I have a watercolor of a Bloody Mary that used to hang in the bar of the Stoner house. It’s one of many items that Louis and Clara Stoner left behind when they vacated the house. A box of old family photos, a safe with hundreds of canceled checks. A cedar closet full of mink fur coats. An oil portrait of the Stoner’s granddaughter and her yellow Labrador Retriever posing on the front lawn.  My parents requested in the bond for deed that the oil painting remain with the house, but the other things the Stoner’s just left behind. They did ask for the mink fur coats, which I gather they left behind accidentally, but they didn’t seem to care about the other stuff. The Bloody Mary watercolor now hangs in our kitchen in Long Beach.

In the glass is a recipe for a Bloody Mary:

This popular drink is most refreshing as a “pick me up,” especially the morning after the night before. If you can find your way to the kitchen, here is how it’s done. One jigger vodka, 2 jiggers tomato juice, 1/3 jigger lemon juice, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Shake with cracked ice. Sip it slowly…

It’s signed by “pati” in 1964.

I prefer my Bloody Mary with a little horseradish, a few dashes of hot sauce, a celery stalk and some olives. The best Bloody Mary I ever had was at El Rio in San Francisco. They top it off with a little Guinness. Yum.