Visitors

Being an Air Force family, we didn't get too many out-of-state visitors. Our very favorite ones were Grandmom & Grandpop. They always managed to visit us wherever we were stationed. They came to Lake Charles, Louisiana accompanied by Uncle Bill; to Robins, Georgia, to Rhein Main, Germany and of course, McGuire in N.J. Do you remember any of this? (I recall Grandpop getting annoyed because of the 25 mph on the base at Robins)

Remember Berchtesgaden and riding the mining car in the salt mines, the slides with Grandmom laughing so hard she wet her pants? We had a great road trip visiting the old family homestead in Marienwhier. Another of our interesting visitors were Uncle Ben & Aunt Liz who were only going to stay a couple of days and ended up staying a week. And what was that Easter poem that Aunt Liz taught you?

Thanksgiving Past & Present

Thanksgiving again and grateful for mine! It's interesting to remember only certain days of thanks. I think they more or less run into each other as they don't always stand out! In France our first Thanksgiving away from home, we ate in the mess hall with our new friends and the rest of the Air Force. Our new friends consisted of a baker, a butcher, a couple of cooks and mess hall sargeants with their wives and famiily. The baker would always remember your birthday with a gorgeous cake. (A candle stick maker was not needed in the AF). When we came back state side, we usually traveled to Grandmom's and that was always a treat. At all the other bases, I peeled enormous amounts of potatoes plus pies and other desserts. (I lied about the pies. I couldn't make a decent crust and still can't). Dad usually did the turkey - he was the expert! Now, I am grateful to be invited out. Today, I am bringing a Trifle - a new recipe I found on the internet. Anyway, Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and friends and I'm certainly grateful for my wonderful family. One of these days, we'll get to spend it together again, maybe when I'm 90....plan on it!

Teenagers

I have so many pictures in my folders but haven't found any that I want to upload. To continue with Dad...... . He started dating my girlfriend, Mary when we were fifteen. In fact, we double-dated one time. Funny, we went on the bus to Camden (it was nice then) to a movie. Afterwards, we stopped in an ice cream place and ordered sundaes. Here we are - four in a booth with huge sundaes and only one spoon so took turns eating before the waitress finally came back and gave us more. It was hilarious! Dad went to high school one year then dropped out to work in a stocking mill. When he was seventeen, he joined the Air Force. His dad had to sign for him. While in training, he was tested for careers and scored high in Communications but the A.F. sent him to Cook and Baker school in Massachussetts instead. Go figure! I wrote to him as well as Mary. I think that he was 18 or 19 when he was stationed at Adak. However, when we were seniors, she broke up with him and started dating others. After Adak, he was sent to Louisiana and we continued our correspondence. Finally, mentioned that he was coming home and if I wasn't going with anyone, could we go out?


I loved high school. I know that wasn't true for some of you. In my freshman year, Mary & I took bugle lessons so in our sophomore year, we got in the Drum & Bugle Corp. which was all girls. The guys belonged to the Band and we would march together at all the events. We had dances everyday at lunchtime and on Friday nights so would take the bus back to school. My sister, Addie played on the school basketball team. She was two years older.



Question: What did you like/not like about high school?

7th Grade & After

I was laying/lying :) in bed this morning thinking of your Dad/Grandpop. He was just a skinny kid in 7th grade. His step-mom and dad had separated again so was sent to live with his sister, Aunt Jane and she put him in St. Lawrence School and in my classroom. In 7th grade, I had a crush on Ralph C. so your father was just another kid. After 7th grade, he left to go back home to Bellmawr Park so he didn't come back to my life until 9th grade. He was a friend of a friend. We had a group of kids that hung around together. We didn't have cell phones but did have telephones, of course. If we wanted to go somewhere, we would check with each other in school. We walked everywhere. (My Dad didn't have a car until I was eighteen and already had my license so would take him out until he got his license). We walked to Clementon Park about two miles away, to the lake to swim and to each other's homes. My friend Mary lived in the next town so I would cut across the cow pasture (Rexon's Farm) to her house. You had to watch that you didn't step in "cow flops"...... . In spring/summer, we hired on to pick potatoes. We were paid ten cents a basket. It was hot, dirty work and I think I did it two summers and that was enough! I think the most I made was seventy cents. One summer when I was fifteen, I worked at Pine Lake @ the root beer stand. I had to get my Social Security card. Wow! I rode my bike or walked there. I also had a crush on the lifeguard. He asked me to his Junior Prom but my mother wouldn't let me go out with him. She said that he was too old for me. I think he was two years older. My aunt knew his family and told my mother, he was "fast" with the girls. LOL!

Question of the day: How old were you when you had your first date?

Getting Started

New blogger -Pay attention! Everyone should blog or so I'm told. So, I'm going to take you for a ride from the past to the present with lots of curves in the road plus twists and turns. FYI - I live in a small town; pop. 3000 give or take one or two. My children live all over the U.S. from Alaska to Wyoming, to Texas and N.J. where I am.

Today, it is too cold to stay out long. I managed to go grocery shopping with the "millions of shoppers" picking the same day as Thanksgiving is this week. Why didn't I think of that before leaving? So it goes.........