I hope you enjoy the new look. I made some tweaks to the layout, including a new banner and navigation bar. I kept the polka dot background (for now) for some flair. :)

So how have you been? Enjoying the warm weather? Have you ever tried walking a cat? Haha.