The Christmas T's

Prior to the Big Day, the DIL and I went gift shopping (and window shopping) on Whiskey Row. Fortunately, ours is a Tshirt family so it is comparatively easy to arrive at a lightweight present without too much agonizing.

In this case, the giftee in question was my dotter. The top two T's over at the Galloping Goose were not it; the next, fancier Kokopelli was chosen by the DIL.

Sson the ecologist is famous for his biological collection -- themes that range from Serengetti giraffes to tree frogs. But his wardrobe is beginning to fray. And so we pitched in. Above, orcas and below, a very special gift from his sister.

We even made a special trip out to the Nature Center to buy him his very own mosquito. Same place I found the delightful ladybugs for the smallest Gchild; this tee came complete with a separate set of bugs to snap into place.

A gift that dates back to last summer; I had forgotten about this particular Tshirt when I posted about Betty Boop.

Valley of Lights: It took an out-of-towner to catch this year's Valley of Lights display over in PV. While I went down to Tucson for a visit, Warren came up to Prescott from Tucson. Thanks, Warren.

Sugar and spice...

...and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of. What are little boys made of? Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails. That's what little boys are made of.

The subject, as you can plainly see, is Tshirts and casual wear -- and what they tell little girls and boys to think about themselves. I took this picture and several below in the little kids department at the local WallyMart. For girls, butterflies & pink & cutesie. And hearts, of course. All over the place, hearts.

And don't forget about that princess stuff that goes with all that pink and fluff. Talk about your stereotypes!

As for little boys, more stereotypes. Let's hear it for monsters, machines, trucks and L*O*U*D designs. (Tho I didn't see a skull; those must be for bigger boys.)

Another theme for the boys: dinosaurs. The clothing folk might do a dino for the girls, but it would be a much, much cuter, wear a smiley face, wink and stand in the midst of fairy dust and flowers. On a pink background, natch.

All this commentary is by way of introduction to my latest acquisitions which arrived by priority mail from The Famous Niece from Memphis last week. TFNFM works at a rehab facility; the items below were donations presumably for the resident women recovering from drug and/or alcohol problems. She took one look at the lot, said, "No way, not for our ladies -- but perfect for GrannyJ." Real girly girly stuff.

Tshirt #1 a skimpy paean to Betty Boop, who has been resurrected from oblivion in recent years.

However, the theme of the collection is skulls for girls, or one might say, girly skulls. Just like I'm always whining about the absence of. Except: look at these skulls, will ya. I mean, like, I mean, can't they let well enough alone? Of course not. They have to be cutesied up. Got to maintain that good old stereotype.

Take a careful gander. Oh, so cutsie poo, that mix of skulls and hearts. And smileys, to top it off. Nor can we overlook the pink. Perhaps these garments should be called skullies (with apologies to Gillian Anderson).

One, maybe two of the lot might work for me. The others are skimpy, skinny tops for soda straw teenyboppers. Maybe you'll see me one of these days in the green number, Walking Prescott, taking pictures. Dare me!

May Prescott Blogger Get Together: This coming Sunday (May 17) at Casa Sanchez, 1459 W. Gurley, at 2:30 p.m. Come one, come all! I might wear the green number.

What's With the Flames?

So they symbolize Hot. Fast. Flashy. All those attributes a red-blooded American wants in his ride. That's where they first began appearing: on up-to-date, new models after a trip to the detailing shop. But more recently it seems that everything is on fire.

I really, really doubt that these lovingly restored antiques are all that Hot. Fast. Flashy. But they got the flames, alright. Perhaps it is a touch of irony -- or wist!

Shucks, even this model truck I spotted over at the County Fair sports its own set of flames. But then its big brothers are also wearing fire these days, disquieting as that might be to one who believes big rigs should be safe and solid, not straining at the bit to race up SR 89 to Ashfork or down I-17 to Phoenix. Guess I'm behind the times.

On the other hand, hot sauces and flames are made for each other.

But... yard goods? Yes. A table drape, part of the sound system set-up out at the recent Paulden arts and crafts fair. Commentary on the type of music they were playing. Imagine this percale made into bedding, if you will.

The new style bandana, replacing those old-fashioned, out-of-date red and blue classics.

And the one fiery item I wouldn't mind owning myself -- a boy's Tshirt with dragons entwined with the flames. Besides, it is R.E.D. Just right for GrannyJ. Below, I close this discourse with a car whose owner thumbs his nose ever so quietly at all this flame business.

Automotive Tschotkes

I'm still recovering from the recent house party, but I do miss having a young one (comparatively speaking) with a car on hand to take me places to photograph things. One morning this past weekend we spent at Watson Lake Park admiring antique and classic cars, a display of old engines, and other related goodies. Oh, yes, I've got pictures of wonderful relics of our automotive past, but tonight it's the side show of related goodies.

Officials claim something like 10,000 visitors to the event; the line of cars waiting to enter the park does suggest a crowd! Note the pickup with gear for the swap meet section.
Nice use of road cones here.

Not your usual golden oldies.

In this age of deluxe RVs, can you imagine sleeping...

...or preparing meals in one of these early campers?

My title pointed out that this was not going to feature the actual cars and trucks -- saving that for later. So what better home for the picture of a parrot and its person. There were a lot of greybeards and grey pony tails on the grounds.

Of course, I saw Tshirts galore, starting out at the sponsoring group's booth. Judging from my collection below, every show must do a roaring business in signature tees.

Tees -- Billboards or Windows on the Soul?

Can't resist pointing the camera at Tshirts. When possible, I sneak a shot from the back. But all too often, the big story is on the front; permission required. So I did with this performer I met over on Cortez Street one afternoon. Looks like my kind of entertainment, BTW.

The pix with this post are just a sample of the many that I've collected in the past year, sometimes in shops, more often on the street or at an outdoor event.

As befits the role of the T in modern life, there is a long article on the subject at Wikipedia, which explains: Most research mentions that the idea of the Tshirt came to the United States during World War I when US soldiers noticed the light cotton undershirts European soldiers were wearing while the US soldiers sweated in their wool uniforms. Since they were so much more comfortable, they quickly became popular among the Americans, and because of their shape like the letter "T", they were called "T-shirts"... During World War II, the Tshirt had become standard issue underwear in both the U.S. Army and the Navy. Although the Tshirt was formally underwear, soldiers often used it without a shirt covering it while doing heavy labor or while stationed in locations with a hot climate.

In the years since, the one-time undergarment has morphed into a billboard for causes and candidates. It may serve as the backdrop for personal plumage, tribal colors or a statement of life philosphy.

Or simply say "I was there" and "here's what I like."

Figuring that I might have put you into the mood for Tshirt shopping, I checked out a few sites. Cafe Press, for example, has nature, pet, mathematics and Indian themes, among others. Examples: 27 different green frog designs and, of course, the ubiquitous but decorous Kokopelli. All very commercial. All very un-commercial and thoroughly political are the art Tshirts from Chicago's Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center. Just a sample out of the 41 million hits the Google turned up with a search on Tshirt +art. Have fun!

Sorry folks -- I accidentally turned off the comment option. My fault! Do make a comment or two, if just to chide me. And thank you, Steve G. for alerting me.