Weapons-Grade Nostalgia

My stepfather must throw some things away. I've just never actually seen it happen. Sometimes this is bad — when I first visited  his cabin in McCall, my brother and I found condiments in the fridge from the 70s. And sometimes it's actually wonderful: we also found his antique hi-fi system, which had a dial-a-record system built into the fake-wood-paneling complete with Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights.

So, now that my parents have the dismantled the bar in their home, it's no surprise that there are plenty of hidden treasures falling out of its dusty corners. Case in point:

Tahiti Joe Pomegranate Grenadine Syrup, a product from the good people at the Tahiti Joe Company of Los Angeles, California. No date on this, but the $1.39 price tag puts it several decades back. I love the cool couple in their Hawaiian outfits enjoying their drinks.

But this was the real find:

My stepfather's dad owned an airport in Pacoima, back in the day. Which included a stadium and race track. These bottle toppers were plastic and custom-made for the bottles at the airport bar. Click on the larger version and you'll see how the car spells out "Whiteman Stadium."

My stepfather, as a young pilot, used to shuttle movie stars — real movie stars, like John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, not the low-grade imitations we're stuck with today — in and out of the airport for his dad. I like to imagine they would knock back a pre-flight cocktail or two, maybe with Tahiti Joe's syrup if they noticed the unusual label. And off came the tiny little bottle caps with the gold logo, and the drinking began.

I literally cannot imagine anyone today spending that kind of time and effort on what is, admittedly, pointless background detail. And it's our loss.