Filling up the Space

Saturday in August in Florida, think a steam room at a spa and up the humidity just a tad. That is what we were faced with. Despite, this sultry weather, I was ready for a little shopping. Secret Agent Man & myself hit the shops early. Our first stop was Out A' Space, my favorite little MCM store here locally. They were having a sidewalk sale. We cleared several items on the sidewalk immediately and ventured in the lovely air conditioned store for a few more finds. Secret Agent Man picked up a space age lamp which was immediately spirited away to his base camp. I didn't even get to take a picture! I scored a beautiful little wicker & metal chair for such a bargain I cannot even repeat the price. A bamboo shelf was added to the pile. Pained bright red, it will eventually be primed and repainted. The remainder of the items were a plethora of monkey pod. Two pineapple bowls, one giant sized and the other a mini, two sets of tiki forks and spoons, a stunning salad bowl with a tiki hut sign, hibiscus bookends and a fierce tiki-monster head. It was like Christmas in August for me.


Almost forgot to take the 'Before' pic of the chair.



Monkey pod Heaven!



Tiki forks, salad bowl , champagne glasses and one unmarked tiki mug.



Close-up of design on Salad Bowl.



Bamboo Shelf, soon to be repainted.

  

Set of Vintage Paint by Numbers purchased on an earlier trip to Out'A Space.


After piling the car with our great finds from Out 'A Space, we headed down the road to our favorite thrift stores. I was in the market for some glassware. I needed some champagne glasses and wanted a decorative set of 'On The Rocks' glasses. The champagne glasses were easy to find at just a quarter each. But the glassware at both shops we hit were very slim. I wonder if people are donating less or if more people are buying secondhand. Either way, I am sure more people are finding the value in thrifting. Aside from the glassware I found a vintage Waring Blender Cookbook copyright 1955. It has a great recipe for Mexican meatloaf you mix in the blender (Yum, yum!) and a section of drink recipes. The cover has great graphics also. I later found two vintage trashy paperbacks.They're not really pulp fiction, both are from the sixties. The covers of both are lurid and very salacious though especially considering when they were published.

I've already started reading The Tattooed Rood, it's quite the epic. You may be wondering what a rood is. A rood is a crucifix. From as far as I have read, the character is going to end up getting a rood tattooed on his body during the Spanish Inquisition. I'm saving Master of Falconhurst for a good rainy day. There were ten cents each. Who knew such fine examples of literature could be purchased for so little?

We finished up on day lunching at out favorite little Thai restaurant then home for a little nap, This was an A+ Saturday for thrifting finds. Below is a pic of the repainted chair that now graces the music corner of my bedroom.



Beachcombing from the Kitchen Counter

Sunday and no plans. What's a girl to do.........experiment with a new cocktail! Left to tidy the Metiki abode alone, I decided to make things interesting by mixing a new cocktail while doing my cleaning and laundry. I had obtained a vintage version 3rd printing of The Official Mixer's Manual circa 1956 several months ago from our favorite used bookseller, Al. He is located in Downtown Melbourne & has a fantastic selection of used books. If you can make it through his political ramblings and manage to agree with him on a few points, you'll have a great chance of getting a generous discount on his books. The 'Official Mixer's Manual has a small section of  rum cocktails. This is not surprising given that during the 1950's Rum had yet to enjoy it's heyday. By far the largest section in this book is for Gin drinks. I'll leave the gin for a future post. Today, my taste buds were craving a well-made rum drink. Secret Agent Man and myself went to a local chain steakhouse of down under fame last night and ordered their premium Margarita sans salt in a pitcher. Looking forward to the warm taste of Grand Marnier, I was sorely disappointed. We received a 'mini-pitcher' of a fruity orange juice flavored syrupy concoction that tasted nothing like a Margarita. It was two-thirds ice and barely provided us with 3 full on-the-rocks drinks.


Sad Aussie Margarita.....establishment unnamed.

