Jul 31, 2011

Living A Vintage Life: In Shades Of Avocado

Take a trip back in time with me - a time when Tiki Gods, Harvest Gold and Avocado were staples of home decor; when double-knit polyester and mutton chops were stylish! Dig out your leisure suits and disco shirts and stroll along with me through 'Wes Clark's Avocado Memories'. I don't know how I ever found this delightful capsule of 1960s-70s California suburbia but it's one of my favorite sites on the whole internet and I'm tickled to have a chance to share it here. WCAM isn't just any vintage website - there's nothing girly or fashionable here. Nothing for sale. Just pure reminiscing about a time period that many of us vintage lovers and folks deep into their 40s can relate to.
Spanning 1966-1980, Wes shows us with bare honesty and humor his childhood in Burbank, California, the changes inflicted upon their little ranch home and the suburban lifestyle of the era. A period when a true patio was decorated with Tiki gods, whether it be in Burbank or Honolulu, and family dens were decked out in drinking memorabilia and anonymous farm gear.
Leafing through WCAM will not do it justice - you must slowly journey through, as though walking through a long buffet line. Scroll to the bottom of each page, click every link and taste every morsel Wes has to offer: the 8mm movies, the school cafeteria recipes, the locomotion, Kraft cheese and more! It will take days, and you may need to take a break just to check the calendar once in awhile, but the journey is worth it. Fortunately he started adding more pages after the initial site was built - there's enough here to keep you busy the rest of the summer so slather on some Coppertone (or baby oil with iodine for dark, homemade 'tan'!) and grab a glass of Tang and start your Avocado vacation!

6 comments:

Nachokitty.etsy.com said...

What a great site! I can so relate to all this-not because I'm deep into my 40's, but because my brother is. Since he's ten years older, I got to experience everything that was 70's even though I was born in 72. I'm such a classic rock junkie as a result!

Thanks for sharing this and putting this post together!

cherrylippedroses said...

..that was hiarious and CUTE! The guy can write!It sorta reminds me of what the backgound info would be like for a "STAND BY ME" movie...really enjoyed this...GREAT JOB....!
Kathryn
cherrylippedroses

Marcia said...

Thank you for sharing that site- It's a gem!

cindy-the vintage hat shop said...

Ahhhh, memory lane. Cutting edge yesterday, vintage today!
Thanks for sharing.

nora - treasurehuntvintage said...

WOW!!! Such a GREAT post. Hoping to have time to delve into Wes' sight soon. I grew up in SoCal in the 60s / 70s, so it will really hit home! :~)

SImple and Serene Living said...

I remember it well 8-)