Fun Monday - Quirky Things

Jan, matriarch of The Prytz Family is hosting Fun Monday this week:
What is the quirkiest thing in your home that you will never give away?


The timing of this question is pretty amazing, given recent headlines and my quirky object...

This thoughtful man would be Harold Pinter, who died recently. He was a well-known, highly respected playwright who wove silences into his plays so well that they were considered statements.

Many of his plays were on Broadway and later translated into movies. The 1960's were his golden years in that regard, and in 1964, a little play called The Homecoming was playing out in the city that never sleeps.

One of the main characters was a grumpy old curmudgeon named Max. The actor who played Max (both on stage and in the movie) is my grandfather, Paul Rogers. Max was a nasty old man.

My mother had never met my grandfather (he lives in England and didn't make the wedding), so when he came over to do the play, Dad took Mom to New York to meet him. They stayed in Sir John Gielgud's apartment and went to the play, planning to meet Grandpa afterwards.

The play is a bit of a shocker. And this was my mother's introduction to Grandpa. When the lights came back up, she really wasn't sure if she wanted to meet that guy. Grandpa was a very convincing actor.

Luckily, he is also a sweetheart. Dad convinced Mom to meet him and she's loved him ever since.

Harold Pinter also loved my grandfather and was very appreciative of the excellent acting he brought to his play. As a gesture of thanks, he gave my grandfather this:

Hmmm... I think I need to clean the leather up a little.

It's a silver, collapsible drinking cup - given to my grandfather by Harold Pinter.

My husband pretty much freaked out when I showed him this after hearing of Pinter's death. I'm sure dollar signs were dancing in his head - he even mentioned going on Antiques Roadshow to see how much it's worth. Unfortunately, there is no inscription, no way to prove that that is what the cup is or where it came from.

But even if we could, it doesn't matter anyway. Because this is MY cup and I will never give it away or sell it. It's part of family lore, part of who we are. And a reminder of who we've been.

As a side note, I keep this IN the Pinter Cup:

My friend Steph's great grandmother gave this to me when I was a child. I have no idea why she gave it to me, but everytime I see it, it reminds me of the times we (Steph and I) spent together as children. I can smell the pot roast, taste the sweet tea, see the pliers Steph used to pull up the zipper on her jeans (she believed in TIGHT jeans). I can hear us laughing. All from that coin.

This is a clip from The Homecoming movie. It's rather long, and Grandpa doesn't show up until about five minutes in, but if you watch it, you can see why my mom was nervous about meeting him!