Since my cocktail craving was left unfilled last night, I paged though my lovely drink book searching for something to satisfy and entertain me. It did not take long, on the first page of the rum section I found the Beachcomber. I love orange liquor and am always willing to try some thing new.I had recently purchase 03 by John DeKuper & Sons premium orange liquor. It is made from Brazil's exotic Pera Oranges. I'm all for an exotic moment while in my yoga pants swiffing the dog hair from the floor and washing Secret Agent Man;s Hawaiian shirts. You have to make your exotic moments even if you've not been whisked to Bali carrying only a bikini and a cocktail shaker by a handsome man with a British accent . Okay more on that fantasy in a later post also.Back to the Beachcomber. I gathered my ingredients and started mixing.

I substituted the 03 for the Cointreau even though I did have it sitting in the Metiki Bar. I also realized I did not have a proper cocktail glass, quell horrors! I will rectify that on my next thrift store run. I used a animal print martini glass instead - not good for photographs but thoroughly enjoyed by this Metiki Gal. This is a splendid easy to make cocktail with a great bang of orange liquor  flavor.

The blender did not do a satisfactory job of crushing the ice so I reverted to my vintage Ice-o-matic to chop the ice - it takes a little muscle but is worth the effort. Crushed ice makes a cocktail exponentially better. I cannot pinpoint why but I love it and will tear my rotator cuff to accomplish a pile of crushed ice for a cocktail.

This completed product of the Beachcomber was most yummy. So much so that I soon fixed my second one. Then the frenzied cleaning began - no room or corner was safe. I even vacuumed the tracks of my sliding glass doors. I think a new trend should start. Forget cocktail parties, we need to have cocktail cleaning sessions! I now have clean floors, four loads of laundry are done and dishwasher is loaded and running. But the best part is now I have time to enjoy a third Beachcomber with Secret Agent Man!

A Return Trip to Out a Space!!!

Despite a very hot and humid morning Secret Agent Man & myself headed out early for a little thrift store shopping and a visit to my fav MCM Store locally - Out a Space in Eau Gallie, FL.
We hit several thrift stores first hoping for some good finds. The thrifting gods were not with me this morning though. I could not find anything not even a lonely tiki fork! Secret Agent Man made a few scores - a book about what to do in Maritime Emergencies on a Yacht & a vintage trivet from the Greek Isles. He has yet to obtain a yacht but it's good to be prepared and it did have how to communicate in semaphore. This is always handy.

We preceded into Out a Space in downtown Eau Gallie. The store is garnering a lot of local attention for it's funky selection of MCM furniture. The selection of vintage lamps is fantastic. However, I found the jewelry display case in the back of the store today, something I had overlooked on my earlier visit. I saw a cute vintage watch, several cute costume jewelry earring sets and a few bracelets. But it was the selection of cuff links that really caused excitement.

Secret Agent Man's Space Age Pic on Mirror find from Out a Space!



Lee West Stereo Egg Chair & Ottoman at Out a Space.



Cuff links were a staple in men's clothing for decades. A good suit was not complete without cuff links and a tie tack or tie pin. I remember my Grandfather had a large collection from his early days of working in Manhattan for Merrill Lynch. They have fallen out of fashion lately but even women can make use of cuff links in their wardrobe now. I've had a jeweler reset my favorite cuff link of my grandfathers into a necklace pendant. You can also have them made into earrings or put them into a ring mount. Anyway, with this in mind I found several beautiful sets of cuff links at Out a Space.

After much deliberation, I decided on the set of Jade Buddha Cuff links. I left the Tiki God set behind and even now I as type, I am debating on going back and buying those also. I think I'm going to have the jade cuff links made into earrings and the tie pin set into a ring. All were priced at great prices for quality vintage pieces.

After our shopping excursion we made one last stop at our local liquor store for some Metiki Bar Supplies. I have not blogged about my fantastic little home bar set-up called 'The Metiki Bar' yet. I'll save this for a future post - but above are the makings for Ti Punch & a few other bar goodies. I purchased a bottle of Boodle's Gin - this is what Travis McGee drinks aboard The Bused Flush While lounging on the yellow couch with Meyer. More about him in future posts also. Lastly is the Campari - this classic Italian Spirit is used to make Negronis. All in all it was a bountiful Saturday morning.

Until next time keep your tiki mugs filled with Ti Punch and be on the lookout for the Metiki Gal!

