Wordless Wednesday

Monday Memories

Monday Memories began when I started the Motor Mouth Mom Blog, so it follows that looking through old albums and loose pictures, trends appear.  Today's memories are of brothers and sisters.  My only regret is that I don't have access to so many pictures that are at my mom's house, but perhaps for you dear lurker or follower, this isn't important.  Today however, I am sad to omit any of my parent's pictures.  I will remedy this at a future date, you can be sure of that.

The picture below was taken in 1929.  My mother-in-law was just a little girl and beside her, her little brother Hans Werner.  If you recall the pictures of my mother-in-law holding her little baby, my future husband, she was sitting just at the base of these steps.  Sadly for our family, my beloved's uncle died in the war when he was only about 17.  It would have been so wonderful to have gotten to know him.  Such a loss.

All together now, one, two, three. . . awwwwwwww

Look at my future love on his first day of School!  I just want to scoop both he and his sister up and love them. 

I don't know if it is still the custom in Germany today, but when Dick went to school, the parents would make these paper cones and fill them with goodies.  If I'm remembering correctly, it was sort of an appeasement to help with the transition from home to school.  Can you imagine if they did that today?  Oh son, here's your cell phone, and your gameboy (do they still make those?) and ....   I think in my husband's day and age, it was lovely treats of candy and probably fruit.   What a wonderful tradition.

And here are these crazy kids when they were teens!  Look at my sister-in-law, is that super impressive or what?  Love, love, love her base!  And for the record, I could never, ever do that maneuver!

Here's yours truly sitting in a stroller while my sister and brother look to be deep in conversation.  I wonder if they are discussing that duck that appears to be ready to come out and bite us?  Knowing my brother, he's probably teasing my sister that it was!  This picture was taken at Stanley Park, probably at Lost Lagoon.  Circa: 1948

This has to be my absolute favourite picture taken of my sister and myself.  My mom made the coats, the leggings, the hats and the muffs and the button covers!  Having done a wee bit, with the stress on wee bit, of sewing myself in the past, I take my hat off to my mom for doing this.  I believe, mom told me she made these outfits from a ladies coat.  Sure hope she didn't come looking for it mom!   I cannot imagine trying to work out how to lay out those pattern pieces.  My mom, the original recycler, and I am so proud of her.

The back of the photo says:  "This is a "Childhood Memory" potograph taken in Woodwards Wonderful Toyland XMAS 1949.  Photo by GWYNNE"

This rag-tag group includes a boy (in the back middle of the photo) who along with his parent(s), I believe rented this little "cottage" from my mom and dad.  It was taken on the site where  where the Orchard Park Shopping Centre, Kelowna now sits. http://www.orchardparkshopping.com/ If you look closely, you can see that my sister and my brother were holding:   a) kittens, b) puppys or, c) rabbits.  I can't tell what I'm holding but it is neither a), b), or c), dang! 

I think I must have been about 5 when this was taken because I remember right next door, the people owned a store.  When I went over there I told them it was my birthday and they gave me a treat of some kind, but even more memorable was the fact that their daughter played a trumpet and they said I could blow it!  I blew the blowing.  It didn't make a sound.  They said try again, but I was too shy to in case I failed again.  Funny the things you remember about failure and yet the successes you take for granted and forget.

Then one family travelled over from Germany and the other from Winnipeg.  Both settled in Vancouver. Ultimately this happy four-some met and married.  My brother married my beloved's sister first, then we followed them down the road to bliss in '67.

The four of us crossed the border into Bellingham (it was easier in the '60s, no passport, no staggeringly long line-ups) and visited a pub.  It seems impossible to even think we did that but we did.  Judging by the beard on my beloved, he may have still been in art school, which means only one thing, I was using my sister's ID!

Now this is a first for Monday Memories-it includes three little sisters-our dear daughters.  Modern times!

Cathy, April and Amy (in foreground) collecting leaves at General Currie School, 1979.  We went there to take pictures of the school which is a heritage school.  It was Autumn and there were gigantic crunchy leaves.  A photo-op if there ever was one.  I have such fond memories of that autumn day.

It was Richmond's 100 Anniversary and Dick was going to submit a pen and ink sketch for a competition.  Which he did, and one of his pictures was chosen and turned into a limited edition set of prints.  Dick encouraged Cathy to submit a picture too and the obvious choice for a little girl in grade 3 would be General Currie Elementary School.  Cathy was the youngest competitor and as such was honoured at General Currie's Centennial Picnic and Field Day, Good Times No. 49 of 100's of Good Times Celebrated.  We were invited to the picnic and Cathy's picture was framed with a commemorative plaque and hung in the school.  She was dressed in a little green jumper that looked very Little House on the Prairie, and her picture was taken with her picture and appeared in the local newspaper.  What an exciting day.  If that doesn't impressed you much, you must realize that Cathy is left handed.  A left hander and a pen and ink picture is not the easiest thing to do believe me. 

