Happy Birthday Steve

After being such a slacker, I couldn't resist digging out these pictures for a birthday post. Remember when, Steve?
Steve's room was always neat and tidy!

Hopefully when this posts you can read the write-up from the Pow Wow.

Steve was definitely helping Dad paint the living room.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Steve and Mary Lynn Keep the Lights Shining

What do all of these places have in common?

My house.....

Love Ridge, Luxury Townhouses, Jackson Hole Wyoming
Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Mazama Grill, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Silver Star Restaurant, Helena Montana
Snow Lodge, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Grizzly Creek Ranch, Emigrant Montana
Hilton Homewood Suites, Jackson Wyoming
Pinehurst Country Club, Englewood Colorado
Averill Lodge, Whitefish Montana
North Bay Grill, Kalispell Montana
Mount Rushmore National Park, South Dakota
Togwotee Lodge, Moran Wyoming
....and more....Love Ridge, Luxury Townhouses, Jackson Hole Wyoming
Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Mazama Grill, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Silver Star Restaurant, Helena Montana
Snow Lodge, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Grizzly Creek Ranch, Emigrant Montana
Hilton Homewood Suites, Jackson Wyoming
Pinehurst Country Club, Englewood Colorado
Averill Lodge, Whitefish Montana
North Bay Grill, Kalispell Montana
Mount Rushmore National Park, South Dakota
Togwotee Lodge, Moran Wyoming

This is the list from the website of Penrose Design of places where Steve and Mary Lynn's work is. Don't you think that if they moved west, it would cut the costs of shipping considerably?

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Steve!

Happy Birthday, Steve!

You were so doggoned cute - How did you grow to be so tall? When you were born, we all came home from Grandma Wasden's house to find you stretched out on a pillow - completely filling it from one end to the other. You had many talents that you used as you grew older - the drama of your plays, including being in the "mellerdramas" in Jackson Hole, showed that you had the particular talent of being "theatrical". Then there was the time you entered a high school painting in the Wind River Art Show in Riverton, and won in your division (I had a devil of a time getting your painting of clowns back to you.) You were always a good uncle when my kids came visiting, and we had times down on the river sketching and discussing your future. The last 40 years or so, you've been using your woodworking talents to showcase your witty animal art, and to decorate places like Snow Lodge and Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone Park, among other places. We miss you - New York State is a long ways away, but we do get an occasional glimpse. We appreciate Mary Lynn and the beauty of your New York home. Hope your day will be a good one.

In Honor of Elizabeth's Birthday!

Doesn't this photo (courtesy of DMB) epitomize our sister Elizabeth? A lot of wire and many barbs as obstacles, but she is always finding a way through it! And just you wait until she gets on the other side of the fence! No matter what, she will make "it" work.
Elizabeth does not waver on what is right and what is not. (Who else did we know like that?) How much I love and appreciate her strength and devotion to this family. She is smart. She is clever. She can cook. She is artistic.....paint, fabric....it doesn't matter. And she is my sister.

Happy Birthday! May this one be a good one. Lots of love, Judy

Happy Birthday Elizabeth 2009

I started to print a birthday card but ran out of ink, so this will have to do. Hope you have few candles and many presents. D.

Mother's Columbine

There are still two plants of this wonderful "flowers of home" Columbine. Mother started them from seed at Tumwater. It was during this time that she dreamed of having lilies, which were much too expensive for her tight run budget. She started those from seed as well.
Anyway, I smile each time I see this pink come into bloom and marvel at it's endurance. Most of all, though, I love the sweet remembrance of the hands that planted the seed.

Remember the Coal Shovel???

Sonja's father has rebuilt a sheepherder's wagon. I was delighted to see the fire shovel hanging by the little stove. (Sorry, you can only see part of it.) I'm sure that none of us were ever paddled with it - or not? Steve? I just remember scooping all the ashes that didn't fall into the ash box with it.

And then, there were the cream cans. Scooping out sour cream for the new crop of baby potatoes, or for raisin meringue pie or even for cream to churn for butter was all right, but I didn't like having to stir the sour cream - and remember the time that the cream can turned over in Grandpa's car. Mother scrubbed and scrubbed, and never quite got rid of the smell. However, having cream to sell to the creamery gave us extra cash money for things from the store like sugar and flour.