Micro Road Trip

This weekend I found myself passenger on a mini road trip to Flagler Beach about 2 hours north of Melbourne. This lovely beach town was definitely out of the Metikis driving range but I happily ensconced myself as passenger in the fully outfitted storm chasing vehicle of my friends George & Chris. We did not chase any storms but Chris' attention has constantly drawn away from the road and up to developing cloud cover. She was pining for a good lightning storm as we drove up I-95. Luckily, we had clear weather. Our first stop was at out friend Tom's home tiki bar - The Blowfish Bar. We enjoyed two different fabulous Mai-Tais Tom mixed  and wonderful food Pat, his wife, had cooked.

As the evening drew near, we relocated as a group to Juilian's for a little tiki atmosphere and dinner. This is a classic restaurant in cool vintage A-Frame style. 

While the tiki finds were very slim at Julian's, they do have one the most beautiful Hawaiian murals I've ever seen.

I also found an interesting Witco African Queen carving. Not exactly tiki but a cool find none the less.

This proved to be a great little road trip. Good friends, good drinks, good food & great tiki decor! Not bad for a Saturday night.

I promise the Metiki will be back on the road soon cruising Brevard County. The weather here in Florida has been a little warm and rain a bit too frequent to take the Metiki out. Until next time - keep your tiki mugs filled with Tiki Tom Mai Tais and be on the lookout for the Metiki Gal!

Collecting Kitsch - Giant Tiki Forks & Spoons

Several years ago I stumbled upon my first set of giant wooden tiki silverware. They were dumped in a corner of a dusty thrift shop and probably forgotten. I grabbed them and gladly paid my three dollars for the set. This was the start of my collection, I now have multiple sets and a number of odd forks. I try to never pay more than five dollars for the set. I wanted to display the entire collection on one wall but did not want to simply line them up row after row. I think I achieved an artistic display of a most kitschy item.

They reached their height of popularity in the late sixties and early seventies. No trip to Hawaii was complete without bringing a set of these babies back! The set below even has "Hawaii '73" carved into it. I can just imagine the fantastic vacation this set commemorated.

These giant implements are much maligned by serious tiki collectors. Many have extremely crude tikis carved into them. No great skill or talent was used to carve them. They are viewed as being the 'junk food' of tiki collecting. Tiki in look but not spirit. I disagree. They are a great large size item to use when decorating and can fill up a wall in a way tiki mugs cannot. I embrace them with a sense of humor. They serve no use or purpose other than a decorative role. I also love the hunt when walking into a thrift store to find them. We recently saw a set in an antique store for fifty dollars - talk about a profit margin! I think these classic items of decorative kitsch deserve to be respected and loved. So the next time you head into your local thrift store buy that silly silverware and hang it on your wall with pride right next to your favorite tiki mug.

Until next time, keep your tiki mugs filled and be on the look out for the Metiki Gal!!!

The Hukilau Recap

A couple of weeks have passed since The Hukilau in Ft. Lauderdale and it has taken almost that long to recover, regroup & look back at all that transpired. I can honestly say The Hukilau weekend far exceeded my expectations and I'm am eagerly awaiting next year's event.
The weekend started mid-day on Thursday with checking into the Bahia Cabana. The room would not have been considered 'luxury accommodations.' But we did not come for a lazy hotel stay - that can be saved for other vacations. We came to Hukilau-it-up!
We freshened up in the room and headed over to the famous Bahia Mar where the majority of the festivities were to occur. We rec'd a great little goodie bag when checking into The Hukilau. The extra large Swizzle sticks were super cool -I cannot wait to incorporate them into my bar decor.

Over the course of the weekend we saw the bands multiple times, each performance was fantastic. I'm now a huge vibraphone fan and cannot wait to delve into the world of Exotica Music. I think my favorite band was The Exotics out of Milwaukee. It is definitely worth checking them out if they play near you. The weekend started with the big Thursday night performances of The Intoxicators & The Tikiyaki Orchestra - both did a great job serenading us poolside at the Bahia Cabana. The Tikiyaki Orchestra had the bonus of having the beautiful sea siren Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid at the end of their set. Everything after the poolside bands is fuzzy due to the unmeasured & unidentified alcohol intake but I do have a distinct recollection of a nifty set of surf music in the Bahia Cabana Penthouse including my new favorite Go Go Gorilla.