A little known Motor Mouth Fact:  When I was in Grade 1, and left handed, my teacher made me cry because she said my printing looked like "chicken scratch".  Duh, yah, your little left hand drags through the wet ink teacher!!"  No wonder my recollections of school aren't too great.  Thanks for the bad memories teacher.  But, I digress...

For years and years Cathy's work of art hung in the hall at the school.  One day before her son Cameron was born, we decided to go back and see if it was still hanging in the school somewhere.  It was, and they asked Cathy if she would like to have it back.  Of course, we jumped at the chance and now Cathy has it in her possesions. . .somewhere.

Each summer when the PNE came to town, the dad would drag the family into the "armed forces pavillion".  They always had a photo-op to commemmorate the visit.  This particular year...the snow mobile, with big sister Cathy at the wheel!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_National_Exhibition

The big wheel keeps on turning, Sisters with their children.  This picture was taken last August, before dear little Hudson and Colby were born, and our darling K was missing as well!  Sisters and a Brother and Sisters with brothers in the making! 

This posting wouldn't be complete without just one picture of our daughters with their two cousins, Riki and Andrea.  Because brother married sister of brother and brother of sister, well you know, the complicated story of our families, these girls consider themselves to be sisters, and we in turn consider them to be our daughters. We love them dearly.

This picture was taken earlier in the year at Amy's surprise baby shower.  Andrea is on the left and Riki is right beside her in the middle by April.  If this isn't a picture to love, nothing is.

The last picture.

This picture (for which they will all probably HATE me for posting-it was the only one I had girls), was taken on Saturday at our friend's annual BBQ. 

I'll take my chances with the sisters and posting this picture, 'cause they love me, their Motor.

Monday Memories are made of this.

Wordless Wednesday

Tee-Hee Tuesday

I read this funny in the Free Weekly! Coffee News and thought I'd share it.

"Antonio Fernandez Martinez's first bad move was to impersonate a police officer.  He drove a Ford Crown Victoria, which was equipped with flashing lights, a microphone and speakers, around Oakland, California.  His second bad move was to pull over a vehicle that was being driven by a real undercover officer.  The officer, Jim Beere, says he figures Martiniez intended to rob him.  The 21 year-old turned out to be a convicted car thief who was on probation.   He was arrested, had his probation revoked, and is now facing a possible prison term."

Monday Memories

If you've been following my blog for any time then you know one thing for sure about me and my beloved, we both ended up in Vancouver.  Dick arrived in Canada  from Germany in '54 and about two years later his family settled in Vancouver.  I was born in Winnipeg and when I was under two, moved to Vancouver. 

A little known Motor Mouth Fact: When we left The Peg, as it is affectionately known, we travelled by train, and your's truly learned to walk on the train!  That I feel accounts for why my feet turn outward when I walk, but that folks is a story for another day!  We now return you to, Monday Memories....

Being true Vancouverites, all families at one time or another end up at Stanley Park.  http://www.seestanleypark.com/     It's a wonderful place for families to go out and enjoy,  to play and to relax.  There are vast green spaces for picnics, and games.  There was the zoo (not there any more); the beautiful rose garden; Prospect Point; standing over the causeway to watch the traffic head North over the Lion's Gate Bridge; to eat fish and chips; of course the seawall, which you can walk around the entire park; and in my day and age, even Sun Free swimming lessons which both my beloved and I took there.  That pool has now been converted to a water park!  So it follows that a few pictures were taken of our families at the very same park. 

I often wonder as I look at these pictures, (these and others not shown here) if, we might not have actually been lounging on blankets or scarfing down ice cream cones within feet of each other.  I really hope that may have been the case. Can you tell I'm a romantic at heart?  I mean afterall, 14 and 17 just wasn't early enough to meet! 

