Fabulous Old Photos and Memories #5: Unexpected Places

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Just one of the hardest things about growing old is the passage of time. Not on a scooter anymore, time zooms by at the speed of a jet plane, maybe a supersonic fighter jet. It's really crazy how fast a week goes.

I'm doing these photo posts...scientifically-chortle by going to my everything folder and saying Eenie, Meenie,  Minie, MO, and opening a folder. I gaze down the stacks of files and clips and randomly choose one. 

So, unexpected places and unexpected memories.

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Just over six years ago, I attended my 50th class reunion.

YES, I'm that old and that's why Time is Supersonic. 

Part of the three-day event was a great tour of my old High School. No longer the sterile, dark, drab green and gray ground stone floors anymore, the school was fresh and bright with wall murals and memorabilia everywhere. Imbedded in the colorless floor was a huge school emblem and elsewhere another uplifting message. 

While touring I looked up....memories flooding around my feet and brain with every step. 

There was my dad....class of January 1941 in a blow up of his yearbook page!

 He was captain of the football team, played basketball and baseball, actually had a scholarship to a State University, but enlisted instead. Our manufacturing city was still suffering the throes of the Depression, and jobs were hard to find, and his family of six couldn't even help with subsidizing a scholarship.

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So, he enlisted, 11 months almost to the day of the start of WWII.

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I have many great photos of my dad, so please excuse this blow-up from the picture above.

He served 5 years in WWII in the army as a Technical Medical Sargent in the Pacific.

 He taught me to throw a football, run a wood lathe and a bandsaw, how to swim, how to always be a 'lady', how to drive a riding lawnmower, a boat, hook up down-riggers on Lake Michigan, and most important to never quit anything. 

He doted on my boys...fished and hunted with my husband, and took care of Mom when she was ill, difficult and bedridden. 

That trip to my high school conjured up all kinds of memories, but the strongest was the pride I had for my father up there on the wall

Captain of the Football team 

and of my Heart!

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Sandi

Old Photos: We went Camping!

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Part of my MOVE project for 2020 is to get through the MOUNTAIN of bins, boxes, plastic bags, envelopes, photo boxes full of five generations of photos my family never bothered to label or sort. 

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I think this is my dad and his sisters, circa 1935-ish in the middle of the Depression and a big Wisconsin snow.

They were compulsive photo takers/and so far many are multiples. 

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Great Grandparents in early 1890's, Denmark.

Some are formal photos...this is an engagement/wedding photo.

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We also have photos of my husband's Bohemian Czech family, this is from the 1880s who came to Wisconsin in the 1850's.(centerfront and right) the rest are their six grown children.

Hubby has tons of relatives and photos.

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1910-11 in Denmark. They all came to Wisconsin, several times, a long story.

My great-grandparents' came from Lithuania and Denmark

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Farm outside Lokken Denmark.

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Early 1890's. Everyone here stayed in Denmark.

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So, I have photos from there-pre1890's, and from every trip they took back.

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My mom on a steamer to Denmark 1929 (she was 7)

My parent's photo stash isn't any better.

My Dad took a brownie camera to WWII and boot camp, he was stationed in New Guinea, Philipines, Borneo, and finally Australia with a Portable Medical Corps, the precursor to M.A.S.H. units.

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Dad is 3rd from left.

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So I have all those from the war, unlabeled. I can trace his units movements from Army records...this could be Luzon, Philipines, or Borneo, or New Guinea. The surgical hospital followed the action.

 I have business photos of: telephone operators,

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1943 Long Distance Operators, from an old photocopy?

no source My mom worked with these ladies, in 1941-2.

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 service stations and an Omar bakery truck,

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our family's fish market, opening in1922

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1964 Local Kringle Festival at the fish market. My grandmother in costume.

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My Mom--1964, a 'Fisker' woman...! 

I also have photos in restaurants, and of dairy trucks, and fishing boats. 

More than that, every birthday and holiday.

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Mother's Day 1955 my grandmother made all these dresses for my cousins.

Easter 1956--yes, that is a turquoise/navy Hudson vehicle.

EVERY HOLIDAY,

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My 11th birthday (on right) with the cousins at the kid's table, my poor cousin center was 14...how humiliating! I was 5 foot 5-135# with size 10 feet. I was an Amazon in 5th grade.

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Every Anniversary (25th for my Grandparents)1955

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about 1984 for another family Birthday at the local Dania Hall. 

Grandparent's 25th Anniversary formal party with music--1955

and ALL the

graduations, confirmations, baptisms and a few funerals. 

Yes, photos of people in their coffins, sent home to the 'old country' and the same coming back. I'll spare you those. 

Some bring back pleasant memories and some sad...

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1962

My 14th birthday and my first pair of heels, stockings and lipstick.

Some are just silly...

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 Hot dates---prom dates the day after...sorry Mic and Bob! 1966.
Some are just silly 

,,,and some are inspiring. 

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How about the 'we should have...,' photos? 

