Summer – the Station Wagon

The theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge is Summer.

I don’t have a specific photo but I couldn’t resist passing along this memorable adventure.

Growing up in Southern California, summer often meant trips to the beach.

I loved being in the water and swimming in the ocean.

On one occasion my oldest brother, Louie, had my parents permission to drive the family station wagon to the beach.  My parents were not going with us.  We were on our own for the day!

The big, blue wagon, which had bench seating for six, was filled to capacity, including a few of us who piled in the back.

Joining him in the front seat was Terry, who eventually became my sister-in-law.

We had a great day, enjoying the sand, the ocean and the sun.  Then, when it was time to go home, there were car problems.  I don’t remember all the details, but my brother managed to get the car to a local gas station.  Fortunately there was nothing horribly wrong.  He also called home using the gas station’s pay phone.

Mind you, this was a day trip, so we were expecting to be home for dinner.  Our stomachs began to grumble, but we had already eaten the food that we brought.

My brother kept a cool head.  He asked us all to empty our pockets.  We did.  Allowances and spending money were pooled together.  My brother counted it and headed for the nearest drive-thru.  He did the math and told us what we would be able to buy.  We all agreed.

Louie pulled into the drive-thru.  The garbled voice asked for his order.  My brother said, “I’ll have eleven hamburgers and two cokes.” The garbled voice said, “Eleven hamburgers! You want eleven hamburgers, but only two cokes?” My brother, said, “Yeah…I have a big mouth!”

My brother pulled the wagon up to the window to pay.  The cashier packed our burgers, saw how many kids were in the car, then added a few more burgers into the bag.  My brother handed them out, then reminded everybody that we had to be reasonable about sharing the drinks.  If someone wanted a sip, they just had to ask Terry and she would pass them to us.

The rest of the way home was uneventful.  It was probably the first time my brother demonstrated that he could handle a situation where he needed to be responsible for his five siblings, and a few of their friends.

It was one of the more unique beach trips we experienced.  We still laugh and talk about it today.

As it turns out, my sister-in-law’s birthday is in June.  We often celebrated Terry’s birthday with a day or evening at the beach.  For us it signaled the start of summer.

Enjoying the California sun, swimming in the ocean, gathering seashells and looking for sand crabs; eating hot dogs, roasting marshmallows, and, riding in the big, blue station wagon.

These were our youthful summers.

Happy Anniversary – So Glad We Are Together!

The Weekly Photo Challenge theme is Together.

This is an easy theme for me.  I already had a specific subject in mind that fits right into this.

Today, Al and I are celebrating our seventeenth wedding anniversary!

When we married we had already known each other for seventeen years.

During that time we were engaged.  We broke up and went our separate ways.

We met again a number of years later.

I had a career, living first in Southern California, then Northern California.

Al was in the Air Force, serving overseas and stateside.

We stayed in touch at a time when their was no e-mail. 

I had very larger phone bills!

Al eventually came home.  We were married a few months later.

Finally together, we are best friends, partners, and parents to our special Mija.

Happy Anniversary, Al!

Love,
Cathy

As you may imagine, this is the condensed version of the story.  For more on how Al and I met, see my post, aptly called December 24th – The Day We Met.

Easter – The Day You Told Me You Had AIDS

The early 1990’s were a challenge.  At the end of 1990 and beginning of 1991 I was injured in two car accidents.  The first one wasn’t too bad, but I wasn’t fully recovered when the second, more severe accident happened.  Between those two accidents I was away from work for nine months.

It was Easter.  I was at my parent’s home.  After coming back from church my mom mentioned that she wanted to visit friends.  Honestly, I didn’t feel like visiting.  I often felt very tired.  Perhaps I was also feeling down because in the past I had been very active.  The injuries took that away from me. I was still adjusting.

We went to see our friends.  This was a family whose kids went to the same elementary school and church that we once attended.  Essentially we kids grew up together.

I hadn’t seen them in a few years.  Two of their three adult children, Jack and Diana, were there.

We spent time getting caught up.  Jack looked great.  He talked about taking care of himself.  When he said he’d been going to the gym I wasn’t surprised.  He looked fit.

We went outside on a beautiful spring day.

As we talked Jack told me very simply that he had AIDS.  He was focused on taking care of himself.  He was feeling alright but knew that could change at any time.   New drugs were being developed, but life expectancies at that time were only a few years after diagnosis.

When we said our good-byes we hugged each other tightly.  I kissed him on the cheek.

In 1993, Jack and I spoke before I moved to Northern California.  My body had reasonably recovered and I had a new job with my company.  We spoke very candidly.  When we said good-bye we both knew it was a real good-bye.  We were never going to see each other again in this life.

Jack was very talented. He had a great singing voice. He loved practical jokes and was quick-witted. In high school he helped me come out of my shell so that I had a part in a school play.  I couldn’t have done that without his encouragement.

In November of 1993 my mom called me to tell me Jack had died. Over the years I had sung at many funerals.  I sang for him, too, from the privacy of my apartment in Northern California.

