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1945

Today I reached a bit farther back in the shoebox and pulled this from 1945.  I included the back of the photo because of the names and handwriting.  Scanning the back of photos should not be forgotten...a lot of times there is crucial info for storytelling.  Anyway, this is my mom, the oldest of 9 children, and her two sisters, who are now both deceased, Marianne and Therese.  This photo was on super thin paper and very faded.  I manipulated to give it a bit of contrast, but in all honesty for a photo that is almost 70 years old it was not looking too bad.

Notice the matching dresses and shoes - all three girls are dressed identically.  I wonder how long my Grandma dressed them the same.  Clearly a posed photo and all girls are looking at the photographer. It is fun to wonder what they were talking about or where this photo was taken.  The bench and what looks like a backdrop lead me to believe a studio.  Just for fun I also included the most popular camera from 1945 - probably what this photo was taken with!

A Birthday Celebration

Clearly this is a photo celebrating a birthday...right?  But whose birthday is it?  Or is it a birthday party we attended for a neighbor or a relative.  The backyard does not look familiar, we did not have a fenced backyard - we had a forest as a backyard (per my memory).  My brother and I look equally pleased and the hand around the shoulder does not look forced (can you imaging the picture taker saying - "Rick, put your arm around Rita") for some reason I hear that but it looks so natural that maybe he did it on his own. My mom also looks pleased and relaxed in this photo, so either it is the end of the party or it has not yet started.  I looked closely at the decoration around my neck but could not make out what it was - I thought maybe a birthday girl 'medal' but even a zoom in of 600% did not help.  What I do know is we look happy and I love the joy in all of our smiles!

Aunt Therese

This is my Aunt Therese and Uncle Fred.  Aunt Therese was my Godmother.  In the Catholic religion, when you are baptized, your parents choose Godparents for you.  The idea is that your Godparents also help guide you in your religious life and choices.  I do not really know what this is all about - but it is a tradition nevertheless and I was lucky to have Aunt Therese as my Godmother.  Aunt T & Uncle F lived in California so we saw them maybe once or twice a year, but those were always fun times filled with good memories.

About 4 years ago Aunt Therese was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. If you follow this blog you might remember this is also what my Grandpa died of - and I will share with you now I have another Aunt who also died of this disease.  Unfortunately, it seems that my mom's side of the family carries a gene that puts them at a high risk for getting ALS.

Today my mom told me that her sister, Aunt Therese had died.  She had been bedridden for close to four weeks and it is a blessing to have the suffering gone and her soul with God.  Her immediate family, my cousin's Lisa & Lynn, their children and my uncle Fred were with her when she passed. I wanted to post this today because it was fresh on my mind and my way to say goodbye.  You fought a cruel battle, one you knew you would not win, with grace and courage. Thank you for being in my life.

Love, Rita

Winter

Winter of 1968. I believe this is taken in the backyard of house #1.  I am pretty sure that shed is my key clue.  We lived in Seattle, so this looks like a lot of snow for that part of Washington state.  My brother and I are four and three, respectively. 

Observations - I think Rick looks really happy with this snowman.  He also appears to be bundled up and toasty warm.  Notice he has boots, mittens and a coat that looks plenty warm.  I will be the first to admit I might be a bit biased but take note; I have tennis shoes on, no mittens, and it might just be me but my coat looks a little small. I wonder if that is why I appear slightly stiff and possible partially frozen.

The snowman is very funny...someone needed to teach us to roll and stack - instead it looks like we made a large cone and decorated it with three rocks.  I am not sure what is defining the snowman's head, but it looks like a stick to me.

Embrace your memories and look closely at your photos - I am most certain they will make you smile.  As I type this that is exactly what I am doing!

All about me

If I can remember anything about house #1 it is that the backyard was a forest that went on forever. Trees as tall as the sky. I doubt that our yard in Seattle was really that expansive, but to a young child that is my memory.  It is for that reason, that I love this photo - it confirms my memory and I do not want that memory challenged.

I am almost two in this photo - I appreciate the date stamp on the front.  Wish all photo developing processes had kept the white border with the dates. I believe I have a semi-smug look on my face - did I just accomplish a new skill?  Or do I enjoy being in a photo all by myself?  This photo just puts a smile on my face.  Find a favorite photo from your childhood and share it with someone - tell them your story.

Before kids (cont.)

This is my mom.  If you read yesterday's post you will probably agree with me that this indeed was a visit to the beach and my parents took each others photo.  I assume most people can relate to this - a nice walk on the beach, a beautiful day, let's take a photo of each other.  With digital one would hold the camera with your arm outstretched and both of you would lean together and pose, not an option in the 60's...not an option until the late 90's.  I like that they decided to take the photos of each other - I think it will prove to be a rare find for the next 20+ years - when the photos become about everything else in life. Maybe that is worth thinking about - make sure you have photos of yourself, you may not see the value in it but others will.

