REMEMBERING...

This is for everyone who is missing a Loved One, especially at this time of the year.  

OLD FAMILY PHOTO

We recently acquired an old family photo of hubby's great aunt.  She is the lady who is the mother in this photo.  We don't know the exact year it was taken, but we are guessing the late 1920's/early 1930s. 

 “But the most beautiful things in life are not just things. They are people and places, memories and pictures. They are feelings and moments and smiles and laughter.”

~Author Unknown ~

LAST OF THE PHOTOS FROM FRYING PAN PARK

at least until the next time we go there.

There is a small carousel ride near the general store.  

It looks quite old but with age comes character.  I can imagine when it gets dark and all the lights are turned on, with the music playing, it turns into a magical ride.

It is a 1920's Hirschhorn carousel and went under extensive restoration during the winter and spring this year.

After looking at the carousel and all the animals that you've seen in my previous posts, we walked down to the visitor center.  It was at the end of this long road, with two large fields on either side.  We passed another entrance on our way to the farm that takes you directly to the center, and you can park there also.   

Events are held here. We saw a large birthday party going on in one of the rooms, but the museum side was still open.

It was very interesting to see the old photos.

I will add the small captions I found at the side of each photo.  Above it read:

"The Championship Team of Floris Vocational High School, 1924-1925.

"The Floris Home Demonstration Club won the County Championship for most effective club in 1930."

"The community has a picnic dinner after a soybean meeting on better methods for soybean production."

"Playtime on the farm."

"Kids aboard the Cockerill family's mule before the day's plowing began."

The display above shows parts of farming life with old photos, a couple of which I shared in this post. On the door is a list of chores for children on the farm at various ages. 

A closer look at those chores.

and under the pinafore was an old cookbook open to the pages shown below."

More displays showing its dairy farm heritage.

Winding down our outing, the last thing we did was go to the general store.  I liked the old door knocker.

Inside Gregg is deciding on what he is going to purchase.  We came away with bread and butter pickles for Gregg and a blueberry flower honey for me.

This horse print caught my attention also.

A close-up.

I am finishing off with a collage of several animals we saw that day, some you have seen in my other posts.  

And that was our very enjoyable outing to Frying Pan Park.  To family and friends old and new, thank you for taking the time to visit and look at my posts.

OLD PHOTOS

I found a few old photos taken in the late 1970s.  We were playing a game of baseball with family and friends, the first time ever playing baseball for me, and the last truth be told.  Gregg is third from the right.  I am the first person you see on the right (above photo).

In the photo below I am standing in front of a house we almost bought.  I had to be talked into it as looking around the garden, when I peered over the waist high fence, I spotted a small family graveyard with four headstones.  It was very overgrown, not touched in a long time.  It wasn't someone else's garden yet, quite a large plot and the land was for sale.  I think my eyes may have gone wide as I leaned over the fence.  They dated back to the mid 1800s.  

If this situation had happened now I wouldn't have had as much angst about them.  The camera would have come out, and then I would have tidied up the plot and taken care of them before the new owners bought the land.  As it turned out fate intervened.  We were in the process of buying the house when the navy sent Gregg to the west coast.  He had already been told he would be stationed on the east coast for the next two years.  And now here I am standing in front of what would have been our new home if we had stayed, hearing Gregg say "Smile!", and worried about what was over the fence.  I was young, what else is there to say?  I hadn't entered my phase of life where I feel totally at peace in cemeteries.

This is me with the son of good friends of the family. He was 13 and is now a married man with a sweet, beautiful wife and two beautiful children, the nicest people you could ever wish to meet.

Good memories!

AN OLD FAMILY PHOTO

Gregg was at his Dad's house looking through old boxes of family photos.  There have been some treasures he has come across, ones of his mother he has never seen. 

 

This, however, is a mystery. There are no people here that we recognize. There were lots of photographs with nothing to identify them on the back.  A reminder to us both to start looking through the boxes of photos we have taken over the years (before the digital era).  We are guessing this was taken in the late 20s, early 30s.  I loved it!

I went on line and found the following poem.  Says it all for so many of our photos found.

"I love my family photos,

Such a simple treasure to me.

So many wonderful people

That are part of my history.

I look upon their faces,

My uncles, cousins and aunts.

I see myself in some of them,

The eyes...the smile...the stance.

Decked out in Sunday fashion,

They gathered for a quick snapshot.

Some clothes were made at home,

And some of them they bought.

And look at how far back they go,

To the horse and buggy days.

Perhaps we were not born yet,

Or were small with the past a haze.

Oh, look at Grandpa's trophies.

He tooks so very good.

He knew he was quite a hunter,

Though he wouldn't say out loud.

Let's not forget the animals

That helped to work the farm.

They too were part of our family

And had their special charm.

Just look at the family autos.

They had such class and style.

Yes, I love my family photos.

Come and look at them a while."

~Marilyn Lott~

Thank you Marilyn!

AN OLD FAMILY PHOTO

We only recently came across this wonderful old photo.  They crop up on Gregg's Facebook page, sent by various family members, for which we are always grateful.  Each is like a gift, especially as now we are more and more interested in our genealogy.  The photo is of Gregg's grandmother his father's mother, with several of her siblings.  She is the little girl standing in the middle behind one of her brothers.

