Family

 I have been scanning some old pictures again. This first one is in the yard next to the bird bath that my grandfather made of red cement.  The basin and the bottom base are all that is left.  The pillar was broken in one of our moves.  It is one heavy piece.  Molly likes to drink rainwater out of it.

This is my mom and me in 1943 in front of the house on East Sixth. I would have been 1 1/2 years old.

Fifth grade (probably)

I got the glasses in sixth grade so this was probably taken in Atlantic, Iowa

Ginny riding my cousin John's pony in Adel

Not sure when this was taken but I am sure we had a struggle to get her in a dress.

Jay and Ginny and Boots in Jackson, Nebraska.
Boots was a beagle puppy who was run over on the dirt road that ran in front of the house we rented.

Ginny's Christmas Doll house. 

Mom worked for Doane Agricultural Service and they ran an article in their company magazine about her.  We had to have this picture taken for the magazine.

The three of us got along pretty well together.  Probably because we were all water signs. I am Scorpio (Nov 13), Mother was Pieces (February 22) and Ginny a Cancer (July 1).  There is also a pattern for the years.  Last year I turned 70, Mother would have been 100 and Ginny turned 60. The nephew was just 30 but his sign is not a water sign. Not that I really believe in any of that.  But then we all did love the water and were all happiest at the Lake.

My first formal portrait

I don't know the story behind this picture.  I just know that my great aunt Ethyl, whom we called Auntie, was a photographer and she probably took this picture and they liked it so much that they sent it to a studio in Minnesota and had it blown up and colored. I brought up some pictures from the basement (or rather Jon did) and found a treasure trove of pictures which I will be scanning and sharing in the coming weeks. In addition I found an entire album of my cousin Bud and his family which I will give to Randy the next time I see him.  I think he will like having it. In the meantime here are some more pictures from this era....

We lived on East Sixth Street in Ames and there was a short sidewalk that I played on.  The house was small but the neighborhood was great.  It was a cul de sac and there wasn't much traffic.

As I got older and after my parents divorced we moved out to my grandparents home on East 13th Street.  But I went to Beardshear School and that was just a few blocks from this neighborhood.  My great uncle and aunt Cole lived in the house at the corner of 6th and Crawford and as there was no school lunch program I would walk down there for noon lunch every day.  My great aunt (Kate Mike) made the greatest corn bread.

And of course I learned to walk there.

This may have been taken in Adel at my mother's sister Fran and her husband Harold's farm.  We liked to go there and I may have been on Cousin John's hobby horse.  Or it could have been someone else's.  I don't really remember that it was mine.  Anyway I have always liked this photo.

 I am glad I finally have a scanner that works.  Another photo I scanned today was of my cousin George Underwood who passed this last August.  It was in his football uniform.  I thought you might like to see it.

Thanks for taking the trip down memory lane with me.  j