Before kids?

 Here is the first photo I have come across with no date and no real clue to the surroundings.  So I guess I will speculate - for some reason I think this photo was before kids - and maybe a beach vacation.  The attire throws me a little, and are those wingtips?  Maybe I am wrong, not a vacation but a photo taken after a dinner at a quaint restaurant? I suppose I could throw out a couple more ideas but the bottom line is I do not know. I am certain the no kids thing is right because who takes a photo of just one person, right, the next photo will be a shot of the other person.  If there were kids there would be no photo of the adult alone. Am I right?? By the way, this is my dad.

Summer Fun

The date on this photo is 7/68 - which means I was almost three and my brother almost four.  I love how big our backyard looks in this picture.  This would have been in the back of house #1, which I do not remember, except to know it is not house #2 based on our ages.  This photo has so many similarities to the photos I took of my kids in the backyard pool at that age.  There is not much going on in this photo except the sweetness of enjoying the sun, water, and the easiness of life.  We need to capture these types of shots more often - and then remember to date them.  Besides the date we do not really need much info.  A story for a photo like this can be whatever you want it to be - find a photo in your collection and make up a story - in this one I am guessing we were going to be scrambling quickly to get off the hot cement into the shaded area.  What is your story?

Something Learned

Today my 12 year old daughter picked this photo from the shoebox.  She thought this photo was of my younger sister.  That alone confirms the importance of telling your photo's story.  Here is what else she learned:

• Her Grandma had me at age 24
• Her Great Grandma had her last baby 18 years after her first baby (who is my mom)
• In this photo is a picture of her Great Aunt Barb sitting next to her Uncle Rick
• The photo features me in the foreground

All this I knew and shared with her in a span of two minutes.  She was interested and surprised and then went back to what she was doing.  If all we did was take a couple minutes each day to share a bit about our families, using a photo as the tool to communicate, what changes do you think that would make in our lives?  For me it reconfirms the necessity of my shoebox stories, but it also goes a little deeper.  Could this be the conduit to reconnecting families and building bonds that seem a bit frail in this electronic world?  Let me know what you learned today about a photo from your shoebox.

Kindergarten

Today as I drove through drop-off (for school) a women was standing at the end of the line with a sign that read 8th grade photos.  She was stopping all 8th grade parents and reminding them to send her the photos for their children for the graduation slide show.  Of course, I was one of the parents who had not turned in a photo for my son.  As I drove home I reflected, was he really in 8th grade, would he be graduating in a month from this school where he (we) had spent the last nine years.  Where does the time go? In looking at this photo I have to laugh - look at that smile...what is up with that?  I anxiously await his 8th grade graduation photo - it will be fun to compare how he has changed.

Wedding Day

A catholic church wedding followed with a military send-off - very cool.  My parents look quite at ease in this photo, and the fellow officers appear to be holding their positions in step.  I like this style of a send-off.  I think it could be rather clever to recreate this for their 50th wedding anniversary.  I also should find out what church this is - it makes me realize I do not know where my parents got married.  My mom was from Salem, and dad from Spokane.  They met at Gonzaga University, and today are still faithful Zag fans. I have some research to do.  And with that I want to challenge others out there - find out a bit more about what is going on in your old photos.  If the people in them are still alive, scan the photo and ask them about the scene - I promise you will most likely learn something new!

House #3

I lived in three different houses growing up. The first house I remember just slightly. The second house we lived in until I was nine, and then we moved from Seattle to Kennewick, WA. This is the house I lived in until I went to college. I think this photo was taken within the first year or so, it was a new house, and the landscaping still looks a bit bare. I do not have any emotional attachment to this house.

This past summer we drove through the Tri-Cities on our way to Idaho so I thought it would be fun to show the kids the house I grew up in (my parents had moved from this house before my kids were born).  Navigating there was simple, funny how you do not forget things like that, but as we approached the house at the end of the cul-de-sac I was somewhat saddened. It was not what I remembered. The house looked poorly maintained and there were larger campers, trucks and boats parked on the properties and in the street. The kids looked unfazed, but I was not happy, so we drove around to the back side of the house (there was another street that allows you to access the home from the back). We parked the car and the kids looked over the fence in to the yard. They thought it was cool that we had a pool and a big yard, but I saw things differently - maybe I am, after all, a bit more sentimental about house #3 than I initially suggested..

The Great Grandparents

This photo took me back. I must say I was probably 7 or 8 when this photo was taken. My clearest memory of my Great Grandparents is actually just of my Great Grandma. She was in a nursing home in Mt. Angel and I remember hating the drive to get there - the roads were windy and I had a weak stomach (still do). The nursing home was sterile and white and not welcoming; and because my Great Grandma had Alzheimer's I questioned why we were even visiting. But I also remember running around in the large acreage surrounding the nursing home, the green grass and fresh air.

