How do folks react to your hat wearing?

Just a post script to the above about today's events. The milliner who made the wedding hat also made a hat feather to compliment Tina's hat. On the day, I shall be wearing a black fedora, the hat feather will contrast Tina's hat & feathers perfectly. The photo taken above doesn't really do justice to such exquisite detail that Tina's hat is, so here it is in sharper contrast, along with the feather adornment that will sit in the hat band of my black hat.

A great story and a wonderful pair of his and hers hats!

GHT said:

We had such a busy day today. Tina had an outpatient's hospital appointment, I ran her there, then we went and collected her new hat, it's for the wedding in February, but she was so pleased with it that she kept it on for most of the day. I too had a couple of appointments and Tina needed to get some last minute provisions, so we went our separate ways and met up in our favourite coffee shop. And it was there, after all the hurly-burly of shoppers, we sat, exchanging stories of angry shoppers, car park tantrums and Christmas tempers that we got a fine compliment. A lady came in, laden with shopping bags, she looked worn out, but her demeanour soon returned as she enjoyed her hot drink. Putting her cup down, she came over and said: "You two look so suave in your fine hats," and then asked to take a picture, I wonder where that will turn up? "Suave?" Tina said, looking straight at me, quizzically. "Charming, confident and elegant," I replied, with a wink. She hurriedly looked it up, "That's exactly what the definition is," she exclaimed, then added: "Smartarse!" Have to say, her milliner has really pulled the stops out.
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GHT said:

Just a post script to the above about today's events. The milliner who made the wedding hat also made a hat feather to compliment Tina's hat. On the day, I shall be wearing a black fedora, the hat feather will contrast Tina's hat & feathers perfectly. The photo taken above doesn't really do justice to such exquisite detail that Tina's hat is, so here it is in sharper contrast, along with the feather adornment that will sit in the hat band of my black hat.
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I was in my local vintage VW repair shop today when a young couple came in. The young lady said to me, 'I love your hat.' It was my moss green felt/copper ribbon Penman.

I said thank you. It's always nice to get a genuine compliment.

Rmccamey said:

A great story and a wonderful pair of his and hers hats!

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Great compliment too, thank you.

scottyrocks said:

I was in my local vintage VW repair shop today when a young couple came in. The young lady said to me, 'I love your hat.' It was my moss green felt/copper ribbon Penman.

I said thank you. It's always nice to get a genuine compliment.

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It certainly is, and no more than your fine hats deserve.

jlee562 said:

I haven't kept a running tally, but if I had to guess, I think I get the most compliments in my Stetson Junior Cowboy. I was out and about doing flower deliveries today and I got a "I like your hat...especially with your glasses," from none other than EGOT winner Rita Moreno, whose birthday is today.

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Very cool!

We just got back from Cleveland. There for 4 full days not including driving time.

During that time, I got a half dozen compliments on my hat (Hufvud), one leading to an extended conversation with a gentleman and his wife.

Overall, a very useful trip, as we have changed our focus as to where we're going after I retire.

scottyrocks said:

We just got back from Cleveland. There for 4 full days not including driving time.

During that time, I got a half dozen compliments on my hat (Hufvud), one leading to an extended conversation with a gentleman and his wife.

Overall, a very useful trip, as we have changed our focus as to where we're going after I retire.

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Cleveland? Don't get me wrong, I love Cleveland (went to college there and lived there over the summers). Cleveland is a great place with a lot going on, but I never thought of retiring there.

Frunobulax said:

Cleveland? Don't get me wrong, I love Cleveland (went to college there and lived there over the summers). Cleveland is a great place with a lot going on, but I never thought of retiring there.

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Hold on now. He just stated the trip "changed their focus" on where they're going after he retires. Maybe that means they've ruled Cleveland out and Belize is the new front-runner.

By the way, I've never been to Cleveland so I don't have an opinion one way or another.

Zombie_61 said:

Hold on now. He just stated the trip "changed their focus" on where they're going after he retires. Maybe that means they've ruled Cleveland out and Belize is the new front-runner.

By the way, I've never been to Cleveland so I don't have an opinion one way or another.

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True enough.

Was wearing my Stetson Roadster when I was stopped by an older gentleman who complimented me on my hat and told me how much he loved wearing hats in his younger days. We then had a lovely conversation and it turns out he went to the same high school and college as my father and his father during the war worked for the same company I work for now. A wonderful little interaction that would have never happened had I not been wearing my hat!

Frunobulax said:

Cleveland? Don't get me wrong, I love Cleveland (went to college there and lived there over the summers). Cleveland is a great place with a lot going on, but I never thought of retiring there.

