Postcard-Indian Rocks Beach Restaurant-Mob Connection? 1950’s?

Indian Rocks Beach Restaurant, Cocktail Lounge & Bar

The description on the back of the card reads: “19915 Gulf Blvd.  1/4 mile South of Indian Rocks Bridge.  Telephone 9-8283.  Mailing Address: Rt. 1, Box 254, Largo, Florida.  Chicken-Steaks-Seafood.  Capt Joe Urga: ‘I’ve traveled all over the world and spent most of my life on the sea.  I found a nice spot on Indian Rocks Beach, won’t you come and enjoy it with me?’.”

I bet they did have great seafood!  I wondered about Capt. Joe Urga and looked him up.  He was the owner!  Aug 30, 1953 advertisement for the restaurant in the St. Petersburg Times states, “…Finest Greek salads and seasonings, Capt. Joe Urga, host.”

An article in The Evening Independent, Jan 24, 1964 tells a little more about the Urga family.

“The vast collection of china, statuary and furniture which once graced the Indian Rocks restaurant belonging to the late Capt. Joe Urga will be auctioned off…”

The Auctioneer “…was handling the sale for the captain’s widow, Madame Diamente Urga…”

“Many of the objects now awaiting sale came from a Roman villa once owned by Captain Urga, who was also an Italian Marquis.  The documentation for the Renaissance sculpture lists him both as marquis and captain of the Italian Navy.  He also served in the US Merchant Marine.”

Madame Urga was also famous, “Madame Urga, a licensed midwife for many years, was convicted three times over a 20-year period for performing abortions.  Two convictions were later reversed.  A third conviction in 1962 currently is under appeal.”

More personal drama accompanied the couple, and the article also brings up this bit of infamy.  Apparently a Mrs. W had shot Madame Urga in 1936, wounding her slightly in the arm.  Mrs. W received a $100 fine. In 1956 Mrs. W once again pulled out her weapon and “…shot and seriously wounded herself at the Urga’s luxurious beach home, adjoining the restaurant.”  According to the article Mrs. W also shot Capt. Urga, but the severity of his injury wasn’t clear.

I love Madame Urga’s comment to a reporter, “My husband is a wonderful man but she has been giving me trouble for 20 years.”

The next google link took me to a summary of the Special Report from the Texas Crime Investigating Committee and places a Joseph Urga on the list of Tampa mob figures circa 1950’s.  Hmmm…wonder if it is the same man?

Published by Florida Speaks Corp, St. Petersburg Florida
Not Postmarked
Very Good Condition

Interested?  Currently item 400067715001 on eBay

eBay Postcard – Aquababe of St Petersburg

“Donna Jean Allcorn, one of the famous Aquababes of St Petersburg, builds sand castles on the Spa Beach in downtown St Petersburg.”  Click HERE to go to the ebay listing!

This card fascinated me.  A cute blond child playing in the sand on the beach.  I spent many an hour doing just this – playing in the sand, building castles on the beach.

I was interested that the name of the person was included.  I did find that in 1949 she was a flower girl in a wedding reported in the society pages of the St. Pete paper.

Aha…found another article and picture of her (sadly too dark to make out the details) as a Bahama Babe during a water carnival at the Bahama Shores Yacht Association.  She was costumed as a clown!

In 1950 there was a showing of the Warner Bros. Technicolor featurette “Wish You Were Here” and she is listed as having a part, again as one of the Bahama Babes.  The same article lists a couple of names as Aqua Belles, possibly the older members of the group?

How unusual it is to find a postcard with the name of the model on the reverse.  I wonder if she was a local legend.  What a treat!  I’m hoping someone that knows her or her famly sees the postcard on ebay and it can go to a home where it is appreciated for the bit of personal history it represents.

Postcard – Mar-a-Lago – Joseph E. Davies Estate – Marjorie Davies!

