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Tripping Down Memory Lane: Part 2

Family life is full of major and minor crises -- the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce -- and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It's difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul.” - Thomas More

I can't help but wonder if perhaps I've left a wrong impression with you, dear reader, about my family and my relationship with them. In case I have, let me set the record straight! I love my family. We have lucked out and not had a whole lot of major personal crises to deal with other than expected ones. Sure, we've had some difficulty with school work, and we have our own version of "the family secret", and sure my folks were much, much too strict to be healthy. But they did it as best they knew how, and in what they felt were in our best interests. As it turns out, they weren't right on target. We survived, though.

Do I have much in common with them now? No, not really. Our interest, directions and goals are in quite different directions from each other.

But we're still family. And I know they're there if I need them, and they know the same of me. So, since I had so much fun tripping through the old family photo album yesterday, I thought I'd bring you a few more excerpts of blasts from my past.

I know! I know! It's like the guy on the commuter train pulling out all the pictures of his kid and insisting you drool over them. Well, fortunately, you have a little 'x' in the upper right hand corner if you like!

(all of them enlarge somewhat if you do a pic-click!)




Besides the three yesterday when I was a few months old, this is the only baby picture of me in existence. Pretty rare stuff! (Check out my Mom's high-fashion dress!)





This was a picture of the family having a picnic at Butternut Bay, a place where my grandparents had a summer house. Unfortunately, it was taken in 1947, the year before I was born! See that white thing in front of my brother Pete (very right hand side of picture)? Mom always did that with pictures of him. He was born club-footed, and had to go through a number of very painful operations where they gradually forced his feet straight. He wore special boots with a metal bar between them, and each day, they would force them to turn a bit more. I remember my aunt was visiting one time, and was baby-sitting, and she was doing the adjustment for him. She could see he was in a lot of pain, and asked him how much she should adjust it. He said "Until I start crying." The poor kid was only 4 or 5. Today, you couldn't tell by looking at him that he ever had the problem.

I happen to think that this is an outstanding photo of my Dad in particular. This was taken 1n 1947, I was born in 1948, he passed in 1975, and this picture pretty much could have been taken at any point in his life during that period, as far as I'm concerned.

My Dad always used to insist that he never looked good in a picture (not in a vain way, of course), and wasn't particularly comfortable in front of the lens. It must be a genetic thing, because I absolutely hate having my picture taken, and I don't think I've ever seen one that shows me how I see myself yet! It's always about how someone else sees me!! (Gee whiz, mackey, maybe a possible photo shoot next time you need portraits, or faces, or whatever! If anybody could resurrect some semblance of charm and good looks out of this mug, I bet it'd probably be the likes of you!)


(That was a compliment, BTW!!)




This is Pete again, having been just "knocked out" by our other brother Rob. (Rob's the second youngest, Pete the third, my sister the 4th. There are two years between each of us, then my oldest brother is 4 years older than my sister. The house in the background of the pic in the lower left is where I spent the first six years of my life. After that, we moved to a 20-acre lot outside the city, and Dad pretty much spent the rest of his free time building/finishing our new house. That was my parent's dream, and they did a pretty good job of it. I loved sitting on that veranda in the old house during a big thunder and lightning storm, though. That, and all the kids in the neighbourhood to play with were what I missed the most when we moved. Our new house had the outside walls and windows installed, and drywall around three walls of one bathroom, with a curtain for a door. We had our own well for water (that would freeze up several times a winter, until my bro's and I dug up the pipeline by hand one summer and discovered a leak in it.






My sis could be very focussed when she wanted to be!





My brother, Pete again, having his very first soft drink ever. Check out the car!! And do you remember running boards?!





My brother Rob with his angel-face hiding the mischief behind it. It's always the innocent-looking ones that are the most guilty, have you ever noticed?





And more pictures of Rob. See the Schmoo in the bottom left picture? Does anyone rememeber where they came from, and what they were good for? (Hint: a comic strip)

(NOTE: This is your lucky day, my friendlies! Blogger decided at this point to discontinue allowing me to upload pictures. And I only had two more to go. < pout! >


PEACE.



Those are great pictures! I love looking at old pictures... and I don't know about everyone else, but I certainly put up enough old pictures on my OWN blog -- so scan away! :)

How neat it has been looking at these pictures. What a bunch of cutiepies you all were. The pictures added so much to what concept I had of who you are from your writing--this has been such a pleasure, getting to know you.

Being a few years older than you, I do remember "running boards". I have a picture of myself sitting on the running board of my dad's Studebaker. Anyone remember Studebakers? Guess that really dates me!! Loved your pictures, Evy.

I love trips down memory lane. Thank you sooo much for sharing this with us. It must have been fun & heartwarming for you to go through those old pictures.
I have to say you definitely look like your Dad.
I would do portraits of you ANY day!!! Some Fall ones by the Legislature perhaps:)
Just be forwarned that when I do portraits I am as nervous as hell & when I am nervous I yap a lot.
I am weird like that:P

Oh & I LOVE that pic of your sister! Too cute!

Those are awesome pictures! I love to flip thru old pictures and take that walk down memory lane!

Oh yes...it's always the innocent ones you have to watch out for! *smiles innocently*

This is so neat to read and look at! It's like being able to be right next to you, flippin through the album and hearing the story! What is really neat too, it seeing that all your photos are black and white, my first few baby photos are black and white, and then continue as some resemblance of color, and my kid's albums are all color but for a few I have done purposely in black and white.

Cute pictures. Thanks for your comment on my blog. You are more than welcome to use the graphic I posted as a background. Your best bet is to click on the large version and then right click and make it your background.

Of course, you can use my blog template. I'm flattered.

I wanted to respond to some of these, but I'm paranoid and figure no one will ever see them now that I've posted the next entry! Do people go back entries to catch up if they've missed one or two? I've always wondered that, I guess we'll find out! Ok.....

Lisa: There's something about old black and whites that seem to give them more character or something. I have a whole wall of old (I mean OLD) framed family pictures as a collage in the main entrance, so everyone sees them when they come in! (I'll scan some of them in..they're classic!)

Oliviah: If my baby picture adds so much to what you used to think of me....well, I'm not even going to ask!!

Lisa's Mom: I do! I do! (see tomorrow's blog)

Mackey: Interesting that you say I look like my Dad. One time my folks and the social crew they hung out with had a "wedding picture" party. Everybody brought their wedding picture, and people would go around and try to match the picture with the people. Everyone said my folks was absolutely the easiest to guess, because it looked it was MY wedding! (Wait'll you see it. I'll scan it). So I'm guessing you study faces a lot! And you know, I just might take you up on your offer! (don't you talk a lot anyway? How will I know if you're nervous! < kidding > Besides, I'm still racking my brain trying to figure out what there is to be nervous about!

Sassy: Yeah, too bad the innocent-looking one is my bro and not me!

KS: Glad you liked the "stories" too. I wasn't sure if this was being too self-indulgent, but apparently not. Now, would you go home please? I have to get supper ready. We can look at more tomorrow.

Dzeni & Gary: Thanks to you both (for different things, folks!)

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  • I'm Evydense
  • From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • And I'm tired of living in the shadow of narrow-mindedness and ignorance. So here's the fax, Jack! "The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and three hundred and sixty-two admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision." - Lynne Lavner*** I'm confused; curious; satisfied; realistically resigned to being a frustrated idealist; usually at peace with myself, but not always. Amazed at how little I know, and wondering how much I need to understand.
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