Family

From Uniform to Tails

My father, Edwin Sharpe Bell, squiring an Idlewild debutante in the late 1940s or perhaps 1950.
My father, Edwin Sharpe Bell, squiring an Idlewild debutante in the late 1940s or perhaps 1950.

It definitely looks like an awkward moment for my father. He looks so very debonair on the outside, but inside he’s feeling like some sort of trussed up peacock. And he’s enduring it because as an eligible bachelor and newly minted member of The Idlewild Club here in Dallas, he’s required to play the part of an escort to the young ladies “coming out” that season.

Tonight the Dallas’ deb season officially begins with the Idlewild ball presenting a number of young women. I have no idea how many or who they are. For the last few years, there hasn’t been much publicity during the season. When I say “season”, I mean the traditional season that’s been an annual occurrence since 1884 before there was La Fiesta de las Seis Bandera and the Dallas Symphony’s presentation ball. The latter two are well covered in the local newspapers and blogs, but not Idlewild.

Family

For Veterans Day

corps-of-engineers-01

Journey’s End: A History of the 657 Engineer Topographic Battalion, March 1944 – November 1945 is a booklet we found while sorting through our parents’ estate before selling the family home. It’s not designed in the way you would expect a WWII booklet to be. It’s so jubilant, carefree, colorful, and chock-full of comic-book-like caricatures. Perhaps it’s meant to be a scrapbook of sorts for the members of this battalion. The forward does state, “May this book recall the best of memories.” Using a florid style to generally describe the duties of each of the groups within the 657th, it purposely avoids serious descriptions of what actually happened.

My father, as a member of this battalion, was assigned to the First Photomapping Platoon. You can find his picture on page 18 which is just three pages past the middle spread titled “Bulletin Board”. Look for 1st Lt. Edwin S. Bell, the handsome fellow prominently displayed solo on that page. His promotion had occurred on October 26, 1945, just prior to this booklet’s publication.

Interior Design

The Only Thing Missing Is Soap

New and freshly laundered towels in my home’s original bathroom.
New and freshly laundered towels in my home’s original bathroom.

With these new towels, my guest bathroom will officially be ready for business, but only after I buy some soap. Their contemporary style with the use of black bands, edging, and a sans serif font is the perfect foil to the toile de Jouy wallpaper. A solid white towel would have been boring, a solid color would have been too much competition, and monogrammed towels would have been too expected and perfect. A serious towel in a quirky situation is the perfect combination.

Bath linens were purchased through Neiman Marcus.

Interior Design

Some Bathroom Humor

Vintage linen guest towels.
Vintage linen guest towels.

The original bathroom needed some essential accoutrements to make it functional for guests. So what did I do? Instead of buying soap, hand towels, bath towels, and wash cloths, the first thing I purchased was vintage linen finger towels that guests shouldn’t use. Not practical, but it’s a start.

Made from a cotton linen blend, they are hand appliquéd with whimsical figures sporting comical enhancements. Risqué towels, such as these, were made in Madeira from 1930 until 1960 and are now considered highly collectable. I’m now in the process of looking for a third. These two could use some company to make this party complete. They’re a bit naughty, but oh so nice.