When I first saw this card I was intrigued and wanted to find out a bit more about Joseph E. Davies.  There is quite a bit to find out – he was a US Ambassador to Russia, married and divorced businesswoman/socialite/philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post and much more.

But this is where we depart from Joseph and focus on Marjorie.  While married to E.F. Hutton (yes, the one you are thinking of) she sold her Palm Beach estate and began construction in 1924 on Mar-a-Lago situated between Lake Worth and the Atlantic Ocean.  It was designed by architect and Ziegfeld set designer Joseph Urban.

Some of the features of the 114-118 room (numbers of rooms differ from resource to resource) include decorative Italian stone, 15th century tiles from Spain (embossed with plus ultra, Latin for “beyond the ultimate”), tapestries from the palace of the Venetian Doge (wonder if she was in a bidding war with the Ringlings for those…).  While constructing the ceiling in the Grand Salon, her artists used all the available gold leaf in the US and had to import more from Europe.

The estate had a nine-hole golf course, 10,000 potted plants, and a sand path that allowed the family dog to visit the trees without getting it’s paws dirty (awwww).  If you were a guest, you would receive a list of activities each morning, watch first-run movies in the evening, and might even be entertained by the entire Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Not just a symbol of the gilded age of socialites, Marjorie maintained a seat on the board of General Foods until forced to retire at age 71, owned a pair of 20 carat diamond earrings belonging to Marie Antionette, and the largest privately owned sea-going yacht (the “Sea Cloud”).  During the depression she put her jewels into a vault, canceled the insurance and used the money to fund a soup kitchen in New York City that fed over 1,000 people a day.  Her charitable donations were many, but I found that one to be an “outside the box” concept!

She intended for Mar-a-Lago to be used as a winter White House, but it was bought from the Post estate by Donald Trump in 1985.

She was quite a fascinating lady, and I really enjoyed the research into her exploits.

YOU can own this card by winning the auction on ebay, item 400015492341 or click on http://tinyurl.com/56zsak.

Postcard – Legend of the Spanish Moss

Legend of the Spanish Moss

The image is one that you can keep looking more and more deeply into – the canoeists, lily pads and moss glowing in the sun.  Pretty!  The card is pre-linen, so this card was probably printed sometime in the “teens” or maybe as late as the 1920’s.

Very indicative of the time it was written – a fascination with exotic “Indian Lore” made any postcard with an Indian legend more attractive.

Reminds me of a canoe trip I took down Juniper Run as a teenager.  We were having a great time drifting with the current and admiring the shoreline, twinkling clear water and using the oars mainly to make sure we floated in the center of the River.  Somehow, with one stroke I flipped my glasses off, and kerplunk, right into the water.  Fortunately others that COULD still see were able to retrieve them from the bottom – the water was so clear they could see the glasses resting on the bottom and were able to reach them from the canoe.  Whew!

Ebay number 400001880840

I’m back! New Postcards on ebay

I’m back –

Been busy with listing stuff for ebay and spending time with my family.

Check out this postcard, Ebay item #150267220782 (click HERE to go see the listing)

Aqua Cabana Club - The Raleigh Hotel - Miami Beach, Florida

Isn’t this a stunning card? I love looking at these and imagining myself sitting in the shade at poolside with a book. It is fun researching and finding out about the location; who built it, when, and what happened there. (Esther Williams filmed a movie here!!!)

The hotel has been completely refurbished and from the pictures on the hotel website they honored the original design. The pool is even more stunning than it looks here in the postcard, if you can believe that! One of the travel websites gave a great tip that you can purchase a pool pass for the day and enjoy this amazing area without the expense of staying in the exclusive hotel. I did find that the pool is used for fashion shows so I would make sure if it was available for hotel guests before scheduling a stay. Imagine the disappointment on finding you were not allowed full use of the pool, cabanas, and beach due to someone with more money renting the setting for a period. Yuk.