Growing up, I saw Easter as a time to celebrate life and resurrection after the death brought by Good Friday. On that Easter Sunday, even though I had my own challenges, here was Jack living with a deadly disease.

It was probably the most unique Easter that I had ever experienced.  It was a profound time that still touches me to this day.

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This is my second post on the subject of Easter.  In case you didn’t see it, I also posted Easter Memories earlier today. I’ll finish this series tomorrow, on Easter Sunday.

Unusual

The WordPress Theme this week is Unusual.  After looking through the family photo gallery I settled on a story about an unusual limb in my family tree.

What if you found out that someone close to you was born with a different name?  How would you react?  I’m not sure how many people in my family know this story, so this may come as a surprise to some.

This photo of my grandmother was taken in 1910. She is eight years old.  It’s part of a larger photo.  There are names scrawled on the back.

I had always known my grandmother’s name to be Josephina.  She had a Mexican last name.  Her name is listed on the photo, but there are some notations, including another name, Bernadette, in parenthesis.

My great-grandfather was in the French Merchant Marines.  As a result he was away from his family for lengths of time.  My great-grandmother and my grandmother would stay with family while he was away.

My grandmother’s given name was Bernadette.   She had a French last name. Her mother passed away when she was a young girl.  This occurred while her father was away.

He finally came home as he periodically did to see his family.  What occurred next changed the course of my entire family.  Rather than uniting father and daughter, her aunts and uncles hid her from him.  They told him that both his loved ones became ill and died while he was away.

Grief-stricken, my great-grandfather insisted on seeing their graves.  When he saw only one grave he questioned them.  Where was his daughter?  They insisted they were buried together as they were too poor to afford more than one gravesite.

Heartbroken, my great-grandfather left.  My grandmother never saw him again.  My grandmother’s name was changed from Bernadette to Josephina.  Her French last name was changed to the family’s name, my father’s middle name.

The way the story played out, it’s easy to assume there was bad blood. I guess the fact that my great-grandfather was away while my great-grandmother was raising a young daughter didn’t bode well as far as family relations. On the other hand, did my aunts and uncles wonder what kind of life my grandmother would have with a father in the Merchant Marines?  He would always be away. Who would raise her?

It’s easy to let your imagination wander.  I wonder about my great-grandfather’s heartache and grief at the loss of his loved ones.

We can spin tales and only imagine, but to what end?  If my grandmother had lived in Europe she probably would never have met my grandfather…and so on… the  unusual limb on my family tree might have looked very different.

Teachers

On March 12th I posted an entry called Teachers. I made updates to add a picture of my daughter’s teacher, Ms. K.

Thank-you for stopping by to read my entry, whether this is your first view or a return visit!

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Last week was a thoughtful week.  Sometimes there are unexpected and pleasant surprises.

We received an e-mail message from our daughter’s former middle school teacher.  She was nominated by her school to be teacher of the year.  What an honor!  We were thrilled to hear this! 

I thought about the impact this very wonderful teacher has had on all our lives.  My daughter showed a lot of progress in middle school.  When Mija finished middle school we knew we were really going to miss Ms. K.

Mija is now in high school.  For those of you  who are not familiar, I wrote two posts about my special needs daughter that would set the context for this post:  Peaceful  and My Special Girl, the Pure of Heart.

When my husband runs errands without her people often ask, “Where is she? How is she?  We miss seeing her…”

Those statements amaze me.  In society special needs people are mostly a silent group with little influence.  This is a shame but also a reality.  On a one-on-one level this is not so.  By simply being who she is my daughter has touched others.

Ms. K asked us to attend the awards ceremony.  She recognized it would be too much stimulation for our daughter, but said Mija would be there in spirit.  She invited us because Mija helped her “learn more about how to be a teacher and how to love.”

Ms. K’s statement was very humbling.  Every day my daughter teaches me about myself.  I had no idea of the impact she made on Ms. K.

We are all connected.  It is true that our actions, be they good or bad are like a pebble dropped in a pond.  The effects of what we do will ripple out and be felt and seen even after we walk away from the pond.

Ms. K, I am proud and honored that you were my daughter’s teacher.

With you and with your aides my daughter ate her first Thanksgiving meal.  She began to lose her fears of the world.  You allowed her to take breaks when she needed them while also being firm in letting her know that certain behaviors are not acceptable.

I am deeply humbled that our daughter also touched you and had an influence in your life.  She and I were at home when Al went to see you at the awards ceremony.  I told her about your award.  She may not have fully understood but I wanted her to know that we should celebrate your accomplishments.

My daughter. My teacher…

To Mr. K and all educators who work with special needs children, thank-you.  In partnership with you our children can make a difference in the lives of others.

Congratulations, Ms. K!

Distorted

The theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge is Distorted.  Here’s a picture I’ve always wanted to use but wasn’t quite sure how.  Now, I finally have the opportunity!

I’ve posted a few times about my dad and his time spent in Germany during the Korean conflict.  Here is a show of extremes.  Is my dad so short that he appears like a little boy?  Is his buddy a giant?

