Photos In The Attic, Last Part

As of February 10, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Steps: 1,230,613
Miles: 524.00
Miles to Georgia: 9.00


Undated. Circa 1925? - Somewhere in Oklahoma.

My Mom was born more than a dozen years after her bother and sister. So the age gap made them (my Uncle and Aunt) seem as old as her parents to me.

Her Dad, Mom, Brother and Sister are in this picture taken at a family reunion in Oklahoma. A large family, some of them were actually and really Oklahoma Sooners. While the picture is unfortunately (to me anyway) undated, the backside has black typing on black paper listing everyone on the frontside's names.

While the presumed many offspring of these people are my relatives, I've never met any of them other than my Grandmom Elizabeth (called Bessie), Granddad (called John), Uncle John (called Johnny), and Aunt Elizabeth (called Betty).

My Granddad is the tall slender man with a white shirt (back row 4th one from right).

My Grandmom is the plump woman in white seated directly in front of him.

My Aunt and Uncle are seated with the rest of the "children" on the ground (3d and 2nd from the right repectively). While some of the youngest of the children may be still alive, I do not know anything about them. My mom had not been born yet when this picture was taken.

I need to put the photographs back in the box and return them to the attic as I've gotten quite melancholy.

Photos In The Attic, Part Two

As of February 9, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Steps: 1,212,525
Miles: 516.30
Miles to Georgia: 16.70


Undated, Summer 1968?

Grandmom, my brother and I. Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, NJ. Grandmom often minded "the boys" when we were at the beach. Ironically, my brothers and I could all swim better then she could - in fact, I never saw my Grandmother wear a swimsuit or swim. The "boys" sure didn't mind that - and we sure looked forward to her fresh fried eggplant and flounder dinners.


Dated October, 2003?

My Nephew and I. Beach Haven Bay, Long Beach Island. It is windy and cold but it is Blue Crab season. Here you see one of my two nephews "manning the helm" of the Skimmer as I man the bridge. We caught no crabs but enjoyed pulling in a bunch of sufficiently gross seaweed to play with.


Undated

The Skimmer in port. Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, NJ. The Skimmer went between Beach Haven, NJ and Oxford, MD a number of times. It is now in Chestertown, MD next to the houseboat.

Photos in the Attic

Dated September 1967

My younger brother and I. Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, NJ. The water is usually warm in September but.. either it's cold or my Grandmom told me to stand up straight.

I guess you could say I've always been a beach bum... or at least have always been around water. My folks made sure we could swim almost before we could walk*.

* YMCA - Guppy, Minnow, Fish, Flying Fish, Shark and Porpoise; Boy Scouts - Swimming, Motor Boating, Lifesaving, Canoeing, and Small-Boat Sailing merit badges, numerous mile swims.


Dated November 1980?

My College Dormmates and Friends. One of our dorm rooms, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN. Inspired by Monty Python (or something) we posed for a photograph with serious but hopefully, hopeful outlooks on out faces.

None of us became a Rocket Scientist, even though I think we all wanted to be one. This collection of geeks did become Computer and Electrical Engineers eventually. Along the way, we saw the movies "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Harold and Maude" more than once. I don't think these experiences scarred us for life.

In Loving Memory

Great Uncle Jim, Aunt Mary, and Cousin Pat

My Aunt Mary was my Dad's Father's Sister. She married my Uncle Jim back before WWII. They had one bachelor son, Pat (or Paddy).

My Uncle was a career Army Vet, serving in Germany and in Fort Dix, NJ reaching the rank of Master Sargent. He loved a good time and once took my brothers and I to the Fort Dix base open house - I remember taking "parachute training" jumping off a tower there when I was around 10 years old.

Aunt Mary and Paddy loved to cook and entertain. My family had many, many enjoyable "afternoons followed by dinner" with them. Paddy loved board games and toy trains - he filled their entire basement with them.

I can still hear my Uncle shouting "Man the scuppers*!!" when we went fishing. I think it was his way of picking fun at Navy guys as well as a line from a Cole Porter song, "A Little Skipper From Heaven Above" sung by Jimmy Durante.

I think Uncle Jim may have been my first Hero. He and his family, who all passed away closely together in time, are remembered most fondly. They are interred in Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery for US veterans in Arneytown, NJ.

They were a big and bright presence in my family's Thanksgiving Day celebration for many years. So much so, that after this past Thanksgiving, I felt the need to go find their grave site, and it has taken me awhile.

Uncle Jim, I salute you!

* Scuppers are deck drains which remove sea spray and rain water from the topsides of boats.