My dad spied an early box 'camper' at a vacation expo in the 1950's. So he decided to make a pull-behind trailer with a tent on it. Always a handyman, he built one of his own design in 1954-5. I remember it consisted of a 4'x8 foot plywood box, with a two fold-out doors, 2'x8' that were the lid---which became bunks, with some nifty side supports. My bed was another board supported between the two crosswise on a separate piece of plywood, 

2'x4' I was only 7. 

Dad bragged it was made from only 3 pieces of plywood.

An old smelly canvas tent was supported by a center pole, with the bottom cut out..and tied around everything. It all just worked.

We were quite the hit of the campground with our little gray trailer  and moldy tent.

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Here is the first camping trip---on St.Germaine Lake in N.Wisconsin for two whole weeks in 1955, I think. We were plagued by rain, but we were off the ground and dry! 

We had to put all the food and coolers in the car at night (bears and raccoons) and their 'little' paw prints were all over the tables each morning. 

However,

my mom was a person who had to do everything correctly. 

We had cloth tablecloths and napkins--a double dishpan for a sink, a folding (cardboard and wood) card-table for the kitchen. 

The fire supported a huge kettle of hot-water for all her ceramic dishes. She even brought a dish-rack to drain them. Long story short---her professional set-up was health conscious, however the soapy hot water softened the table top which was supporting the legs. It caved on the uneven ground. All the dishes collapsed into a heap of shards. She was horrified--with all the broken crockery on the ground. A passing fellow camper stood and watched. 

His comment---"I betcha, it's the first time camping?" 

A large portion of our meager vacation funds went to a set of Melmac dishes(my mother hated them), purchased new in town just for camping.

This whole story came from looking at that one photograph....! 

And there are thousands, more to move on to!

My dad always said he 'shoulda' patented the trailer design. 

Now, we have online files/photo applications and sorting systems at our finger tips...blogging has helped at least record some of these photos and their history.

Well, what have you found in 

your familys' photos?

Thank you for any and all comments.

Finally I am able to reply to comments by using Chrome. So all you Mac users who have upgraded to Catalina---this might help the glitches on Safari Blogger!

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 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, 

Sandi 

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Ready for November?

I can't believe we are into November and Veterans Day is this weekend.

Special Thanks to our Veterans, young, old, here and gone.

My Dad (the blond) served in WWII in a Surgical Hospital unit.  Here they are on previously held Japanese territory, somewhere in New Guinea or Philippines. 

Our newest memorial in Washington DC, the WWII Memorial. Dad took a trip with HONOR Flight in his wheel chair in 2010. 

Thanks to all who serve and their families too. 

With only two more weeks to Thanksgiving, I'm fluffing the house. We live so informally in the Summer, it's nice to get out some lovely things, pull the slip covers off the furniture and change the table cloths. I'm low key on decorating as my home is already made for Fall. Deep sage green walls in the living room, woods the color of rust  and a carpet that has every color of a wild field of grasses and leaves in Fall.

I used leaves on a rust silk runner. I pulled out some brass and silver (not yet polished for serving, filled everything with leaves, potpourri, and a few small pumpkins.

I'll be serving snacks, beverages, and dessert from this buffet, so I try and keep it simple this year. 

And easy to move around.

I found this velvet owl in a thrift store last season and he just hooted his way into my basket. He's handmade and decked out in luxurious fabrics and ribbons. Huge brass buttons are his eyes.

The carafe and four glasses were a wedding present from 1968. I will fill it with a tawny port for Thanksgiving and after dinner.

The velveteen pumpkin is replaced with a live one, rescued from the freezing porch.

The arrangement is just a green leaves arrangement I move around the house. I love the ivy is all matte/dusty and full of tiny tendrils---I tucked colored leaves and a pumpkin stem and it's perfect for simple setting. Small white pumpkins fill in and set off another silver tray.

My gilded coffeepot was a gift from a friend, and I just love all the hand-painting on it.  More silver and an old cake plate set off more leaves, potpourri and the few dried hydrangeas.

Candles with auto timers in them, are used in our dark evenings. I have two flame electric candles lighting up the buffet behind the glass and candlesticks. 

This all makes a safe warm glow.

I had to bring my pumpkins in from outside, since it was 20 degrees or so last night. 

I've rescued the plants and the witch scarves have disappeared. We have snow forecast for the weekend, so everything will look different next week.

We've had sunshine with this cold weather.

My faux foliage will survive, with the dried gourds. But this is par for this strange year of crazy weather. You can see, the leaves haven't really changed,

 so they will probably fall after the frost, still green.

The front table is still ready, and the chenille pumpkin is still napping on the spinning wheel. 

Lots of windows, dusting, cabinets to clean---still to go this week. 

But I smell something baking...what could it be? 

Next post maybe. 

Thanks always for visiting. 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

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I'm the Daughter of an AMERICANA-phile!

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IF There EVER WAS such a DESCRIPTION?

My Mom was the ultimate collector of Americana and especially anything celebrating our American Flag or heroes. Has any of her traits rubbed off?---well yes, and no, because I have totes of plates, figurines, glassware, and coins---celebrating the bi-centennial, state centennials, presidents, wanna-be presidents, and pretty much anything commemorating our American Heritage. 

