Look at this cutie I found at an estate sale not long ago! A vintage, Elgin travel alarm clock....working!! It took a while to find two screws small enough to attach it back to the case but I finally found them at a model train store. Go figure.
The alarm is fun and the case closes nicely and I love the ticking sound when I go to sleep. I miss that sound. So far it keeps time well...as long as I wind it. (I'm testing to see how often that needs to be.)
When did we start relying solely on electric or battery operated alarm clocks? What if the power goes out? What if the battery dies on your phone?
Of course there are down sides to this mode as well. You have to wind it. There is no "snooze" button. When the alarm goes off you have to get up. The alarm also has to be wound so when it winds down that's it.
But, I love it anyway...and plan to use it on my nightstand. I may even travel with it. All this fun for $5. If you have never visited an estate sale I encourage you to do so. Never know what fun thing you'll find.
Though I haven't quite figured out how to tell what time it is to set the clock...without referring to something digital. Hmmmmmm....
About a month ago I posted about an old Zeiss Ikon Contessa camera I bought with a man's name written inside the leather case. I promised to do a little research on ancestry.com and find some information on him and update you when I did.
If you don't read anything else, jump to the last paragraph.
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| Walter's Camera |
I've found out a little more but not a lot. Here's what I know if I've found the right man. (But how many Walter F Layers are there that were in the Marines in the 40s?) First I checked military records.
Military Records
Walter Francis Layer
Born March 22, 1907 in PA
Died April 21, 1965
He was a career marine. It turns out he is buried in Arlington Cemetery, Section 35, Site 647, next to his wife Mildred Dorothy Reber who was born the same year and died in 1989. I found their marriage record in 1932. I found military records starting in 1940 (age 33) and going all the way until 1958 in VA. On his tombstone in Arlington it says he served in Korea in WWII. He is not far from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Census Records
In a 1930 census he's living in Philadelphia, with his parents at age 23 and one sister. His father was a fireman. 1940 he is now married to Dorothy, still living in PA with one son, Robert and it says he is a foreman at an oil refinery. This is dated April 11, 1940.
Mystery, what happened from April 11, 1940 at the refinery and being a first lieutenant in the USMC by November of that same year to where he was actually signing the enlistment reports. Okay, history of the war I need to brush up on. (My friend Russell would not be happy with me.)
History Lesson
Basically, Hitler has been invading countries all over Europe for the last two years and it looks as no end is in sight. The summer of 1940, Denmark surrendered to Germany, Germany invaded Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Paris and the Chanel Islands. USSR jumps into it. Italy declares war on Britain and France.
By July, Germany is bombing Britain. In September, Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Act. From what I understand, this pact was aimed directly at, then "neutral", America to hopefully make them think twice about entering the war. Think again!! In October, Italy invades Greece and Germany invades Romania. IT WAS A MESS! No wonder men were signing up. Nine months (Aug 1941) after Walter joined the USMC the US and Britain signed the Atlantic Charter (delcaring joint opposition to fascisim). Four months after that...Pearl Harbor.
All I can say is he must have been a very dedicated American.
Here is the neat part of the story.
As it turns out I'm going to be in Baltimore over July 4th weekend for my nephew's wedding. I arrive early on Friday, the 4th, and have most of the day to myself. Guess what is 37 miles from the Baltimore airport? Yep, you guessed it....Arlington Cemetery. What better day to visit Colonel Layer and pay my respects to him and all our fallen war heroes than July 4th! I will be taking both my digital and my B&W film camera for photos. Yes, I will post them.
I know it will be crowded, but, there is a reason for all this. I don't know what it is, but I'm just going with it.
Post Script: It seems Layer is of German derivation. :)
Lesson 7 of Pam Carriker's book is using different media together in one piece. I discovered something I really like in this one and will take some time to pursue. Acrylic and watercolors when dripped with alcohol make very interesting patterns.
But what I really loved about this one was painting over and shading of the female figure in a very loose and abstract way. It was just a B&W copy of a line drawing, but I like it much better this way.
The page on the left, overall, is too dark, but I can change that next time. I like the dark blue over the yellow, you get some nice greens.
This photo does not look nearly as bright and good as it does in person or on my camera. Guess I'll just put that down to operator error, but I love it just the same. More figures to come.....
Also, my two new best friends, color wise, are Nickel Azo Gold (used here...the rusty color) and Green Gold. They just seem to go with everything.
So, lesson 7 down, 23 to go. I hope I can make it.
As always, thank you so much for stopping by!!
