Retro Lighting - The Banker's Lamp

A thrift store is the best place to pick up retro lamps and shades.  They are inexpensive, usually work well, and have real character.  It's also awesome to be able to spend $10 or $15 on a lamp.  However, sometimes you need a specific kind of lamp.  For example, we once had a green banker's desk lamp that worked well with a vintage desk at our house.  It looked much like this one:



The banker's lamp was cool because it fit in a confined space and it could shed light directly on documents.  Nothing was better for shedding light on a work surface.   While it didn't make our last move, it was also cool for creating a vintage look.

A Banker's Lamp - photo by Sándor Iskender (https://www.flickr.com/photos/iskender/126062252) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

You can just imagine this kind of lamp on a private eye's desk.  Here is a faux antique banker's lamp from Amazon and a compilation of Dashiell Hammett novels that I highly recommend.

Retro Transportation - Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300

Driving a vintage car is a serious commitment.  When little things break, it can be a costly or simply impossible task to find a replacement part.  But, old cars are simple, much easier to work on, and full of character.

I recently ran across this Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 in a suburban Atlanta parking lot.  It was a nice clean car, but it had an aged patina that probably reflects many years on the road.  The 1300 wasn't a widely exported model so it probably has an interesting history.

The Giulia 1300 was made from 1964 to 1970 as an "austerity model" and it was powered by a 1290 cc engine.  With 77 horsepower on tap and a 4-speed transmission, it's not a sports car.  But, perhaps, that is why it is still running and in decent shape?

It was neat to see an old car like this still in service and still being driven.  It definitely caught my eye from across the parking lot.  While Alfa Romeo is returning to the U.S. market, I hope the owner has the best of luck with this vintage Alfa and can keep it on the road for many years to come.

If you are an Alfa Romeo enthusiast, this die-cast Alfa Romeo Giulia might be right up your alley!