Introduction

Introduction

While I was born in 1951, sometimes I feel like I was born in 1914. My father told me so many stories about growing up in Philadelphia, and occasionally even about his family, that I feel some sense of at least one person's life in those years before I was born. While my mother, of course, wanted a child, I'm not sure that my father did. I think there was a part of it all that scared him, so they waited quite a while to have me. I hope I was "a relief" to my father, and I think I worked hard to be a good son. Looking back, especially at those few older pictures I have of my father, I think the very best part of his life was the first half - back when things were simple, he had good friends, and the burdens of adulthood were not yet upon him. Looking back, I feel like the best part of my life was the first half, largely due to my parents. It was a time when life was simple, controllable, and when I was actually organized! I'm sure my father found many good things in his entire life, as do I, but I believe we had this in common - that there is nothing better than growing up in Philadelphia. So, do not find the title of my new blog in any way depressing, my friends, its just a perspective that I've found interesting to investigate.

I'll start by writing about my family. I realize we are nothing special, but as we've learned from millions of pages of memoirs written and published, there can be much to be learned from those who came before us.

As I get past some family stories, this blog may be of interest to anyone who grew up in the Delaware Valley/Philadelphia/Delaware County in the 1950's and 60's, or to anyone married/partnered to one (if you are, there is much you need to understand before the two of you can communicate!).

Please check out my book, Saturday Night at Sarah Joy's. All proceeds go to the Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Fund. Information is available at: saturdaynightatsarahjoys.blogspot.com.

Thank you!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Photomining at Dan's


I was very fortunate to live on a street that had a corner store.  It was officially called McCloskey's, but everyone called it Dan's.  Dan had a permanent grouchy look on his face, whenever a kid came in.  We'd usually be there to bring a soda bottle back (and get two cents) so we could buy some penny candy, but I would often be there to get milk or cigarettes for a neighbor lady.  I don't think he made a lot selling me penny candy, but it was a very interesting little store.  For a building about the size of a row house it seemed to have just about everything.  Of course, the oven cleaner sat on the shelf next to the candy, but they used every inch of space. What I remember most is the density of the store. Dan's was a functional, practical use of space.  Dan had no interest in flash or packaging, only function.  And to serve as a corner store for us, he stocked as much as he could in the space he had.

Confession time.  When I was in high school on the yearbook staff they had in their files a "professional photo" of Dan's.  Probably they had an ad in the back of a yearbook one year.  I loved the photo, and it was unlikely that it would ever be used again, so somehow (the past is so fuzzy to me now) I ended up with it.  I used to occasionally look at it with my mother's magnifying glass, to remind me of the place.  Then technology came along, and eventually I had the capability for digitally scanning the image.  Scanning, then taking time to zoom in on parts of a picture, sometimes sharpening or otherwise modifying, can be great fun.  This picture is a perfect example, because it is jam-packed with details and memories.  I call the process photomining.  There are lots of pictures you could do this with - perhaps scan an old family photo and zoom in to get a good picture of the broach that your Aunt always used to wear, or to see if Grandma and Grandpa really were holding hands in that crowd. 

Personally, I use iPhoto for my photomining, and I can show you some examples of how this really takes me back, right back into the store that I had been in so many times as a kid.

(keep in mind that this was a professional photograph, so I had good resolution to begin with, which certainly helps when you are creating a digital image from an old photo for exploring)

So here it is - welcome to Dan's.  Time to start looking around.

This part of the picture shows the boxes of candy on Dan's left, and the shelf below, which held cleaning products such as Lifebuoy soap and spray starch.  You could get paper sheets of candy buttons, licorice rope twists, twizzlers, and small boxes of salt-covered pumpkin seeds. 


The ice cream sign lists more than 25 different kinds of ice cream - they were all behind the counter in a freezer. 


Below the ice cream flavors, the shelves are packed with cigars such as Dutch Masters and Phillies Blunts, Tips, and Cheeroots.  There are 39 cent pens, and candy bars below the smokes, and candy bars - Mounds, Almond Joys, Good & Plenties, Fifth Avenue bars and Baby Ruth's! I'd forgotten what some of the old packaging looked like!


Dan kept a close eye on the cigarettes.  It wasn't until I started photomining that I realized he sold Mrs. Paul's fish sticks!  I wish we'd known.


The ability to work with a digital version of an old photograph can really open up some opportunities.  The more complicated the better!

© 2012 John Allison
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1 comment:

  1. UnknownMay 22, 2013 at 4:56 PM

    John:

    Thanks so much for the memories of "Dan's". I lived around the corner on Mildred Avenue and we frequented "Lee's" (though we called it "Dot's") which was at the corner of Rhodes and Pusey Avenues. It wasn't until I was about 10 and finally allowed to cross MacDade Boulevard that I visited Dan's without my mother. Even ventured to LaRosa's at times!

    Lynn (Siano) Menta

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