It's the color of eggplants!

I was thrilled to find this vintage pitcher at a consignment-y thrift store in my neighborhood. It's not often that I come across something so very Frenchy and so very purple! Jugs like this one are used in French cafes to hold water...and in this case, advertise the name of the cafe. Sadly, Le Zinc no longer exists in Villefranche ~ near Nice in the south of France ~ but while doing a google search, I found this link. Le Petit Zinc in Paris is absolutely going on my bucket list. I'll be having the oysters and the Souffle au Grand Marnier.

...And a Hip Hip Hooray! goes to Gina from Vintage Junk in My Trunk. Gina won Country Living magazine's Blue Ribbon Blogger Reader's Choice Award. The magazine has not yet announced the Editor's pick for best "Collecting" blog...OGT is still in the running for that one. I'd LOVE to win the trip to New York City! I'll keep you posted.

OGT's Junk in a Boutique Window!

There's a super cute boutique called Shop Adorn next to Found on Fremont. Nicole, a.k.a. Ms. Shop Adorn, asked me if I had anything nautical for her spring front window. Do I have anything?? Do you know me???
So....here's some of my junk looking fab in a shop window:

Old boat motor blade

Vintage clam basket full of wooden floats

Pirate's treasure...Yaarrghh!

Aquamarine fish net floats and bottles.

OGT's next stop: Barney's New York!

Where I was a quarter century ago...

My friend Janet sent me this picture that was taken in 1986, which is (gulp!) 24 years ago. I had just moved to New York City and was sharing Janet's apartment in Chelsea. I had cheekbones then and red hair (without the help of Clairol) and was so happy to be starting a new adventure. The sweetie on my lap was Bowie the Pug, Janet's dog. I knew Bowie really loved me when she would sneeze right in my face! Janet called it a "Pug Spray".

It would be an understatement to say there were lots of characters in our neighborhood. One time, while strolling to the diner for waffles, a guy walking towards us jumped aside on the sidewalk and shouted, "OUTTA THE WAY...HERE COMES CAGNEY AND LACEY!"

I really miss New York.

A piece of history in my underwear drawer

I published this post earlier this year. I decided to re-run it since today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I have a story related to that glorious event. Here goes....

In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down, I was working as a TV producer in New York. I so wanted to go and be a witness to it, but the network big cheeses chose another producer named Steve to make the trip. I asked Steve to bring me back a souvenir, and he outdid himself. He brought me back a piece of the wall. An actual piece of the Berlin wall, painted rust and pink and green, a symbol of a country made whole, families reunited and lives intertwined. Today I was scrounging around and found it in my lingerie. Well, not lingerie exactly, but my Hanes Her Ways.

Not long after the wall fell, some fabulously inspired person shipped 5 sections of it to New York (and to many other places around the country, I have since learned) where it was re-assembled in a public square off 5th Ave. @ 53rd St. During my lunch break, I used to sit there and slurp my Pasta Fagiole purchased from the soup cart guy around the corner. The square is one of my favorite places in New York. I hope you get a chance to see it someday.

Letters from famous people - Part 3

Okay, it wasn't a letter...but something even better. A bit scandalous even. A famous person tried to pick me up once. I was living in New York. The year was 1989 or thereabouts. One crisp Fall afternoon, I was waiting for a downtown bus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

You know how sometimes you can feel that someone is watching you? It was like that. I turned to look and caught the gaze of a man walking towards the bus stop. He smiled at me, slowed down, and said, "Don't I know you?" Just then I twigged. It was...

Carl Bernstein!

I said "I don't think so." and started to scrounge around in my bag like I suddenly realized I needed some chapstick. Then it hit me: This is the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who helped bring down an American president, and the best line he has is: "Don't I know you?"

Still, my research shows that over the years, he dated Liz Taylor, Bianca Jagger , Martha Stewart and was once married to Nora Ephron, who ~ by the way ~ is a genius. (You can read her blog on Huffington Post.) Just goes to show you, One Gal's Trash is in very good company. Come to think of it, I should have jumped all over him...I certainly would have had a book deal by now!

Just because it's fun to say

The other day I wanted something chocolate. And not even good chocolate; there was no snobbery involved. It had to be something trashy. Something that can be found at a 7 Eleven. Like a Ho-Ho.

Then suddenly I remembered a chocolate drink that you can get in New York called Yoo-Hoo. I've never seen one on the west coast. It's sort of like chocolate milk, but not.

I put the two things together and realized: I wanna Ho-Ho and a Yoo-Hoo!

A little taste of Paris

Bonjour! Here's to all us gals who adore anything French: French fries, French toast, Leather-clad French men reeking of Gitanes and Bordeaux, preferably riding on a big motorcycle.

Voila! A little vignette of Paris that is currently on my mantel.

E.T. on the left I bought 20 years ago when I lived in New York at a junk shop called "Love Saves the Day" on 2nd Ave. @ around 9th St. It is not only a splendid thing to behold, but also serves a purpose. Two actually. It is a bottle (!) and also houses a music box which plays "Last time I saw Paris" of course.

E.T. on the right is also a bottle for a French cognac. I found this one at a garage sale in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania for $1. I must pause here to ponder why would anyone in their right mind would sell such a treasure for $1....pondering....

The small versions are vintage souvenirs. One I found on my first honeymoon (okay, okay I've had two) at a junk shop in the south of France. The provenance of the other one escapes me but I know for sure it was not found on my second honeymoon.

The oil painting of the river Seine I bought from the artist (cute and smelly) 5 years ago at the Clingnancourt Flea Market. I added the wide-mouth frog with a floral posy to the scene because he makes me happy and because he is a FROG.