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Friday, October 18, 2013

Sepia Saturday 199 Dressing up, down for around town 1983


1983 December almost ready to roll
            
Initially I considered some Halloween costumes for this week's prompt, as the day approaches, but while rummaging I found these of a happy time, almost twenty years ago now, when we lived in Newcastle, CA and when a friend and I decided to accompany the volunteer firemen on the  truck delivering sacks of candies to the children and the Indian homes. This was before the Indians went into the casino business and mightily enhanced their incomes after which they gave candies out at Christmas. This was known for a long time as one of Pat's brainstorms.   It was December 1983 and Shirley and I determined that the day could be brighter with our presence and the firemen could have an easier time if we volunteered to help with delivering the goodies to the homes.  It would end up with a stint in the little town where the children could talk to our Santa, portrayed by Bill Weber, a local grandpa.  
This little boy wanted the bag of candy but was not fond of
Santa and almost started to howl as this was snapped


Elf Shirley decorating the fire truck with tinsel before
we  depart for the local hillside
Just because it was California did not mean it was warm and sunny, in fact December could be quite cold, damp with the foggy over cast and downright cold hanging there off the back of that firetruck moving along with us  in the open air.  Santa Bill was a senior citizen and  smarter than Shirley and this (s)elf, he sat inside with the driver and waived through the open  window; he also kept warm and toasty with frequent nips from his flask.  The driver kept reminding Bill that he had to have children in town and not to empty the flask.  Bill did not heed that and kept himself merry.  Meantime, we elves and a couple firemen could hop off and on to the doors of the homes.  Really we hung on for dear life as the truck slowly wound down some very  bumpy, gravel, dirt and twisty country roads.  

 We dressed warm, layers and layers, but after an hour or so we were frigid and thankful to be done. I thought it would be fun and it was and we made quite the impression around town for some time but we did this one year only, one experience proved sufficient.   So here to the left is myself as elf, donning the down vest over which I would wear another down  jacket, underneath were layers of long underwear, a sweater, and a shirt, long underwear  on the legs and ski pants with some wonderful striped socks that I felt were just another whimsy. I had borrowed clothing form many people, especially the larger jacket I needed.  It had to be red or else the elfin affect would be diluted.  

 I tell you it was difficult to move, I waddled and I feared rolling down a hillside and not being able to stop with all this padding.  I suppose this was my equivalent of a fat suit.  Today I could have had a much more streamlined attire along with those packets of hand and toe warmers.  Well today this is a memory of younger times and not something I would consider.   I even made a top hat of sorts with ribbons and papers which did not fare well on the back of the truck, despite being attached  with numerous bobby pins and tied under my chin.  
Do I look puzzled or was I just frozen?


Don't ask me why but I thought I  would be more colorful if I had a red polka dot face, using lipstick.  I see looking back it might have more resembled some mysterious skin affliction. This was my first time elfing and it was fun to act out around the kiddies.  It was more fun after it was over and I could peel off all the layers and have a nip with Santa. Bill and Shirley are both gone now from this planet, leaving the elf to tell the tale.  

 Thankfully we prevailed.   These photos are fading somewhat as happens with those color ones from the  1980's.   So there you have it my dressing up as an elf, for some hours in time, back then.  

To see how others have dressed up their blogs with this Sepia  prompt, click here or above on the prompt photo to the international Sepia site.  
http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2013/10/sepia-saturday-199-19-october-2013.html

10 comments:

  1. You don't seem to be in very 'elf' in that polka dot picture :) I admire your trips into elfland - I don't do cold anymore!

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  2. Your elfin antics sound like a lot of fun even if rather chilly. I think I would have been tempted by the flask long before the job was over.

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  3. HA HA it does like a skin affliction!!
    If you take those faded photos into photoshop it should bring back the colours.

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  4. Nell, I would not even attempt it today. Jackie, thanks for the tip. I have other fading photos that I might try to have done, these, not so important. And tho' the nip from the flask was tempting, it was all I could do to waddle along...

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  5. The red spots are very funny. Even if your body was cold it's obvious your heart was very warm.

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  6. For a moment I thought you were wearing a hat with a polka dot veil. I remember those kinds of hats. But if you'd made fewer & bigger polka dots, it probably would have worked better. Still, the whole idea of being Santa's helper elf sounds like a lot of fun.

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  7. The little boy in Santa's lap reminded me of when I took my cat to be photographed with Santa.

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  8. Oh what fun it is to play around! Great times and fond memories!

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  9. An elf with measles! Who wouldn't want that showing up at their door? ;}

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    1. Big red measles, yet.....:-) I think as suggested I should have limited to a clown nose, but ..t'was fun nevertheless

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