Hmmm Well I lost grip on the good laptop and my hard drive today! I had to work on rebel and had no access to my hard drive because Billy ended up using it to run his connection to work.

What? The really short version? Billy's Windows on his hard drive closed up shop and left town. Mine still worked. So Billy used mine to work from home today. See?

So I had no access to my writing nor my photos. BUT I did have access to my email. AND one of the good things that happened this week is that my dad found a certain photo that I wanted -- plus he and my mom sat down and pulled together a whole selection for me! So ... I had more than 13 photos in my email ... and so that's what you're getting to see today. And, yes, of course, there's a story or two or three.

Each image opens a larger image. This time there is no compelling reason to open the larger image unless you want to see a little better.

At the bottom of this post you'll find a link to a photo page on my site where you can just click through the titles in order. That way you won't have to keep jumping back and forth between the images here and the larger images there.

My Dad and Me

When I opened my email, we were at Starbucks. Billy was with me and he said, "Oh wow! Look at all these old pictures! They've Got to be More than Fifty years old!" People, I'm not quite 50 yet. He got a smack in the arm.

Still, wow ... my dad sure looks young in that picture!

The next five photos are a series. My mom took them back in the days when it was work to take photos. She got busy with more kids after this day and let my dad do most of the photography. But recently she got her own digital camera. I'm very pleased about that.

Waiting for my Daddy

See, the first thing that happened when I started looking at these pics is that I keep hearing bits and pieces of ideas and conversations. So I'm going to tell you what I think is true ... and then I'll get my parents to show up and set the record straight (the way they remember).

This car is the one and only car that my parents had at the time. I think it might be the one that my dad nearly lost me (before I was born) and my mom out of because it was new and back then you were suppose to work the door handle a certain way to lock the door. Well my mom misunderstood and the door opened as they rounded a corner. My dad grabbed her by the arm and kept her!

I also think maybe my mom learned to drive in this car ... maybe ... I'm 99% sure she learned after they got married ... I think.

Also, I think it was a daily habit for me to watch for my dad. Annnnyway ... The way my dad most likely got home this day was a ride from his brother. They worked at the same place.

Tightening the Wheel

My husband finds it amusing (in a good way) that to this day I still like to understand what's going on with the car and I like to watch him work on them (when we own one). Often, I'm the first to know something is wrong with our car because I learned to listen to them from my dad. I also learned to smell them. I was usually first to know when the heater core was going out ... or a water hose /pump. Back when the fuel pumps were exposed, I'd smell them starting to leak long before anybody else. And this sort of day is where it all began.

What? Actually get my hands dirty working on one? No. But I'll hand you tools and hold the flashlight!

Pit Crew needs Help

My Fashion Sense

I thought this was the funniest photo in the batch because it looks like my mom was trying to make sure I still knew about girl stuff. I'm pretty sure I was making a face about the sun. I actually do like girl stuff. But I find it even more interesting because my mom has a degree in commercial art. Her portfolio is full of dresses and ensembles she drew. But she didn't go to work drawing dresses.

My Mom & Me

At first I thought I just looked tired but I also thought I looked kind of irritated with something. Then I noticed my mom was filing my nails. Which reminded me ... when I was little bitty, I crawled up to my dad and tried to blind him. Oh ok really I scratched him in the eye with one of my little fingernails. He ended up having to go to the eye doc.

Careful Consideration

So what my mom ended up doing was drawing architectural drawings for a really nice man named Mr. Bliss ... I kid you not. (I hope I'm not kidding at any rate.) When I was a baby, my mom would take me to work with her. When I first looked at the photos in Starbucks, I told Billy that's where I was.

But today I see that that is a chanell (sp?!) bedspread ... and I think that dark little box with a long tail is my dad's light meter.

So ... my mom was a WAHM? (That's "Work at Home Mom") I'll have to check the facts on that.

Anyway, would you believe that when I got married, my mom's old boss, Mr. Bliss, and his wife came? Work relationships just don't last like that anymore.

Moreover, my mother is like me (or I'm like her) in that she gets stuck on the very fine details. When she lets go, let me tell you ... it's art! So Mr. Bliss would tell her, "Every time you think of it, hurry a little." So. That's what she taught me. And I still find myself saying those words to myself from time to time.

Brushing My Cares Away

My Dad's Dad

Above and below are my dad's parents. I remember them as always working on something. My grandfather was one of the first diesel truck mechanics ever and my grandmother always had a garden and she cooked a lot. I remember their kitchen smelled of her pie crusts and meats and his coffee and cigarettes.

Have ya'll noticed yet that I do not pose well for photographs with other people? I suspect I was probably trying to get loose to go play in their yard. I loved their yard so much. Always.

My Dad's Mom

My Mom's Dad & Mom

These are my mom's parents. I still have in my possession little bitty squares of paper that I use to write letters on ... little bitty squiggles. Then I would fold them up and put them in a little bitty mail box. Then my grandmother would take them out and read them.

I have to say that I feel exceedingly blessed to have known my grandparents -- all of them. They were always "in my corner." I was spoiled. True. I also knew there rules and regs ... balances and measures -- And they helped to keep me pretty balanced.

So Cute. Asleep!

Usually I napped in my baby bed. This dog had a name. I carried that critter until it was threadbare!

My parents love to tell about how when it was time for my nap, my mom would put me in my bed. There would be some stuffed animals and toys in there. I would sit up and play until I was ready to sleep. Then they'd hear kerplunk kerplunk as I dropped each toy overboard until my bed had no clutter. Then I'd sleep. I'm assuming I did not throw the dog over though.

Posing

Oh look! I'm posing ... and no one else is in the photo ... but oh look ... I was talking ... imagine that! ooh and if I recall someone called a "professional" (whom my mother was not impressed with) took this photo ... isn't that just typical of a kid?

Teaching Sunday School -- 3yrs

This is the bonus photo. When I got to this one, I thought about how fortunate I was to have such good influences in my life -- so many people for me to model after. Obviously, I must have had an inspirational Sunday School Teacher.

But then I was looking at how I was looking at the doll in my arms and I thought for an oldest and only I was doing a great job of being concerned for my baby. LOL but then I realized ... yeah ... I'm pretty sure that's my brother's stroller over on the right of the photo. Pretty sure my mom was doing a great job of modeling baby care.

But see ... here's something else. Even if I'm off and that's not my brother's stroller, the other thing that came floating back to me is that my mother and her mother both made sure that we kids KNEW how to play.

They played with us and gave us ideas and help and above all ... once we got into it, they didn't mess us up ... they got out of the way.

~~~
In the final summary, I realized I'm still me after all this time. I still love the mechanical and the artistic and the photographic ... and I love to learn and love to teach ... OH and I still love having an audience!

Ok alright! If you want, go see the larger images. There's a link on that photo page so you can come back and leave a comment.

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