A BIT OF GENEALOGY TODAY

When Gregg retired a few years ago, he had more time to get into our genealogy, not only his own but mine too.  We had a dear old friend who had been doing this for years, and he had encouraged us when we expressed our interest. There were already family members on Gregg's side who had done extensive research but none on mine.  Finding those long, unknown people who were related to me, has been a wonderful journey thanks to Gregg's diligence and enthusiasm.  He has enjoyed discovering them as much as I have.

These are the Perry sisters.  We only have information about one, Mary Elizabeth Perry who went by the name Polly, and I am not sure which one she.  She is my Great-Grandfather's first cousin's wife!  She was born in Enville, Staffordshire, England in 1891 and lived until 1970.  Like a light bulb that went off in the back of my mind, I remembered my father talking about Aunty Polly, but I am not sure if he was talking about an Aunty Polly on his side of the family or mother's side.  Polly's father was Francis and her mother was Eliza Louisa Preece.  There was also a brother named Arthur.  At least one of her parents lived in Sallop, Shropshire

She married George Archer Turley in Wolverhampton, in September 1916.  George was born in 1886.  We don't know what year he passed away.  I am curious about this photo with the trophies, a master gardener perhaps?  

He probably could tell you that England suffered from an oppressive heat that ravaged the whole country, from July through to September 1911, and that Edward VII was crowned in 1902.

In October 1903 the Women's Social and Political Union was formed to campaign for women's suffrage.  It was founded by six women, two of whom, Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst, soon became the most prominent.

There is a great timeline on British history at this link.

An added thought, if you want to connect with your grandparents, ask them "What was it like when you were a little boy Granddad?"  And remember what they say. I never knew my Mum's Dad as he passed away long before I was born. My Grandad, my Dad's father (or Nandad as we used to call him) was a rather scary fellow to me as a little girl, very Victorian in his way of thinking - children should be seen and not heard. But if only I had asked the right questions, I could maybe have connected, as I surely know the right questions now.  When we are young we think we have all the time in the world for such things, and might not even have the interest as we do when we get older.  Truth be told the clock is ticking and one day you will wish you had asked those questions.

NO NEW RECIPE AT THE START OF THIS WEEK, BUT.....

a link to a favorite Thai recipe on my old blog.  It has been a favorite and a go-to dish.  Gregg is now its main chef and it has become his specialty.  When his sister visited a couple of weeks ago he wanted to make it for her.  I had fun watching them in the kitchen.

One of the ingredients we had never used before we discovered that we could make Thai Food at home, is Fish Sauce.  Now we always have a bottle stored in the fridge.  I remember a young man's comment when looking at the many choices, and who guided us to this particular brand.   "This one is very good.  It's what I use."  It was a big bottle and we mentioned we would never ever get through it.  "Don't worry, it will last forever."  We find ourselves replacing it more than we ever thought we would, because of our love of Thai Cuisine, and we always get the three crab brand.

And what did Gregg's sister think of her brother's cooking?  She enjoyed it very much and brother was happy.

Later that evening they sat on the floor and went through a box of old family photos.  I found myself taking this one, a photo of their Mom in the foreground, with them intently looking at the contents in the box, commenting on each snapshot.  It was poignant, especially as their Dad passed away last July.   Each photo brought back loving memories which they talked about.

This is their Mom, a very special lady, beautiful inside and out, a photo we all love.  They both said I could put all these photos on the blog with pleasure, so here they are for you to see.

The following shows her as a little dancer, one I have shared before on my old blog but I think deserves repeating.

This handsome young lad is Gregg.  He said he was about 14.

And another when he was a few years younger.

I know I have said this before but the more time goes by, the more our photos become our priceless treasures. 

BACK IN THE DAY 3....AND THE LAST PHOTO FOR NOW.

"You are someone's reason to smile."

(I think my Father-in-law is the young boy with his hand on the dog but that could also be his older brother and he might be the cap behind the dog.  If I am wrong I would be happy for any of the family to correct me.  It will still be one of my favorites.  Well, actually it is so hard as they are all my favorites and I would like to thank Gregg's cousins for sharing, so that I could borrow them for my blog posts this week.  They are a dear family and one I am proud to be part of.)

BACK IN THE DAY 2....

"Even though I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, I am going to think positive and hope for the best."

~Author unknown~

(This is a photo of Gregg's Dad as a toddler with his mother and father.)  

BACK IN THE DAY 1....

I am dedicating the next few posts to my father-in-law who passed away recently, along with one of those positive quotes underneath that match that great attitude he had.  He is our hero who grew up on a homestead in North Dakota.  This photo shows him with two of his sisters and brothers.  He is the one in the middle.

"May you grow up to be righteous,

May you grow up to be true.

May you always know the truth

And see the lights surrounding you.

May you always be courageous,

Stand upright and be strong.

May you stay forever young."

~Bob Dylan~

OLD FAMILY PHOTO

We have recently come across some old photos of Gregg's family.  This one is of his Mom and Dad in Puerto Rico, 1950.  It is one of our favorites.  

Today's post is linked with 

Jesh at Seasons.  You can click on her meme below if you would like to visit other participants.

Seasons 

TUESDAY'S TREASURES

When we were at the Library of Congress last week, I was surprised but delighted to see old photos on display, in a room that also featured many photos and documents relating to Bob Hope, which I will share in a later post.  I had a great time looking at them.   

I thought I would again share with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures.  I grew up in England watching old black and white Hollywood movies on TV, and know most of the stars shown.

Thank you for hosting Tom.

You can see other treasures if you click here.