January 14, 2011

Our kind of fun...

Exploring well-thunk / well-made TOYS is high up on our list of favorite things... We explore, discover, play, connect, pretend, compare, delight, set up, take apart, research, and ENJOY!  
We are continually curious and fascinated, and eager to show each other our discoveries and/or creations. 

Actually, now that i think about it, I've had this passion (obsession?) for quality play things for as long as I can remember, - and I'm sure the King has too. - We've had this in common since long before we had children; since before our paths ever crossed in Quito!  Mama Jose had it too.  I remember Aunt Mary telling me how fascinated i was as a toddler with our Band-Aid tin full of buttons of all types and sizes.  She said that i especially loved to handle them one at a time and put each one back in the tin.  Can you blame me? - Button collections are very cool, and so were those tins.

I LOVE that our kids love this same kind of exploring and playing.  I can picture them passing on the passion to their children too.

Here are just a few of the photos we took at Blickenstaff's on Josie's birthday.  This cool place opened last May.  K & I happened across it a week or 2 later and bought that red E-Z Roller for Ashton's birthday, and an Automoblox to continue our small collection.


He's checking out the 4 X 4 Rubik's that he'd love to send emcj

 He loves our "Dangerous Book for Boys"  Here he's checking out the one for experiments etc.
If you click on the link to 'Blick''s you'll see the huge piles of retro candy bars, etc.  The girls called the place Mr Magorium's Wonderful Emporium...

 We finally bought "Bananagrams" that evening - see them hanging there?  And Mr Rifleman here found me a tiny glass animal turtle for my collection in the shadow box coffee table  : )  'i like turtles'





Way cool car - made of Bamboo
We first saw Automoblox in a cool store in Monterrey or Carmel while there for our 25th.



 Even though the box doesn't say 'Frogger' -- It still reminds me of the old Frogger game.





  It was a gorgeous night - oops on the focus - oh well.


I remember riding my bike to Norney's in Stanford Shopping Center.  I also remember buying a lime green Matchbox car right after it came out.  I remember the tall glass display where one of each kind sat on top of a stack of individual boxes still sealed up from England.

I wonder if O, S, or C remember The Imaginarium in that same shopping center.
But they'll never forget Mimsy & Sharon's Little Dickens - their store became our home away from home, and just a stone's throw from our house.

Can't wait to show Baby K his little surprise from Blickenstaff's...






2 comments:

olivia said...

can't wait to see "Blick's" myself!

not to mention baby K's first quality toy.

i remember the imaginarium! but if my memory serves me right, you're not a fan of the REASON i remember it so we just won't go there. ;)

and fun to hear about YOUR memories. our little dickens was your norney's i suppose. love the band-aid tin story; (thanks aunt mary!)

Cherie said...

Mija, you're thinking of Gregory's - tucked away Sandy location (as opposed to Foothill with the cool kid entrance) instead of Palo Alto's Imaginarium, most often with Haycock's, and with the mini double door kid entrance)
...And for the record: I still feel awful for your 'scare' memory - and sad that it doesn't include all the facts... but they can't change the memory... MOM GUILT - I'm sure you've already experienced it, and you haven't even met him face to face yet!