We love a good adventure. As we go into fall in the time of Covid, I thought it would be fun to do a review of all the cool, outdoor things southern New England has to offer!

​Hiking

We have some really lovely places to go hiking in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts. I've talked about Rome Point before, and just a few miles down the road is Casey Point, both are easy walks ending in some lovely ocean views.

Purgatory Chasm in Massachusetts is a great place to spend a day

Letterboxing
If you've never been letterboxing, this fall is a great time to start. As defined by Wikipedia:
      "Letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art, and puzzle solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly accessible places (like parks) and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites, or by word of mouth. Individual letterboxes contain a notebook and a rubber stamp, preferably hand carved or custom made.[1] Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp in their personal notebook, and leave an impression of their personal signature stamp on the letterbox's "visitors' book" or "logbook" — as proof of having found the box and letting other letterboxers know who has visited. Many letterboxers keep careful track of their "find count".
There are tons of opportunities in southern New England, you can find clues at websites such as letterboxing.org and atlasquest.com

Kite Flying
Always a classic, there are plenty of fantastic places to go fly a kite. Some of my favorites are our local beaches, Roger Williams Park, and Goddard Park

Drive In Movies
Let's finish on my personal favorite - the drive in! Rhode Island has one of the last remaining drive in movie theaters in the country, the Rustic Tri View Drive In

For our parents, Saturday mornings are always reserved for yard sales, and this past Saturday was no different. I decided to join them last minute and, after a few "busts", we ended up at a small garage sale. While my mom didn't end up with much, I walked away with a $5 box full of Life Magazines - and we know how much I love my old magazines!

26 in total, mostly from the 40s (and some from the '50s) - what immediately struck me was that there were several from 1941, then nothing until 1945. Did the original owners immediately cut costs when war was declared? Or maybe someone wised up and realized war-time Life magazines have a bit more worth? Who knows. Regardless, we all know I'm here for the ads and, even with the missing years, these magazines came through!

In my last post about vintage ads (see July 27th) I focused on the ones marketing products that we still have around today. Perusing this latest batch of magazines, however, I noticed my favorite ads were a different kind of category. So, for this post, we're going to take a look at advertisements that would never see the light of day today - the sexist, the unhealthy... the outdated, basically. Enjoy!

​This may be the most common type of outdated advertisement I come across - one where the product is something a wife should buy for her husband. This one (above) mildly makes sense - we can imagine, once-upon-a-time, that beer was almost exclusively advertised as a "man's" drink - but take a look at the next one!
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Who knew Rice Krispies was something a woman could use to make her fella happy!? Seeing Snap, Crackle, and Pop used to sell their product to a newlywed rather than a mother (which is, I think, how most cereals are traditionally advertised) made me laugh a bit.

Think only wives, newlyweds, and mothers are the ones being targeted? Don't worry, there's also a plethora of spreads meant to remind parents to educate their daughters in how to snatch a man and become a good wife, too.
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Answer: anything that'll make them more appealing... to men. This one I found quite humorous, actually. Not only does it illustrate the point I'm trying to make (it's all about the men), but it shows a change in our culture's view of beauty, as well. While flattening was the name of the game back then, the big thing now is smoothing while retaining those curves!

Speaking of curves: this next ad is a much more rare find. In fact, aside from spreads advertising diet miracles, I don't think I've ever come across a 1940s advertisement that overtly fat-shames... until now.
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The killer here is that the cartoon and caption have NOTHING to do with the product. Worried about an overweight person breaking your chair? Don't worry about your car lubrication, at least! Noted, Texaco. Noted.

While ads like this one plays off your fears, others attempt to assuage them. None do this better than the next couple of ads: ads so outdated, they're actually extinct. That's right: cigarette ads.
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What on earth are "eminent medical authorities"!? Who knows. Either way, both give pseudo-medical jargon in hopes their brands come across as "healthier". Eighty years later, it's ads for products like these that are the most surprising to me.

I explained in my previous vintage ad blog post how old magazines are glimpses into the past and, let me tell you, these were no different. Maybe next time you're driving by a yard sale or flea, take a stop and see if you can find one for yourself! I guarantee you'll find something in there you weren't expecting.

 Yesterday was the first day back at the Providence Flea, and it was a great day!

Everyone wore their masks, social distanced, and used hand sanitizer before touching anything. Good job, flea goers!

The return of the flea was big news with local papers and news stations, and Whimsy and Fluff got a lot of photo love! 

Check out the ProJo photo gallery here and the WJAR story here (check out that cover photo of Whimsy and Fluff bloomers!). I was interviewed by WPRI, so we're keeping our eyes open for that too!

We'll be back at the flea on August 16th, hopefully we'll see you there!