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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.