I learned my history lessons from Staffordshire plates such as these from the dining room hutch of my childhood home.

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Spirit of 76, iconic portrait of the American revolution. Center piece for this plate is Spirit of ‘76 painting by Archibald Willard. This painting, which was originally known as Yankee Doodle, centers around America’s Revolutionary War victory and was among the featured works that were on display at the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia. 

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Faneuil Hall, Hall is the center print of this historical plate, no.1 in the series of the Ye Olde Historical Plates. 

This one is marked British Anchor Potteries with anchor mark in green as well as Staffordshire England R no. 553308. Anchor was the pottery mark for Rowland and Marcellus and used to export to America -R&M was in business from 1893-1937.

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Our Capitol building in Washington D.C. with Martha and George at Mt Vernon in one of the side pictures. 

Plate in Flow-blue transfer printed on earthenware, this is a wonderful plate with the Capitol Building in the center. Side panels have the Executive Mansion(White House), Congressional Library and the old State War and Navy Department building on it. 

Mom had over twenty of these flow-blue historical plates depicting scenes in history or places. I was probably the only student who knew that DeSoto discovered the Mississippi or at least claimed it for Spain before we even started our American history classes.

I have boxes of postcards, ephemera, and other memorabilia. My mom and dad had a 1853 farmhouse/cottage which my mom filled with red/white/blue Americana memorabilia. We had horns, eagles, muskets, and bunting everywhere-even drum light fixtures. When the 1976 Bi-Centennial came...she went into hyper-drive in buying, just about everything.

I think I have at least ten bicentennial plates by different makers.

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Spirit of 1776" Bicentennial plate by Indiana Glass in marigold iridescent carnival glass.

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A Bi-Centennial plate from Avon, I think. 

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Mom had a special affinity for Presidential memorabilia. Campaign buttons, posters, stickers--plates! 

You may remember those slant-eyed Presidential plates made overseas...I have totes of those. Mom was convinced generations in the future would be dying for a (Chinese) version of Reagan, Ford, Carter---etc., on a plate or two, or three, or four. She tried to corner the market and I have them all-in multiples---different views---with wives without...sigh.

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She treasured many items for Lincoln and JFK. A glass commenting JFK's death?or his presidential years.

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1965 plate commenting Lincoln's death? (100 years commemoration?)

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An etching from a 1901 calendar of Lincoln (probably in honor of 50 years after Lincoln's death.)

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How about Lincoln Douglas debates. This plate has a lot of color and energy. Issue number on back is 4059A. Third in the series, "Lincoln-Man of America Series" Made by the Knowles China Company, 1987.

Then there is war memorabilia.

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Allies of WWII flag plate possibly from the 1950's. Marked K.T. & K. , S---------V, China, VGK.

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Another unusual plate in a similar series of Commanders of our armed forces in WWII.

Large ceramic commerative plate for WWII with allies flags and Admiral Leahy in the center. Nice gold trim  and plate in v.good to excellent condition. Back of the plate has Allied Nations Commerative Series, Exclusively by Salem China Co., Salem, Ohio, Made in U.S.A. 

Some references indicate this series (there are many) was made during the war, 1943-5.

These are at least valid collector's items, though how many generals/admirals can you have scowling on your walls. Mom had four that I have found so far.

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Eagles and flags were also her favorites. This is a Royal Copenhagen or Bing and Grondahl Bi-Centennial plate for the USA.

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Then there were the inexpensive plates commemorating just about anything, here the Flag, Sesquicentennial (1964-150years)

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And of course Avon stinky stuff Liberty Bell commemoration jar with original box.

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I loved my mom and her ....collections...well er, some of them.

We basically have a real Old Glory on a flag pole. My porch for the season has a flag banner, all hand pieced and stitched, $5.99 from a thrift store.

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The shell pedestal, makes me think of "Sea to shining Sea."

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One of my mom's Striking Bi-Centennial plates on the table. Faux geraniums, as ours are just beginning to bloom.

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The flag banner background is washed out denim, the quilting on the edges is a rope design. Beautiful workmanship on this piece. I love it. My mom would be proud.

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How do you celebrate? After living with so much Americana, we are pretty low key here.

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I can always switch out the runner and add strawberries for a summer.

Or change out a plate or two or three or four....Mt.Rushmore ceramic insert in pewter.

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This Avon one is quite pretty though and echoes the navy in the banner.

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I had wanted to cover some pillows in bandana material---but haven't found red or red material right now. So that will have to wait.

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I wonder if they would be pleased to have their faces on a mountain or a plate? Theodore Roosevelt  would be saying...'deface a mountain, by Golly not on my watch!' (as founder of our National Park System.)

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If we can only keep the 'Spirit of 76' in our lives and hearts this election year--how do you keep the 'Spirit' of Americana in your home?


Thanks always for stopping by, and I will be happy to answer any comments, and questions if I can.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own unless indicated. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I'll be sharing at these fine parties: 

All Things Patriotic: Grammy's Grid

Karins Kottage Linky

Vintage Charm

Sandi