I found out in the research:

Frommers had this to say about the hotel:
“Upon entering the lobby of this oceanfront Art Deco hotel, you will feel like you’ve stepped back into the 1940s. Polished wood, original terrazzo floors, and an intimate martini bar add to the fabulous atmosphere that’s favored by fashion photographers and production crews, for whom the hotel’s fleur-de-lis pool is the favorite subject. In fact, one look at the pool and you’ll expect Esther Williams to splash up in a dramatic, aquatic plié.”

Travel Intelligence website had this to say:
“The Raleigh was designed by L. Murray Dixon, one of the most prolific and acclaimed architects of South Beach’s historic Art Deco District. It remains one of the significant buildings from the formative years of Miami Beach. With its regal facade, impressive interiors, and lagoon-sized pool heralded as a “jewel” of modernist design, The Raleigh bestows a commanding presence on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.”

During research for other cards I read about the renovation of many of the classic hotels in Miami Beach and often the pool and outside dining areas are sacrificed to enlarge and enhance the other guest areas. Not so here! Definitely a place to see!

This pool has been voted “America’s most beautiful pool”. I can believe that!

Postcard – 1937 Art Deco US Post Office-Miami Beach Florida

1937 Art Deco US Post Office-Miami Beach, Florida

Ebay Item 150256899536 (or click here)

I’m having fun collecting and then selling postcards on ebay, and learning about the history and architecture of the different scenes. The card I’m talking about today is especially fascinating. It is different from other post offices that look like the same design done over and over again.

This is what I wrote for ebay:

The Post Office is located at Washington and 13th St. Built in 1937 the building has fewer decorative details and a more somber look than what we normally associate with Art Deco and is known as “Depression Moderne.” Inside WPA muralist Charles Hardman painted a three-panel mural of Ponce de Leon’s invasion of Florida. The ceiling fixture that looks like the sun, and there is a fountain. All in a US Post Office!

I was doing a little more research on the post office for this blog post and found there is a Post Mark Collectors Club on the internet and they not only collect the postmarks from different post offices, but visit and take a photo and learn about the history of the location. Click here for the page for Florida. A couple of the pictures show murals in other locations.

and an OOPS for me…also found this quote

“Often mistaken for WPA art, post office murals were actually executed by artists working for the Section of Fine Arts. Commonly known as “the Section,” it was established in 1934 and administered by the Procurement Division of the Treasury Department. Headed by Edward Bruce, a former lawyer, businessman, and artist, the Section’s main function was to select art of high quality to decorate public buildings if the funding was available. By providing decoration in public buildings, the art was made accessible to all people.” from “Articles from EnRoute : Off The Wall: New Deal Post Office Murals” by Patricia Raynor

So I have been corrected – it isn’t “WPA art”

The Alabama Dept of Archives and History reveals that each post office received a budget of $650-$750 to cover all the costs – materials, installation, and finally photos of the finished art.

Postcard: Eastern Airlines Super-C Constellation over Miami Beach

Eastern Super-C Constellation over Miami Beach, Florida

I have some comments about flying and such, but will talk about the postcard first. It’s on ebay right now, item #150253300916 or you can click here and go immediately to the listing – I’m starting this one at a LOW price of $1.49 so you have a chance at a real bargain!

Wow – Eastern provided the postcard, You could write it in flight, place a stamp, and the airlines would drop it in the mail for you. This card was mailed from Arlington, VA and talks about a rough flight experience. The writer became air sick and the plane had to circle Washington DC for two hours before they could land. Not very pleasant (and waiting is still quite common 50 years later!).

Fantastic postcard and a quick look around the internet shows much higher prices for this card – and none of the ones I found had been postmarked!

The instructions to “Please affix stamp and give to your flight attendant for mailing” is printed on the reverse.

