Tampa, Florida

Newberry's, a Kress store, great old cars, a streetcar...what more could you want?

Pacific Grove, California

Pacific Grove is a charming little town on California's Monterey Peninsula, near Pebble Beach, Monterey, and Carmel. The beach at Pacific Grove still looks very much like this.

The swimming pool was located directly above the beach. Note the red lanterns hanging above the pool and down below towards the beach; that's an indication that they were probably getting ready for the annual Feast of Lanterns, a tradition since 1905.  The festival is hard to describe. In the past it has had a hokey small-town flavor to it, which made it really fun. There is a play, a pageant, a pet parade, and fireworks. Years ago it was a small enough event that you always ran into people you knew. I'm not sure that's the case anymore.

The festival is meant to honor the former Chinese residents of the area. From the 1850s until 1906, Chinese immigrants lived in a little fishing village along the water, not far from here.  The fishermen were very successful, hauling in lots of abalone, squid, and fish. Their success, the value of the land, and anti-Chinese sentiments made them a natural target. In 1906, their village burned down, and they were then evicted by the landholder. Although there is no record of how the fire started, Pacific Grove residents stood by and cheered as the fire erupted. At least 170 Chinese were displaced by the fire.

The festival is a fun event. I would probably enjoy it more if I didn't relate it to the actual history - and the Feast of Lanterns play, a reenactment of the "Legend of the Blue Willow" is a little cringeworthy, with  Caucasians dressed up as Asians, and plenty of stereotypes.  In recent years Pacific Grove has also made efforts to officially commemorate the fire and the people who were displaced by it, including walking tours of the former village site.

That Baby Ruined Everything

I wasn’t there when this French family was photographed in their garden. I don’t know them either, but I think I have a sense of what was going on. Allow me to take some liberties with the reconstruction.

On the very left you have Bernadette who is married to Alphonse, sitting on the opposite side. They are the parents of Margaux (second from the left) and Maurice, who is standing.  While the parents seem relatively carefree, their children appear somewhat somber and a little tense.  Margaux has been unhappy ever since her fiancée broke off their engagement. Her sadness inspires her to surround her eyes with dark makeup so she can look as sad as she feels. She holds her parents, who didn’t approve of her suitor, partially responsible for her great sorrow.

Maurice’s family is seated at the table.  His wife Hélène is calm, but Maurice tensely anticipates an outburst of some kind from one of his children, a joyous flailing and high-pitched screaming from baby Pascal, or a crying temper tantrum from his daughter, Gabrielle.

Gabrielle enjoyed a blissful existence until recently.  Her curls, her soft brown eyes, and her adorable pout were the object of universal adoration. Everything she did was worthy of praise and admiration or at least attention of some kind. Life was so good. At least until that baby came along. It may not have helped that the baby was a boy. All of a sudden everyone’s attention was focused on the adorable apple-cheeked Pascal and his constant needs. Poor Gabrielle.

Here's the back of the card, which should have the names written on it, but doesn't. If you feel sad like Gabrielle,  a visit to Sepia Saturday is sure to cheer you up.