Well, it’s neither, really.  My dad is 5’4’’ tall, so yes, he is small in stature.  The door jamb tells gives the height dimensions of the taller man.  Also, compare the shoes of each man!

A show of extremes, indeed!  I wonder if this man is someone my dad walked alongside regularly, or, if they just ran into each other, and someone happened to have a camera.  Hopefully I’ll remember to ask him about it!

For the next picture, I was not jumping onto the tracks at the Houston Airport!

If you read my previous post, Patience and Cup of Tea, you know that I had some adventures in travel yesterday.  http://wp.me/p1OXNv-7I

It just so happens that during my down time I was reading a lot of your blogs.  This is how I discovered this week’s theme!  I saw my reflection, grabbed my cell phone and took this shot before the tram arrived to take me to the next terminal.  I decided not to crop the photo so you could see the view of the tracks.

A distorted view of my distorted day!

Indulge

The Weekly Photo Challenge theme was Indulge.  I thought this was an interesting word because indulging is a very sensory experience.

I chose two very different family pictures that represent simple but pleasurable indulgences.

Here is my father when he was stationed in Germany in the 1950’s. As you can see he is taking a break from his regular duties.  He’s sitting on a desk where there is an empty inbox.

He’s wearing a coat, so the weather may not be freezing, but it is cold. Perhaps the flowers took his mind away from that, if only for a moment.  I love to smell flowers so I can really relate to this picture.  I close my eyes just like he did and take in the scent of something soft and lovely.

I also found a photo that gave me a good chuckle.  How many times have we looked at a mountain of ice cream or some other decadent dessert and thought, “I wish I could just dive into that!  I don’t want to wait - I’m going for it!”

C’mon…admit it…you know you’ve done that!  I’m an admitted chocolate addict, so I know I have!

My niece went for it from the comfort of her high chair and someone was there to catch the moment she indulged!  I can just taste it – how about you?  YUM!!!

“Down” Memory Lane

The WordPress theme was “Down.”   I mulled over this theme for a while.  I didn’t really have any photos that had to do with heights, or, with the emotions that occur when one is down.  I finally settled on taking a walk down memory lane.   I hope you enjoy my little stroll.

My parents met at a church youth group in Southern California in 1949. They were married in 1953 when my dad was on leave from Fort Ord, California.  He had just finished basic training. He was later stationed in Germany during the Korean conflict.

 

My mom’s parents lived with us about half of the year.  During the other half of the year they would visit family in Mexico. The trips to Mexico occurred regularly until my grandfather had a change in health and could no longer travel.

I was accustomed to having three generations in the household.  We used to say the family consisted of my parents, grandparents, six kids and a dog (or two).

    

I happen to be the fourth of the six of us. As you might imaging we had a very active family. Like any home we had our ups and downs. That being said it was generally noisy, hectic and happy.

When I was in high school someone gave me a very large postcard in honor of my family. It said: “Welcome to the House of Perpetual Commotion.”

It was perfect.   We displayed the postcard proudly for years.  Everyone who saw it agreed that it fit!

The photos below were taken on the last Thanksgiving that was spent in the house.  The family had grown to include daughters and sons-in-law plus grandkids.

The children in the last photo are grown.  Some of them now have children of their own.

I know this is just a small glimpse of my family and its history.   My walk down memory lane brought back a lot of fond memories.  I had a good laugh thinking about ideas for future stories.

I hope it also causes you to take  your own stroll and to recount times that you can remember fondly.

Regret – Maybe Not

The WordPress Topic of the week is Regret.  Admittedly, it wasn’t a topic I really wanted to pursue.  The way I see it, why look back?  No need to dwell on shoulda’, woulda’, coulda’.  I decided a while ago that it was more important to move forward than dwell on the past.  Always easier said than done, isn’t it?

A few years ago I made the decision to stop playing music.  When I say that I stopped playing, I don’t just mean that I stopped playing publicly; I stopped playing.  The music inside me went quiet.

Life was pretty hectic at the time. I needed to balance out a few things.  It was hard at first, but I knew it was the right decision.  No regrets.

I think there may be times when Al would want to hear me play music and sing a bit more.  I did pluck out a few songs recently as you can see in my Peaceful 2 post.  Perhaps the fact that I’ve mentioned this a couple of times in posts means it’s time to start exploring this again.  Hmmm…ya think?

I know I’ll enjoy reconnecting with old friends…a 12 string and a few six string acoustic guitars.  They’ve come along way with me.  We’ll make some rich sounds.  I suspect it won’t be too much longer.  I don’t have the tug to sing into a mike at the moment, at least not right now.  No regrets there, either!

Top photo – My sis’ wedding…was it really that long ago?

Bottom photo – A bit more recent.  Taking a break from rehearsing.

Ready

Coach I’m ready!  I can do it!  They don’t scare me!

I have five siblings.  Here is my brother wearing big brother’s little league uniform.  He has a very determined look on his face – he’s ready to play with the big guys!

‘nuff said!

Timeframe: mid – 1960’s.