Wanderlust & Pixie Dust

Vintage Pa, Ma and Me

February sucked.  It sucked real bad.  Pops had two hospital visits and I lost one of the loves of my life.  That's dad on the right.  Mom said that this is one her favorite pictures of him.  Me too.  He looks so handsome. It's difficult to pull back the curtain at the hospital and see your father dozing and all of a 114 lbs.

He is home and doing fine for the time being.  Things get a little scary when a parent gets to be in their 70's.  Emailing an old friend last week got me to thinking.  I made mom dig up a shoebox or two. I became hellbent on trying to find one in particular. 

Somewhere there is a photo of me and Al (Al and I?) standing in the same line to beat the bejeezus out of a pinata.  I think that we are about 5.  I can't remember if we are standing side by side.  Something tells me that Al is peering from behind me.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Unfortunately I didn't find it, however I did come home with these. 

That's mom up above in jr. high.  I always thought my mother was prettier than everyone else's mom.  Sorry my friends but I still do.

Here I am chilling out on a park bench.  Banning Museum can be seen on the left hand side.  We used to climb and crawl over every inch of this place as kids.  I recall how we used to shriek and scream, telling tall tales to one another about how we thought that we saw a ghost peering from the circa 1864 windows or a head rolling down the stairs.  You know how kids are.

I look like a little boy.  I'm starting to look like a boy again the way my hair is thinning out these days.

Here I am on the left.  Sis took one look at this and made some wisecrack to the effect of "Yeah...that's your mug alright."  Smart butt.

Long Gone*Part Two

Ok I'm back for a little bit. Wasted nearly the whole day getting papers together, making copies, writing letters. I'm wrestling two companies that I paid services for over a year ago and of course now they are automatically charging me for the coming year. Sometimes it is very difficult to get "automatic" withdrawals to STOP. Be very careful!!

Boy am I irked.

In my previous post you'll see these precious photos of this sweet little old lady peering into the camera. Tucked behind one of the photo's I found this newspaper clipping. Here is the front and back:

Wow. Those came out big.

20 cents? Can you imagine. Certainly before my time. No, really.

And while I'm on a melancholy note, I want to share something that I found in a turn of the century copy of poems by James Whitcomb Riley, discovered many years ago. You can't actually read what is says from this dreadful scan. Well I'll be. I can't seem to locate my dreadful scan. It's too late to get out the camera. I'll add a photo tomorrow. I will type out what it says for you tonight though.

Get out your hanky. Vintage collectors, I know that you have them. It reads:

Ruth H. 1931 June 21st

Sunday and all alone
and blue with my thoughts and
thinking of my loving mother
have been looking at my
my old pictures and books and
my little baby's clothes and
shirts and things and of course
I weep through it all.
Andy is not home yet.
and no one has been up to (undecipherable)
see poor old dear old Pa yet
oh the lonely days no one knows
how my heart aches tonight
for those three that are not here
with me.
Jack is not here yet it's
9:30 good night Ruth

Just breaks your heart doesn't it?

I found the dreadful scan.

Long Gone...

Today as I was desperately tearing up my craft room hunting for something, I came across this photo above. Along with my many obsessions is an obsession for interior shots. Mother and I have been known to sit with a magnifying glass in hand and analyze every little nook and cranny. This photo is especially dear to me because of what was pencilled in on the back:

It says "The house I love so much. My darling dogs. All is past. I wish I could pass soon too." Of course this really struck a cord with me. I then came across these photos of this dear elderly lady. I had to bring them home with me because I felt so sorry for the poor thing. I guess that some of us are destined to wind up lost in a pile of photo's at the flea market.

Note her cute "do" and her hat:

Darn. Gotta keep this short today. I'll finish this 2morrow night. Have a great weekend!

*****************************************************************************************

Home Again! Antique Me And A Few Of My Favorite Antique Photo's.

