Recreating Vintage Swing Dance Photography Here’s a little story about how we recreated vintage swing dance photography, what we learned, and how you can do your own photo shoot. The Impetus and Inspiration As I approached the publication of my vintage swing dance novel: The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress, I needed cover art for my talented […more…]
Swing Dancing and Drinking in Dublin by Tam Francis The Lesson The night was cool, but the bar was hot. The windows steamed . Droplet rivers created spidery patterns on our side of the windows. We’d abandoned the rental car in lieu of a taxi. Driving on the wrong side of the road and the […more…]
All Time Favorite Vintage Christmas Movies You’ll Love by Tam Francis It’s that time of year when we dust off the old DVDs or even VHS tapes. Oh yes, we still have some of those. Of course many of these movies can be found on the handy-dandy Netflix, but to much sadness, too many haven’t found their […more…]
Yule Be Swinging This Top List of Dance Music by Tam Francis No Sentimental Music It’s the holidays and although I love Christmas music, I can do without the sad, make you cry and miss your loved ones Christmas music like The Christmas Shoes. Okay, sure I’ll admit when I first heard this song I had to […more…]
~ Call the Midwife: Vintage Reviewer ~ by Tam Francis The Synopsis Call the Midwife (Penguin Group, 20o9), originally The Midwife (Orion, 2002), by Jennifer Worth is a memoir of birth, joy, and hard times set in post WWII England against the backdrop of the East End of London, generations of families living, loving, birthing, and […more…]
Halloween Hallow’s Read & Ghostoria Book Trailer I just received an ad about Neil Gaiman starting a new tradition called All Hallow’s Read! The idea is to give a book as a Halloween gift. But not just any book. A scary book! Well, of course I recommend Ghostoria! Its got something for everyone. If you haven’t heard […more…]
Swinging with the Chickens: Moments in Dance by Tam Francis Welcome to Callahan’s A life-size horse—tawny with black tipped ears and legs—greets us at the entrance to Callahan’s General Store. The smell of a million dusty summers and grilling meat mingle under the porch rafters. A Texan and American flag flap in the slight breeze […more…]
Music, Whiskey & Memories in Lisdoonvarna by Tam Francis Bittersweet Music Banjo, mandolin, flute, guitar, and two fiddles filled the pub/restaurant with traditional music. I leaned toward the love of my life, Dave, my still handsome husband, as we shed our thick coats and took a seat in a foreign land. He quickly made a trip to […more…]