Postmarked 1953 with purple three-cent Liberty stamp
Very Good condition with minor corner wear and bumps (hey, it’s been through the Postal Service…)

Fifty years ago. Things have changed. Not only is this view markedly different, but Jets are common for passenger flights and Eastern Airlines folded. AND this is from the era when flying was still a classy way to go and service was a KEY word in the industry. Each individual was treated as an honored customer and your needs were seen to – a blanket and pillow was available, along with beverage service and FOOD. I noticed a few years ago that I began feeling like cattle rounded up and lead through the chute to an uncertain and unknown future. These days I’m beginning to wonder when the electrified cattle prods are coming out.

Food. Remember the days when you were offered a choice of meals if the flying was close to a mealtime? The latest news report stated that in coach (steerage) you won’t even be given a measly package of four pretzels.

Flying with Sis is great. We always carry food, books, and activities with us. Once there was a mechanical problem with the plane and during the delay we played Pass the Pigs (you can see the game here) and ate our balogna sandwiches (NOT the same activity). Early morning flights are the best, but the food was usually a sweet roll or danish. Neither of us thinks a sweet roll is a good way to start the day, so we like to pack boiled eggs. Couldn’t leave behind our Everglades Seasoning. (That is a mix of salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and other spices and perfect for eggs, meat, and more).

The last time we did the eggs was pre-911 so I don’t know if the security standards allow boiled eggs on the flight…

S/S Ariadne – Postcard

Another postcard on ebay – soon – see the next post for an explanation…

When I was writing the description for this postcard I remembered during cruises I’ve been on we were told of a ship being assigned to other uses – a floating hotel for the Olympics in Australia, reassigned to either Atlantic or Pacific routes, or even sold. So I was interested in the history of the S/S Ariadne out of Miami shown on this postcard. Google provided a very interesting website, http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ChandrisBonVivant.html and the author had done research on the vessel and detailed the long and useful life of the ship before it was scrapped in 1997.

I really enjoyed the website as he had postcards and images of the ship in many of it’s reincarnations, including the one that I have listed on ebay right now and shown above.

The quotes in the following are from the simplonpc.co.uk website linked above. I was wary about mentioning the website by name in ebay, but can do anything I want here!

S/S Ariadne- 7-day “Cruising Holiday”

Sailing from Miami every Saturday to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands

Eastern Steamship Corp, Gen’l Agents

Pier 3 – Miami Florida

I realized from cruises I had taken that ships have a long and varied life, with face-lifts, redesign, and passing from corporation to corporation. The Steam Ship Ariadne began as the Patricia.

“Patricia was built in England in 1951 for Swedish Lloyd for use on the London (Tilbury)-Gothenburg services, plus winter Caribbean cruising from New York. However, she proved to be too large for the route, and was sold to Hamburg America Line in 1957. Refitted as a luxury cruise ship, she was renamed Ariadne, and used around the world. In 1961, Ariadne was sold to Eastern Steamship Line, who retained her name Ariadne and used her on Caribbean cruises.”

The next incarnation of the ship began: “In 1972, Ariadne was sold to Chandris Line as part of an exchange-sale agreement which saw the Atlantis passed to Eastern. She was chartered out as Freeport II from 1973-74. When returned to Chandris in 1974, she was renamed Bon Vivant and placed on Mediterranean cruising.”

“In 1978, she was renamed Ariane, though destined not to serve under this name according to Bill Miller’s The Chandris Liners. After a lengthy lay-up, she went to the Far East to work out of Singapore.”

“Ambrose Greenway however, in A Century of North Sea Passenger Steamers, suggests that Ariane ran short cruises out of Piraeus during the summer of 1979… She was renamed Empress Katerina in 1989, then Empress 65 in 1997, but was scrapped that year.”

During the time she was the Ariadne out of Miami the funnel was changed from the one you see in this postcard to a more “modern” and streamlined version in later images.

