Ford Treasury of Station Wagon Living, the long promised predecessor to Station Wagon Living, Volume 2, blogged almost 2 years ago.
As always, click on the pictures for a closer look.
Really just advertisements for products, these two volumes disguised as books.
A little sock knitting in the woods, of course.
Tailgating, 1950's style.
I'm liking the idea of the 12 volt coffee maker. Can't you just smell the coffee brewing, at 55, 65,or even 70 mph while driving down the interstate?
As for the picnic table with four attached seats that folds down into a suitcase sized version of itself, several years ago a friend picked one up at the local dump and gave it to us but we passed it on. So regretting that now.
Apparently this is a good shade tent design as it's still available today here, here and here, but certainly not at 1957 prices.
Regrettably, long gone are the days when you could drop on into Abercrombie and Fitch for a folding canvas wash basin or a camp torch. As are the days when plug-in electric razors were "available at any Ford dealership".
"With the middle seat down, the rear of a wagon becomes a play room approximately 7 feet long by 4-plus wide. Pad the floor with a mattress, put the luggage at the rear and strap it down..., toss a cushion or two on the mattress, strew some toys and books about and turn the kids loose."
"Devise your own means--either mandate or closed windows--to keep the kids from broadcasting books and toys over the passing landscape....Keep rear doors locked to keep the small fry from falling out....If you stack luggage in the rear of a station wagon, lash it down. In case of sudden stops, free luggage can wreak serious injury."
Surely you wouldn't want that precious luggage being injured in case of an accident, would you? Let your children roam freely in the back of the car, but...
"In camp there's always the problem of what to do with toddlers when parents want to visit the neighbors....wise parents take measures to limit the range of travel."
I'm pretty sure that, as a baby and toddler, my parents brought along a small play pen for me to sleep in inside the tent.
"Novel ideas for containing youngsters on automobile trips have come along in recent years....Wood lugs, wedged betweeen seat and back cushion, hold the seat securely in place."
Different times, different times.
But not really so different.
Transparent bottom canoe/kayak available today, if you have the $$$$.
Inflatable boat that packs down into a suitcase. Just be sure to bring along a patch kit.
Skin diving and aqualungers. Remember? How can you not love that kind of terminology?
About the last third of this volume is a guide to campgrounds at the time, state by state.
Well, tomorrow we're headed off on the road to Seattle, in the minivan (station wagon of the nineties and beyond) children and adults securely strapped in with the lastest of technologies.
I'm thinking of having some posts ready to auto-post while we're gone but may or may not pull that off before we go. If not, I'll be back here in a week or so.
Off to finish packing the mini.