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Is Lefty still living in cheap hotels?

Zombie_61 said:

By the way, I've never been to Cleveland so I don't have an opinion one way or another.

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Did you know that it's named after it's English counterpart? Literally it means Cliff-Land.

Have you ever heard the tale about the cantankerous "Walter" type character who crossed swords with the doctor's receptionist?
"What's your problem today, Mr Jones?"
"It's my d*ck," he tells her.
"Mr Jones! Don't you dare say things like that in this surgery," she retorted.
"You asked," he replied, "what do you want me to say?"
"You say something like, it's your ear, and then tell the doctor your problem in the consulting room." She replied.
Mr Jones turns around, walks out, turns again and walks back into the doctor's. The receptionist, wearing a smug, triumphant grin asks:
"And what's your problem today, Mr Jones?"
"It's my ear." He tells her,
she replies: "What is wrong with your ear?"
Mr Jones says: "I'm having difficulty peeing out of it."
Cue a room full of giggling patients.

One of the receptionists at our doctor's surgery is straight out of that mould. Every year I have a medical for insurance purposes. being private it doesn't qualify for being available on the NHS, so I have to pay for it. However, a good health report lowers my premiums making paying for it worthwhile.

The private medical is on my records, so I get a letter from the surgery to confirm that I still want the examination and to pay for it, a week in advance. That is what I did today, and the exchange between me and the receptionist is similar to that of Mr Jones and his exchange with doctor's officialdom.

It's a busy day, I queue for a while and then, at the front of the queue, I get called to reception. I introduce myself, she checks me out, confirms my address and asks what I want. I told her of the letter and was here to pay in advance, as requested, offering her the full payment in cash.
"We only take a card," she says, rather emphatically without even looking up.
"I've always paid cash," I replied, "because you have always requested it. In fact it states that in your letter."
She disappears and comes back with a copy of the letter.
"Show me where it says cash," she demands, thrusting the letter towards me. By now the queue of people are far from bored, they are quite interested as to how this little soap opera will play out. I glance through the letter, and tell her that she's right, there is no mention of cash. There's a glint of triumph in her face, nearest thing I have ever seen to a smile. Not for nothing she's known as The Dragon.
"But you have always asked me to pay in cash, year on year," I protested.
"It's been changed," she said, dismissively, like I'm a moron for not knowing, even though I have never been told.
I turned the letter around for her to re-read.
"Show me where it says card," I said, as abruptly as I could. She grabs the letter and goes through it again. Finally, she concedes that it doesn't mention card. Then she tells me sternly that she will take cash this time but in future........
I count out the money, but she still rechecks it.
"Happy New Year," I said, smiling. She ignored me.

On leaving the surgery, a lady at the back of the queue held her arm out as though to stop me. I stopped, she smiled, then leaned in probably so that the dragon couldn't hear.
"I'm so glad that you put her in her place," she said, then went on, "she should have known better than to argue with a man in a hat."
"You flatter me," I said, "but thanks for the compliment."
"No, no," she replied, "you see that notice," pointing to the sign about being respectful to all surgery staff, "that cuts both ways, but not with her."
"I wasn't rude, was I?" I asked.
"Not at all," she said, "assertive, yes, but definitely not rude. That woman just can't handle a power dresser like yourself,"
"You're too kind, dear lady," adding, "Happy New Year," "and to you," she replied, squeezing my hand as I left.
Getting into my car I smiled and thought of Mr Jones.

scottyrocks said:

I was in my local vintage VW repair shop today when a young couple came in. The young lady said to me, 'I love your hat.' It was my moss green felt/copper ribbon Penman.

I said thank you. It's always nice to get a genuine compliment.

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as a long time restorer of VW's I am pleased to read there still are shops that service them.

GHT said:

Did you know that it's named after it's English counterpart? Literally it means Cliff-Land.

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Cleveland was named after General Moses Cleaveland (and was originally spelled that way). There are no cliffs.

I should have known not to believe what I read without checking it first. Not the first time I've had a red face.

I see what you mean, Al.

We had been seriously considering Columbus as the front-runner, but things can change, and did, making Columbus no longer the shoe-in it once had to be.

What I didn't love about Columbus, especially on the northern edge, is the booming expansion going on. If we relocate in our 1 to 2 year time frame, who knows what the place will look like 10 years down the road. As it is now, it is filling up with identical-dwelling, pre-planned communities, which are not my cup of tea.