First off, I hope that everyone had a safe and happy Christmas. We spent a few days at our parents. Luckily my husband and I grew up less than a mile from one another. Our families still live in the very same area so it makes it very easy when we need to "make the rounds."

The last month or so has been so very busy and intense for all of us. Running here, driving there. We arrived back home this afternoon and have to drive back out towards are parents again in the morning. But anyhow. Funny how my craft room and my computer have helped keep me sane in recent days. When I am able to finally sit down and lose myself in a little glitter or in perusing a few favorite blogs...it helps to make all of ones troubles fade away. At least for a little while!

Which is how that photo up above came to be here tonight. Ever peek into dusty bin full of old photos in a dark and spooky antique shop and unearth a photo that makes you suddenly feel as if you are looking at yourself? Yourself, 100 years ago? Well this is exactly what happened to me. I was in an antique shop in northern California about 18 years ago and was in the middle of flipping through some old photo's when all of a sudden I had one of the weirdest sensations ever. And there I was! Or at least someone who looked enough like me to fool plenty of friends and family.

We're definitely not carbon copies of one another. But similar enough to be almost 2 versions of the same. Does that make any sense? We could be related. Sisters. Fraternal twins. It doesn't freak me out in any way but instead feels more like it is as it should be.

After accidently coming across this photo tonight for the first time in ages, I kept on digging. I'd like to share a few other of my favorite photos before my husband wakes up and scolds me to go to bed.

Little sis Tanya gave me this one for Christmas '96. Gads. Now that sounds like a hundred years ago.

I really wish that I could go all stupid collecting old photography. Sister and I like to pickup the occasion image that shows a women holding a purse or fan. A pair of glasses or a pretty baby girl clutching a dolly is always a plus. I especially love old pictures that show people with their long gone doggies. Gee. I wonder why.

I'm also always on the hunt for those photo's that are especially detailed, showing jewelry or textiles in the background.

Here is one that I picked up many moons ago. A parasol. They each have little purses hanging from their waists. I just wish that it was a little clearer and not so scratched up. I wonder what the one lady is reading? Is she just holding a blank sheet for the photo shoot? Hmmmm...

Before I forget, I would highly recommend clicking HERE to familiarize yourself with the beautiful photography of the early female photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron. If you are not familiar with her that is. I also have another link to her wonderful history if you look to the left & click on her name under "Women Who Created Before We Did."

After you've done that, get a look at these poor gals. They don't look too unhappy. Guess this was the norm back then. This is definitely something that I am very glad to have never experienced.

I' leave ya'll with a fun pix for the night:

Ok, I don't know why this picture is showing up so small. Be sure to click on it to really get a good look at all of their happy as can be expressions. Where were they headed that day? Did they all marry? One thing I know is that I wish I had all their hats in my collection crazy hands.

When I see pictures like this I find myself trying to imagine what they would look like if they were sitting here laughing with me today. Sometimes I also envision myself giving some of them makeovers. Is that wrong?

Just two more and this one is extra special:

My dear daddy in a lettuce patch!

Feeling Well Enough to Play Photographer

My hubby is home now from the hospital thank goodness. He is still very much in discomfort but nothing like when he was an inpatient. It looks as if he may be having surgery soon but at least we know now what we are dealing with and Christmas can finally come to our house. He was strolling through our kitchen just a short while, grabbed my camera and was feeling well enough to take the photo up above.
Here is another:

This is the view from one of our kitchen doors looking into the dining room that we have never dined in. A lovely garden statue sits atop a victorian marble topped table that my pom Abby gnawed on when she was a wee tiny pup. Behind it, propped up against the window is an old pink stained glass window. I love the way it looks in that spot but one of these days I'm gonna be sorry when we get one of our routine shakers.

Funny how my man was just struck by the image he saw walking out of the bathroom on a cold & dreary day. I hollered at him about how to use the flash and he just hollered back about how he didn't want the darn flash. Guess he had a vision. Maybe he can use this time home recovering to be a little more creative. I always knew he had it in him!