Wordless Wednesday - 165

Summer Stock Sunday - 29

My vintage look at summer for Summer Stock Sunday, hosted by Robin at Around the Island.


















Yesterday and this afternoon, my sister is the guest of honor at two bridal showers - one hosted by our family, one hosted by her new family-in-law-to-be.

In the timeless ways of summer celebrations, another bridal shower was held for my mom in the summer of 1962 by her landlady, Mrs. Crete. Mom was rooming with her, while her family resettled themselves from a recent ping-pong move from Michigan to Canada and back to Michigan.

Here in this shot is the bride-to-be, my mom Paulette, and behind her on the left is her mom, Juliette, with her mother-in-law-to-be, Viola on the right. The two moms held a second shower in their daughter's honor in absentia, as Mom was already posted with my dad overseas during his three-year US Army service. They sent all of Mom's shower gifts through the army posting delivery to Europe.

I'll be posting pix of my sister's two showers this week for Thursday Thirteen, if you'd like to drop by.

Nessa says It was nice that so many people took care of your mom.

Naquillity says What great friends your mother had. Lovely picture. And congrats to your sister on her two bridal showers. May she always be happy.

Robin says As someone who lives far across the world from the rest of her family I can really appreciate this - friends really do become surrogate relatives when you're away from home. Congratulations to your sister!

Summer Stock Sunday - 28

My vintage look at summer for Summer Stock Sunday, hosted by Robin at Around the Island.

Just got off the phone with my nearly-all-my-life friend, Mary, seen below with me eating drippy watermelon forty years ago. We're making plans to meet when my husband and I head for Toronto over Christmas.














This is an old Polaroid shot, so what looks like a burning ember on Mary's shirt is just the chemical fixatives deteriorating somewhat on the photograph.

Have you had your drippy watermelon yet this summer? If not, there's still time.

Summer Stock Sunday - 23

My vintage look at summer for Summer Stock Sunday, hosted by Robin at Around the Island.

Right now, my mom is on a month-long vacation visiting her brothers in Michigan. A branch of my family ended up putting down firm roots there when both grandfathers moved their families from Canada to Michigan in the 1950's for work.

Part of my family stayed in Canada, and several members moved back over the years, including my grandfather when he retired. But we visit back and forth as often as we can.

I spent my first six years in Michigan and have maintained my friendship with Mary, the little neighbor who lived several doors down from me. We stood for each other when we both were married, and have been alongside each other for life's joys and life's sorrows. So Mary was thrilled to hear that she'd be getting together with my mom this month.

Today, they had a ball together, and have plans for more fun while Mom is still in hugging distance.

So for this week's look back at summer, here's a day when Mary came to the Detroit Zoo with my parents, my sister and me.













That's Mary on the left in the stripes, my dad, my sister and me chowing down on hot dogs. I remember this little picnic part of the day, because I volunteered to take the garbage to the garbage can. Once I got there and turned back to find everyone, I remember stopping to gaze at my family for a moment - always the observer, even then.


















And that's cool 60's Mom with Michelle, me and Mary.

Leap forward 40 years and there you'll find Mom and Mary, sharing the day once again, laughing, chatting, sharing, connecting. Timeless summer.

Naquillity says It's great when friends can get together again to reminisce. Love the old photos of everyone.

Robin says Wonderful memories and I love how your connection has stood the twin tests of time and distance.

Mimi says Lovely, nostalgic, happy, summer post. It's hard to beat a trip to a good zoo, back then and now.

Summer Stock Sunday - 21

A vintage look at summer for Summer Stock Sunday, hosted by Robin at Around the Island.














This photo was taken by my husband's Auntie Pat, who was a passionate photographer. Luckily for my husband's family, she took loads and loads of shots of the kids as they were growing up. She had her own dark room and a proper camera - but she was also known to use Kodak Instamatics.

Here she grabbed a shot as everyone headed towards an afternoon at the museum in Toronto. In the foreground, oldest boys Ken and Jeff lead the way. My father-in-law David chats with his aunt (I think it may be the same auntie who stood next to him and his mom in the 1930's Niagara Falls picture) as my husband Brad - the excited little guy - rushes to catch up. Obscured by David is my mother-in-law Joan, and probably my sister-in-law Karen, walking next to Grandma Smith.

I love the energy in this shot, the anticipation of heading towards something fun. And Auntie Pat's sense of composition and line turns this shot into something more than just a snapshot, as most of her photography did.

Robin says I love that she captured real moments, not just posed portraits. She must have been quite ahead of her time :)

Dianne says I'm pretty much the family photographer, I hope my photos are appreciated as much as you appreciate these :)

Louise says I can't even begin to tell you how fascinated I am with old snapshots. I get such a kick out of seeing how people dressed back then, how the cars looked, the ads, everything! This snapshot is so great!

Wordless Wednesday - 131

Nikki says I used to keep a big sock under my bed until I was in the 7th grade! :)

Brooke says When I was young we use to hang the stocks on the wall with thumb tacks in the formal dinning room. That way us kids couldn't get to them until Mom and Dad got them down..

Akelamalu says We never did the sock thing just had everything under the tree to find 'early' on Christmas morning!