We had a perfect girl-y Saturday last week. Aileen, our friend Yvette, Freyja, and I skibbled around town to all our favorite vintage shops in Seattle looking for anything that might catch our eye.
The number one treasure trove of the day was Red Light in Capitol Hill (312 Broadway Ave. East, Seattle WA 98102). We all scored a find or two, I think each of us got a dress. (I’ll make Aileen put a picture of hers up on the blog– it was so amazing. It was the sort of dress that threatens to break loving sister-ly relationships)
After missing out on the dress, my heart skipped a beat when I saw — peaking out of a bin of bags, wallets, and purses– this amazing thing of beauty!
Behold, my new diaper bag!
I wondered what the “SAS” stood for and when I got it home to give it a good clean up, I vacuumed out the pockets and found all this:
A 10 cent postage stamp
Cosmetic wipes that say “happy landing”
A little plastic airline wings pin
And a grocery receipt that shows bread cost 98 cents
I imagine this bag belonged to a flight stewardess named. . . Jeanette, and guessing by the mini loaf she purchased, I think she was on her own, unmarried, unattached, just traveling from one city to the next, without her own bathroom to wash her face in at night. She was writing letters everywhere she went though, to. . . her 14-year-old niece, Kimberly, and from her postage stamp, I know the year was 1968. She was a Jackie O wannabe in terms of fashion, she couldn’t stand the Beatles and she thought the musical, Hair which she got to see on an evening lay-over in New York, was highly over-rated.
Her bag ended up in Seattle when she left it at a hotel by accident. Thankfully, it wasn’t her daily bag so it didn’t have her wallet in it, just a few things she’d never miss.
And now the bag is sitting in my bedroom, it’s various roomy pockets (all the zippers and snaps still work) are perfect for its new calling in life. And maybe some day, in years and years, its new owner will wonder what a few diapers and a pacifier and a receipt for bread that cost $4.50 are doing in an old airline bag.
That is, if I take as good care of the bag as Jeannette did.
I’m positive the story is true and I love the bag! Give it to me!
Love it! (The bag and the story).
What a cool bag and I love the story to go with it. I have an old desk that looks like it could have come straight from Hogwarts Academy. I pretend it came from an English boys’ school. I think that is why I love second hand things so much. I love to imagine the stories that might go with them.
And so fun to have a diaper bag with a little personality that doesn’t look just like every other one out there! :-) Good eye!
Caitlin, I was curious about S.A.S. so I typed it into Google and discovered S.A.S. could be related to military, shoes, weapons, zombie assault, or more! I like your story! Jeanette seems like a person of interest.
You scored a “10″ on this creative adventure both in the aquistion and the imaginary details of our precious Jeanette. I am quite partial to this woman as she shares her name with my beloved mother.
Hmm, Mere, you have me wondering if Jeanette was actually a member of the Special Air Service (SAS) in the British Army, working in counter revolutionary warfare. I think the fashionista traveler was her alter ego.
I think you’re on to something!
When I was in college I was a nanny for a couple of years and I had to tote around a diaper bag. It was a fairly individual bag, the mom had it custom made and it was even out of a tapestry that looks similar to yours. Anyway, what I remember was joking around that the bag was attached to me, but at least it looked good! I’ve always said that when I have children I want a fun, unique diaper bag, and yours looks great.
I love the receipt for bread, and the lovely story that goes along with your bag. How creative, and, how wonderful that this bag gets a second chance to have some more adventures!