Since you’ve read this far, I’ll finish with a short story. I enjoy travel, and have been able to go many places because Sis is a great bargain shopper. This means we often have rooms in the lower sections of the ship (which is an advantage – really!) We had saved and were able to go to one of our favorite destinations, Alaska. Before the cruise we toured the interior portions of Alaska and heard there had been a fire aboard our ship!!! Oh, no!!! Fortunately the crew successfully fought the fire before it spread very far, and the damage was limited to some of the crew quarters. Since this was the beginning of the season the ship was not full and crew were moved into the guest rooms and those guests were bumped up several levels into the NICE staterooms! Our little, cramped room was occupied by crew and WE got the large stateroom with a REAL bed (no cot-sized bunk!), seating area, large closets, a dressing area, and a BATHTUB. This was life in the lap of luxury…Our windows looked out between the life boats, but we figured it was convenient if we were called to use them.

I’m BACK – Postcards – Sunset and Lily Pond

Spent a bit of time listing like crazy on ebay – they had this marvelous “sale” and listing fees were reduced for a few days down to ONE cent for auctions starting less than $1. Postcard city! I was able to work practically non-stop and get over 300 ready for auction. Unfortunately so did other people and the buyers had many choices at marvelous prices. The sales were not nearly as good as I was expecting.

Next step is getting the right postcard to the right buyer. Not the most fun chore. I had not been careful enough with organization when listing the cards so it took much longer for this part of the job. Next to the last task is the trip to the Post Office and finally spreadsheet upkeep. It was a definite learning experience.

In the midst of all this the cat developed some eye problems and a trip to the vet for eyedrops (all better now) and then human medical care for the cat’s person. I knew better, but in trying to help the vet tech my own cat bit me. I thought he just nipped me but the vet tech said, “Uh, I think he got you – you’re bleeding on the table.” Sure enough, two nice puncture wounds on my finger. Glad my tetanus was up to date…

Sis had a big bunch of postcards for me to list on ebay and I’ve had fun sorting through them and selecting the next batches for ebay. I thought I would share some of my favorites with you:

“A Charming Lilly Pool in the Heart of Florida”

Makes me want to pull out the old picnic basket and garden hat… And it is ebay item 150235763365 if you want to take a closer look. See my other postcards by clicking on “See seller’s other items” or pause to look at the scrolling items within the brown frame.

My favorite cards all have a theme – water! And I can hardly resist water with reflections – in the card above you can see bits of the sky and clouds..

And in the sunset below, the colors of the sky

“Evening Shadows in Florida” Lovely title! and the picture above is the one I posted on ebay. I also enjoy learning Photoshop Elements and will “play with” images to see what they may have looked like new and without fading, like this one below:

Now I like the photoshop version better – it really brought back the reds and blues and other colors faded over time and removed the dinginess.

Since I want the customer to receive cards that look as much like the image they see on the screen as possible, I save the photoshop play for my own fun.

Thanks for checking back to see what is new at Dustbunnys.

Postcard – Charles Ringling Residence, Sarasota

This is not a residence like where I live, but a RESIDENCE. I just put this up on ebay, and wanted to share it here.

The card is certainly bright…

I’ve toured the lovely John and Mabel Ringling Home and the Beautiful Art Museum bearing their name, but didn’t realize brother Charles also had a palatial home in Sarasota! This is a unique card – well, at least I haven’t seen it before!

In doing research I found on the MyFlorida.com website (go down the page to Ringling), “In contrast to his brother’s interest in developing Sarasota’s coastal areas, Charles Ringling invested in the downtown. He bought the old Gillespie golf course and developed the city’s business district. He was president of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, 1925-26, during which time he built the Sarasota Terrace Hotel. Ringling founded his own bank, the Ringling Bank and Trust Company and gave property to the county for a courthouse.” Apparently while brother John was going all through Europe buying art, Charles was developing parts of Sarasota.

The description at the USF website gives some marvelous detail about the construction to take advantage of the breezes and light, the Pink Etowah Georgia Marble, and exquisite furnishings including a carpet designed by Mrs. Ringling.

The back of the card reads:
“This is one of the show places of Sarasota. Mrs. Ringling is the widow of Charles Ringling of circus fame, one of the seven Ringling brothers, founders of “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

Dustbunny