Post #279013 by Ojaitimo on Mon, Jan 15, 2007 1:07 PM

I guess I never got into it originally, rather I was raised in it. My mother Ione was a designer and decorator who loved tiki. She would take me to the LA tiki palaces before I could talk.
The Stardust Casino was her frequent weekend escape and the Aku Aku tiki resturaunt there was her favorite Vegas spot.
Trader Vic's, Don the Beachcomber, the Bamboo Room were all within a few miles of her studio in LA.
Bud (Martin V. Smith) who developed most of Ventura County, coaxed her to Oxnard where she worked on dozens of projects but her favorite was the Trade Winds built in 1964 when I was 10. Bud also loved tiki and had collected objects from his extensive travel that she used in the interior and exterior.
I got to help find items and went to Oceanic Arts and storage yards on hunting trips.

He once joked to a reporter that the only way he could display his collection was to build a place as Martha his wife, wouldn't let him display them at home. Most of the time when I went out as a child it was to a tiki palace so I assumed most places were like them.

Last summer I found Bongofurys post on the Trade Winds here on TC, Bigbro and all of you began to teach me about all of this. Tiki Central has reignited my passion for tiki. ( Still, I like to clown around at times but its all in fun. I never mean to offend anyone)

So, thats my story and its good to be a part of Tiki Central

Ojaitimo Tim

All the world is a stage and all men and women merely players, they have their entrances and exits and one man in his life plays many parts. William Shakespere

Life is a state of mind

[

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-01-15 13:30 ]