Susansavad Mugs

One of the first signs of spring, these blue hydrangea are a welcome sight to the gardener.

I remember when tie dye shirts were popular in the '60s and '70s. I saw this display of tie dye shirts at a local street fair. It guess it's coming back into style.

This beautiful beach is in front of Philipsburg Sint Maarten near where the cruise ships dock.

The shore of St. George's Harbour was the site of the first settlements in Bermuda in the 17th century and in the 19th century, the Royal Navy established a base there. Today, St. George looks much as it did then with its colonial charm preserved.

Kayaking is an interesting way to see the architectural beauty along the Chicago River. I saw these kayakers as my cruise boat passed the Centennial Fountain.

Branch of the armed services responsible for saving lives and property at sea. Currently, the Coast Guard operates under the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime and under the Navy during wartime, or by special presidential order.

Now sewing is a favorite hobby but there was a time when people made their clothes. This room had everything needed to sew clothes: a sewing machine, pins, pincushion and buttons set up on a convenient sewing table.

Beautiful turquoise waters, balmy breezes and a bright blue sky with fluffy clouds makes St. Thomas an ideal travel destination.

Philipsburg is the capital of Sintt Maarten, the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin. The main shopping district, Front Street, is one of the Caribbean's best shopping spots.

These two yellow and blue tang seemed to be the best of friends. If you want more the one tang in your aquarium, they must be put into the tank at the same time and you must have a large aquarium.

Design of barber supplies including a glass jar full of combs, talc and a box of razors reflected in a mirror make an interesting still life.

Everyone loves a carnival midway with all its excitement, color, games and rides. This little girl is certainly enjoying herself as she climbs onto her horse on the merry-go-round.

Picturesque shops along Broadway, the main street in the quaint town of Jim Thorpe.

Image of fireman's gear in a fire engine

Charming shop with the lovely contrast of these blue and green chairs against the red door.

Fun design of two white daisies who seem to be waving goodby.

The original Smithfield Church on this location was built in 1782. This is the fifth building that has been erected in this location, and the present structure was erected in 1927.

While I was walking around a car show, I notice a variety of thing hanging from rear-view mirrors reflecting the personality of the owners among them fuzzy dice, air fresheners, religious medals and in this case, a pair of baby shoes. I would guess that these have special meaning for the owner, maybe from his first child.

The Stanley Steamer was produced between 1896 to 1924. It was the best selling steam car and outsold all gas-powered cars during the period of 1899 to 1905. It lost popularity when the fuel efficiency and power delivery of internal combustion engines improved dramatically. The company that produced Stanley Steamers went out of business 1925.

This image of a lady's knitting supplies in her bedroom on her dresser would be perfect for someone whose hobby is knitting.

This family is hurrying to catch the train for a lovely excursion through the Pennsylvania countryside. If you know someone who loves trains, this image on one of these products would make a unique gift.

The cigar store Indian is part of the history of the tobacco industry and a piece of Americana and have become synonymous with cigar stores. Native Americans introduced tobacco to the Europeans and and thus Indians became associated with the tobacco industry and were used in front of cigar shops to indicate that tobacco were sold there. The height of the popularity of the cigar store Indian was in the 1800s through the early 1900s. I saw this beautiful, wooden cigar store Indian in front of a shop selling tobacco in Hoboken, New Jersey.

If you keep koi, you must never have just one because they don't like being alone. Here it looks like they are playing a game of follow the leader.

A very popular flower, this magenta Gerbera daisy adds a touch of color to your garden

Image of laundry hanging on a fence on a farm with chickens in the foreground.

Iimage of the hood ornament of a Bel Air

Beautiful vintage car seen at a local car show.

Design of a row of Chelsea brownstones with its urns of flowers.

The corner grocery store was much more personal than a big supermarket. The grocer knew who you were and what you like and there were always penny candies in big glass candy jars for the children to buy.

Veterinary medicine deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of animals. In the United States, the first schools were established in the early 19th century in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. This image portrays a 19th century veterinary office,

School bus parked on the side of the street under colorful autumn trees waiting for children to bring to school.

Gear cutters in a machine shop. Gear cutting is any machining process for creating a gear.

The first checkered cab started in 1922. It was a favorite of taxicab companies because of its durability in heavy use and their special features such as large rear seats and trunks. Because of competition with larger manufacturers, the last checkered cab was produced in 1982.

From 1927-1939, Lincoln adopted a greyhound dog as its hood ornament. It was chosen because they felt it typified speed, stamina and beauty.

The only bright spot on the rainy day in Owego NY is this bright yellow fire hydrant.

The penny-farthing, also called the high wheeler, was first made in the 1870s and had a large wheel in front and were the first machines known as bicycles. This penny-farthing is parked in front of a bicycle shop and its large front wheel mading an interesting shadow against the wall of the store.