I am the one in the colorful striped dress, right next to my Great Grandma. I do not think I look too happy, but in this photo I do know that both my Great Grandparents were living together in their home. My Great Grandpa took care of things, but when he passed my Great Grandma was not able to safely care for herself and her home.

At this point I would like to  introduce my only sister - she is in the pink dress and is 4 years younger than me. She looks just like her 4 year old daughter in this picture. My quick observation would be to say she looks just as uncomfortable as I do - look at how we are holding our hands. Clearly this is a large family celebration how come we are the only kids up front? Were we told to stand there? I will probably never know - and there in lies why we need to make sure our photos get saved and our stories shared.

Paternal Grandparents

Grandma & Grandpa Perko, I miss you a lot. It has been 35 years since you celebrated your 50th wedding anniversary. I remember the party and the festivities but I was way to young to comprehend what it would be like to be married for 50 years. I have so much to say, and am on emotion overload, but I cannot put it on paper right now. I have so many wonderful photos of you to share so there will be lots of time to talk. I wish you the same happiness in heaven that you had on earth. May God always bless you. Love, Rita

First Child

It's a Boy! My mom and dad look extremely proud holding their first child. I remember holding my first born too, except my hospital gown was significantly less colorful, and my husband was not dressed in white scrubs.  I assume my mom brought a housecoat from home.  I did not think to do that, nor was I wanting to be in any picture at the hospital.  I must say the joy on their faces is pure and genuine, at 23 they were young parents.  Not sure I would have known what to do with a newborn baby at 23!

My brother was born on the base in Fort Lewis, Washington. My dad was officer in the Army at this time, and my mom, a degree in hand as a teacher, devoted her life to being a stay at home mom. I am blessed that my parents are still both alive, and very healthy.  I wonder what they would say if I asked to have them comment on the picture.  I won't, not because I don't want to share, but because I want to surprise them and turn these posts into a book to give them when they celebrate their 50 year anniversary in 18 months.

Maternal Grandparents

When I pulled this photo I could not help but smile.  There are so many stories just waiting to be told.  This photo was clearly about capturing a photo of my grandparents, however, it is the house that really resonates with me.  This mansion, framed by white pillars was a magnificent playground. There were dozens of bedrooms and two TV's and a each time we made our annual Christmas time visit we were welcomed by our cousins and aunts & uncles.  I am not sure when we stopped traveling to Salem to celebrate Christmas, possibly when the families (of the 9 children) started getting to vast to fit in the house, but the memories are vivid and for that I am thankful.

My grandma is now 92 and she is awesome.  She is healthy and witty and fashionable to boot.  My grandpa died many years ago from ALS.  ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  My grandpa was diagnosed and then passed about 6 months later.  My memories of my grandpa have faded, which is sad, but seeing him here in front of their house is comforting.

In my last post I talked about looking deeper into photos to see the details, and along that line I just want to mention the distance apart my grandparents are standing.  My grandpa seems to be smiling and my grandma looks a bit stoic...I wonder what their relationship was like...I probably will not ask my grandma about this but I will ask my mom - it is a story I have an opportunity to learn more about.  Is there a story you are wondering about?  Learn about it before the storyteller is no longer around.

Day 2

It is Christmas of '68 and my brother, who is 13 months older is not happy. I speculate that he has to give me a present and this is not what he thought Christmas was all about. My dad seems to have quite a stern look in the photo too - I wonder what he is pondering. I appear completely pleased with the situation and to top it off my dress is quite stylish!

The stories in old photos are in the details that are not the focus -- for example, I see a wagon, a flocked tree, and a monkey barrel on the couch. I loved playing with monkeys in a barrel!  My kids (12 & 14) would have no idea what that was - I wonder what happened to that toy?  What photo will you dig out of your shoebox today? 

Debut

It occurred to me as I rifled through thousands of photos in shoe boxes that there were stories not told, forgotten faces, and overall details of our families lives that were literally fading away.  Do you also have shoe box stories? What about carousels of slides?  I often correlate the "If walls could talk" saying, to our old photos and movies - what stories would we learn, what part of our history have we lost?

The shoe box stories will share a photo a couple times a week - and if I know the story I will share, and if I don't I might make one up - who will know the difference?

So this is me - when I was 3.  I contemplated starting with baby pictures and moving forward but instead decide to pull a photo from the middle of the box - after all I am a middle child. I don't mind the lawn chair in the background to me it says this photo was intended as a candid shot - a happy 3 year old.  I will note, however, it is a little funny to have a short-sleeved turtle neck on in the summer, that is a look that makes me smile.  And that is it - there is my first shoe box story.