Back to our Roots - Again

Okay, so the tree by the old shop (which is no longer there) has grown large, the honeysuckle hedge to the north of the back lawn is still there, but the huge storage building and the quonset hut beyond take away the ambience of our home - PLUS - a red roof is not at all as becoming as the copen blue that was on the roof forever. Seeing this still brings back memories.

The Shoshone River, not far from our home, was always fascinating - it has changed immensely since we lived in Penrose.

For starters, the old railroad bridge has been long gone (since the mid-1960's), and there is a sand bar in the middle of the river as you look west. While it seems like a fairly recent addition to the river, there are trees and shrubs growing on it - amazing!

The other big change is that the east end of the valley. where George McBlaine and Bothilde kept a pretty tight ship, has turned into a big junk pile. Oh, well, we can ignore that, I guess. This early in the spring, trees were just beginning to leaf out in Penrose, while Burlington, about 15 miles to the south had lilacs in fulll bloom. Go figure!

Penrose Cemetery

Just wanted all of you to know that the cemetery is still there, and there is plenty of room left. Some of the gravestones are shifting a bit, as you can see from Grandma and Grandpa's. (I have old pictures of the other headstones, but didn't have this one.) Love the view of Heart Mountain, and the beautiful flowering tree. The meadowlarks still sing, and the breeze still blows across it. All in all, it is a peaceful place. It is one of the few places associated with Penrose that looks better than it did in the days that we lived there.

Mabel Blood Harper

Mabel is the sister of our grandfather, Roscoe Blood. This picture of her displays much of her strong character. She is the grandmother of our special cousin, Betty Sullivan. Betty has contributed an amazing work of family history for the blessing of the family.

Her calling card. Society requested this to be left at the home when making a visit. Some, like this one, are very beautiful.

Mabel at the front door of her neat and tidy home. Notice her flowers around the yard and the suspicion of a clothes line in the back. Anyone know the years of these pictures?

Mother's Day 2009

A Tribute to Our Mother

I have been scanning "The Letters" and in the process reading them all, some for the first time. The most difficult to read with a stiff upper lip, are the ones from the year 1935. I believe this photo would be from that time period, or close to it. I have renewed my admiration for mother's courage and fortitude. Her loneliness for Dad while he was away trying to earn a dollar, was almost more than she could bear, especially in the cold of winter. But she did whatever the circumstance demanded.

And now we have a legacy that says we can't whine when it gets hard. She's such a tough act to follow......but I know that she wants us to keep trying. To you, Mother, on this Mother's Day!

Civilian Conservation Corps

I certainly remember Dad talking of the CCCs and here is proof of his involvement. Notice that his stay was only two weeks. His job was to be a cook. Maybe that is why he didn't last! This is just one more piece of evidence of the hard times and the willingness to do whatever it took to earn a $.
Shannon found some interesting information on the web at the addresses listed below. This is an education in itself.

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/ccc/index.htm

http://www.geocities.com/oralbio/castellucciorbio.html

http://www.geocities.com/oralbio/ottbio.html

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1586.html

Phantom of the OPERA!

Who did not spend time browsing this book? The pictures were "different" if not educational.

The privileged owner herself! Mother must have had a college class with opera being the center of attention. When I look at the book now, it must have been a difficult class to digest. Notice the title of "Miss". We don't use that so much any more, unfortunately.

Now she is a beauty.

And here is the Great Caruso himself. How fortunate we were that our parents liked good music and passed that on to us. There is not one of us who has not thrived in one area of music or another.

The Bobbsey Twins

I just can't resist adding this picture to the family album. Ann and Steve holding hands like the best of pals that they were (and still are). I'm not too sure, but I think Ann has her cut-off pants on back to front - she never, ever had a tummy - she was always skinny as could be. Love the bracelets, as an added wardrobe embellishment. One thing about Mother - she never interfered with our desire to dress up - as long as it was at home. The added embellishments put an added dollop to our playacting. (Remember Judy at Ralston with the funny cast-off girdle that someone had included in a batch of clothes that we were gifted with? Or the wonderful fur animal that had a head and a long tail that had a clasp so we could wear it around our necks? (We were very sophisticated when we wore that one.) There were hats with veils, and strange clothes. Some of the hand-me-downs that landed at our house were remodeled by Mother to try to eke out our wardrobes, but mostly, we had make-believe. In looking back, it seems to have been a magical childhood. There were certain rules of deportment that we were expected to adhere to, but in reality, we lived a pretty free, imaginative life.