I love this picture of me and my Daddy.  Quite obviously my beloved wasn't at the park that day, he'd still be swimming in the Badeanstaldt (swimming pool across from his house) in Germany! Dad really hated picnics but for our sake, after a busy week that probably included shiftwork, mom and dad took us to Stanley Park anyway! I see the three sticks on the ground and I wonder if Richie and Maddie and I collected them.  I also see a dolly.  I wonder whose it was, mine or Maddie's. Such great parents, I was blessed with.  Circa:  1948

Isn't this a great shot of my future husband and his family?  This was likely taken at Totem Park.  Next time we go, I must check to see if this totem pole is still there and if it is, I want to have my picture taken there with my beloved. He can probably still clamber up to that perch, but I won't be, I'll be standing on the ground smiling up at him! Circa, 1955

Now cut ahead a generation and here is my beautiful mom taking my sweet little niece, her Granddaughter, Erika to Stanley Park.  My sister-in-law took the picture.  If you parked there today, you'd be heading to the aquarium, but at the time this picture was taken, they would have been heading off to the zoo.  Mom is standing beside our Crown Imperial, the same car that took me to church to marry my beloved in '67.  Circa: 1966

Another little known Motor Mouth Fact:  Wow, you are getting two today!  You know the little girl sitting on the totem pole opposite my beloved? Well, the sweet little girl in the stroller is her little darling.  That little girl on the totem pole as it turned out, married my brother!

Can I Have This Dance?

Today my beloved and I celebrate 43 years of "wedded bliss". 

I'm not sure where those years went, funny, I don't feel that much older, but there you have it!  I am fortunate, I have a man who loves me, who humours me when I need it (and it seems like I need that more often than I care to admit!).  He makes me laugh uncontrollably at times, but laugh everyday we do.  Now that we are both retired, he makes me lunch and when I make it for him, he is grateful and thanks me.  I love his lunches, they always have tomatoes and lettuce and something else. We walk together, we squawk together, we are together for better or worse, and richer or poorer. I'd take those vows again in a heartbeat!

I think in life, sometimes you get lucky, very lucky.  I count myself as very lucky!

Happy 43rd my dear man, I love you very, very much!

Can I have this dance for the rest of my life?

Wordless Wednesday, Part Two (see I am a Motor Mouth Mom)

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Love, My Baby Love!

Monday afternoon my beloved and I had a wee visit with our Grandson Hudson.  What a fun little guy he is.  He is a non-stop smiler and he entertained us rather than the other way around.  Here are a few pictures of our delightful visit!

All of a sudden he grabbed the bottle and held it, we were joking about what a mean Nanny I was.  No Hudson, you hold it yourself if you want to eat!

If this isn't Baby Love what is?

 

Check out my two little toofers!

This is my first time feeding Hudson solids, after a few faces he ate it all up!

Thank you for the wonderful afternoon visit Hudson.  You are a delight and very much loved by your Papa and Nanny!

Monday Memories

Little baby boys have been on my mind a lot lately because we've recently been blessed with two little guys, Hudson, born in December and Colby, born in April.   We weren't sure we'd have another grandson and felt mighty lucky to have their cousin, Cameron now ten, lead the pack not only as the oldest, but the only boy.  

As I was browsing through an old, cloth covered photo album the other day I came across this trio of very small pictures of my beloved when he was just a new born.  If my memory serves me right, I think he was only about four weeks old.

I love that Opa's shadow is in this picture too!

Could a young mom look any prouder of her little boy?

These pictures are a treasure to me because I love the man that this little baby grew into!

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Memories

Found Some More Foncie's Fotos!

Last Monday's blog contained a whole whack of photos taken by the famous Mr. Foncie.  When I posted them I hadn't realized that we had a few more.  So to round out the collection, pictures by Foncies Fotos!

The first is a series of my darling mother-in-law.  If you'll recall from my former blog, I said that often families didn't have a camera.  I think this may have been the case in the early '50s and '60s for my in-laws.  These pictures were returned to us from Germany after my beloved's dear Opa passed away.  Otherwise, we would never have even seen them.

Foncies must have been in Regina, Saskatchewan too as these first 3 pictures were taken there.  Foncie's brother?  More likely a francise.

ID: 23578, April 1955

Caption reads:  12th Avenue, Regina

ID: 34108, May 1955

        

ID: 83108, August 1955

This picture may have been taken in Vancouver

ID: 23921A, 20 June 1971

I love this picture of my Mother-In-Law, so hip and happening in the 70s!

The last two are of my beloved, taken in the early 60s.  There is one more, when he's walking the streets of Vancouver with another girl, water under the bridge, Allyson, water!  For obvious reasons, I'm not including it here.

ID: 90230C not dated, but I may have been dating him!

ID: 39292S, not dated but the caption says:

To My Dearest from Dick

(that's me!)

Happy 143rd Birthday Canada!