Friday proved to be a late start for our evening festivities. We headed over to the former Yankee Clipper and had a non-Hukilau dinner there. The food was awesome and Secret Agent Man tried their Tequila Sampler while I sampled a very tart passion fruit Margarita.

After dinner we headed back over to the Bahia Mar for the music, dancing and primitive Hukilau partying. We particularly enjoyed Grinder Nova and the late night arrival of The Disasternauts.

Saturday was our big day at the Mai Kai - it was very exciting to see what everyone had told us was basically the Holy Grail of Tiki Culture. The examples of tiki were well beyond my expectations. We wandered the gardens,enjoyed drinks in the Molokai Bar and finally that evening attended the dinner show. The show was amazing & the dancers did a great job of entertaining Secret Agent Man with their hips & other exposed body parts! The Mai Kai costumes seem to defy gravity at times, they girls are quite...talented! The drinks were superb but the food was surprisingly excellent.  We enjoyed some of the best Orange Beef I've ever tasted along with an array of appetizers. We finished up the night enjoying another performance of The Intoxicators along with a few more drinks.

Sunday afternoon we returned to the Mai Kai anticipating the meet and greet with Laramie Dean & Dick Dale. We again enjoyed some quality time in the Molokai Bar with a much lighter crowd. It was nice to take in the decor and examine the details of the bar. Dick Dale and friends were a no-show. This was a small disappointment but we were going to see them later in the week in Orlando so we shed only one or two tears. We loaded up into our Command Vehicle and hit the road north back to our own Tiki Heaven - Melbourne for a little recovery time.



I know my wrap-up is weeks too late and the festivities have been very well documented by almost all who attended. Honestly, I spent more of the weekend soaking up all the tiki fun and not focusing on what I was going to blog about.I immersed myself into the experience. All after Thursday seems a little fuzzy now. Like a dreamy summer memory to be savored until the next Hukilau rolls around.

The Hukilau Big Pack!

The moment has finally arrived. After waiting weeks and months - The Hukilau weekend is finally here. Work seemed to drag endlessly today as I doodled to do lists, to pack lists, things to buy lists, etc. I was as dreamy as a high school girl writing her 'imagined' married name. Circumstances prevented me from doing any pre-packing - a big move to a new condo is upcoming next week but that is small beans compared to The Hukilau right now.
So out came the suitcases and in went all my best 'tiki' outfits. I debated if leopard was appropriate tiki attire & decided it could be considered a neutral in a sea of Hawaiian print so into the suitcase it went. We'll be there four days so fifteen outfits seemed a reasonable number. This was pared down from twenty two outfits. I tossed in a couple sarongs, 6 pairs of shoes, beach hat, hair flowers, 4 purses, a beach bag, some fans, a parasol and hmmm........what else?

I gathered my priceless junk jewelry collected from years of flea markets, swap meets and grandma's jewelry box (Thanks Janie Lau!)  Two pairs of cat-eye sunglasses, sleep mask, a couple books, my parrot cooler (yes a cooler in the shape of a parrot, hopefully not too Jimmy Buffett.)

Next up electronics - first generation Ipod Nano (I'm retro like that), laptop, phone charger, camera, battery charger for the camera. In the morning I'll pack the make-up & hair items. Oh can't forget the sunscreen.

As a couple of last items to watch on the way down - I tossed in two DVDs to brush up on my dance moves - The Pontani Sisters Go-Go Robics & Do The Jive with Miss Wolff. The Pontani Sister's DVD is great to learn all the basic go-go dance moves, the Hully Gully, the Pony & the Twist are just a few. I've had Miss Wolff's Jive DVD for years and have taken several of her classes at Viva Las Vegas. Secret Agent Man and I love to cut a rug once we have a few drinks in us. We have been known to impress and embarrass all in the same song while dancing.
So that wraps it up for The Hukilau big pack. Thank god we're driving down to Ft. Lauderdale - no weight limits on the luggage. Until next time - Keep your tiki mugs filled (Mai Kai drinks this weekend) and be on the look-out for The Metiki Gal!

BTW- I'm Metiki-less at the Hukilau. A petition needs to start to hold a Hukilau car show. Trophies could be tikis and awards to go to car with most bamboo on it.