Columbus is a nice small city, but Cleveland is a nice bigger city, offering more in the way of just about everything. And unlike New York, you don't need to cross a bridge or tunnel to get to them. That, and the traffic, are two of the (many) things I hate about New York.

Cleveland, on the other hand, specifically Cleveland Heights, is a settled area with almost hundred year old homes, and there are a number of neighborhoods in that vicinity that are immaculate while being old, and we like that. Any housing expansion is much further out, and there's not a lot of it, in comparison to Columbus, anyway.

Another plus is that Cleveland is a boon for my wife's new line of work, as Columbus was for her former line of work.

There a bunch of other reasons we feel Ohio, in general, is ideal, which I won't go into here.

And the last point, about Cleveland not being someone's (Fruno) idea of an area to retire to (and I see the point), is that my wife is extraordinarily heat-intolerant, so anyplace south, where it's hot a lot, is out. Where she goes, I will gladly follow.

belfastboy said:

as a long time restorer of VW's I am pleased to read there still are shops that service them.

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Yes, and in a couple of years, I'll have to find one in the Cleveland area.

scottyrocks said:

Yes, and in a couple of years, I'll have to find one in the Cleveland area.

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There used to be numerous shops in my area now I am not sure there are any left at all. But it is no wonder as there are not any left on the road here and the ones that do exist are probably taken care of by their owners.

GHT said:

I should have known not to believe what I read without checking it first. Not the first time I've had a red face.

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I used to think it was named after Pres. Grover Cleveland, but was wrong about that, too.

scottyrocks said:

I see what you mean, Al.

We had been seriously considering Columbus as the front-runner, but things can change, and did, making Columbus no longer the shoe-in it once had to be.

What I didn't love about Columbus, especially on the northern edge, is the booming expansion going on. If we relocate in our 1 to 2 year time frame, who knows what the place will look like 10 years down the road. As it is now, it is filling up with identical-dwelling, pre-planned communities, which are not my cup of tea.

Columbus is a nice small city, but Cleveland is a nice bigger city, offering more in the way of just about everything. And unlike New York, you don't need to cross a bridge or tunnel to get to them. That, and the traffic, are two of the (many) things I hate about New York.

Cleveland, on the other hand, specifically Cleveland Heights, is a settled area with almost hundred year old homes, and there are a number of neighborhoods in that vicinity that are immaculate while being old, and we like that. Any housing expansion is much further out, and there's not a lot of it, in comparison to Columbus, anyway.

Another plus is that Cleveland is a boon for my wife's new line of work, as Columbus was for her former line of work.

There a bunch of other reasons we feel Ohio, in general, is ideal, which I won't go into here.

And the last point, about Cleveland not being someone's (Fruno) idea of an area to retire to (and I see the point), is that my wife is extraordinarily heat-intolerant, so anyplace south, where it's hot a lot, is out. Where she goes, I will gladly follow.

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scottyrocks said:

I see what you mean, Al.

We had been seriously considering Columbus as the front-runner, but things can change, and did, making Columbus no longer the shoe-in it once had to be.

What I didn't love about Columbus, especially on the northern edge, is the booming expansion going on. If we relocate in our 1 to 2 year time frame, who knows what the place will look like 10 years down the road. As it is now, it is filling up with identical-dwelling, pre-planned communities, which are not my cup of tea.

Columbus is a nice small city, but Cleveland is a nice bigger city, offering more in the way of just about everything. And unlike New York, you don't need to cross a bridge or tunnel to get to them. That, and the traffic, are two of the (many) things I hate about New York.

Cleveland, on the other hand, specifically Cleveland Heights, is a settled area with almost hundred year old homes, and there are a number of neighborhoods in that vicinity that are immaculate while being old, and we like that. Any housing expansion is much further out, and there's not a lot of it, in comparison to Columbus, anyway.

Another plus is that Cleveland is a boon for my wife's new line of work, as Columbus was for her former line of work.

There a bunch of other reasons we feel Ohio, in general, is ideal, which I won't go into here.

And the last point, about Cleveland not being someone's (Fruno) idea of an area to retire to (and I see the point), is that my wife is extraordinarily heat-intolerant, so anyplace south, where it's hot a lot, is out. Where she goes, I will gladly follow.

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Yes, it's the weather more than anything. Many memories of snow, wind, and overcast skies in the winter. Trudging to an 8AM class, barely awake, in the snow...

But again, a great town. More ethnic enclaves than Columbus (I lived in a dorm just outside Little Italy when at school). I lived in Cleveland Heights for a while. Worked at a deli on Coventry Rd. Loved every minute of it.

It's really a great town and the people are good people.