Reunion Cake

 
Barbara (with her mom Aunt Win in the background) prepares to serve cake to various assorted cousins at the 1988 family reunion that Barbara's family hosted. 

From L to R: Mark and Judy's Andrew, George and Eileen's Katherine, Barbara, Win, Cathy and Tom's John, Jennifer and Jon's Maury, Mark and Judy's Matthew.

The cake itself has a picture of the old family church, Ivy Creek United Methodist.

 

 

The Last Three Pictures In One Perforated Strip

Here is the strip of three pictures from the last three posts.

 

 

Cathy's Play Partner Suits Her to a Tea

 
This is the third of the three pictures from (almost certainly) 1952 that are connected by perforations.

Looks like she found a dependable play partner.

 

Cathy Entertains

 

Mom has written on the back of this picture from 1952:

Tea party with friend in Livingston backyard.
Doll buggy was mine (Mary Louise's) when I was a little girl.

I suppose a little boy invited to a tea party might have to make his own fun. What is in his mouth? It looks like a potato chip, but I know we rarely had potato chips around the house when I was around much later. (Were potato chips common in 1952?)

Do little girls still have tea parties? Were those imitations of their moms' tea parties? Do big girls still get together for tea? Do little girls still get together to imitate what moms now rarely do?

This picture was attached by a perforated edge to the picture before.

 

Easter - 1952

 
Mom has written "Livingston" on the back of this picture. Cathy, Mark, and Mom are enjoying a pretty day on what appears to be Easter in in Livingston in 1952. Everyone is dressed up for the day, and that sure looks like an Easter basket on Cathy's arm. Is that an egg in Mom's right hand?

As much as Mom liked to take family pictures with flowers, she liked to take them when we were dressed up. Years later, when the family would come together again for some holiday, I remember how we would come home from church and Mom would say, "Let's take some pictures before we change clothes." She knew to say it fast before the guys started taking their ties off. If there were any flowers nearby, well... all the better.

I remember Dad hiding Easter eggs for me when I was young. No plastic ones for us. We had real, boiled Easter eggs. I remember how Dad unscrewed a lamp bulb in the living room in Athens to hide an egg on the empty socket behind the shade.

I also recall when a forgotten Easter egg was not found until by accident weeks or months later.

I hope Easter yesterday was as worshipful and joyful for you as it was for us.

Mom's Flowers

 

Mom usually had such a pretty flowerbed on our well-travelled corner at Lake Junaluska.

Mom has always liked flowers. She will always point them out when we are travelling. She likes to take pictures of them, and if we are going to take a picture of family, she likes to include any nearby flowers.

She's proud of her family too, and here she is in about 1983 1986 with her grandsons Matthew and Andrew. This picture is surely taken at the same time as this one with Papa (that was taken only a few dozen yards away from this one). From the looks of the boys, this is about one picture too many.

 

Somber Dad, pt. 2

 

This picture is clearly taken at the same time as the one below. This picture is a better picture of Dad (with a hint of a smile), but the one below has held up a little better over time. Neither one would be used in a commercial advertising long-lasting, quality photographs.

 

Serious Looking, Game Playing Dad

Dad and I would play games from time to time when I was growing up. The picture that comes to mind is of us sitting on the sofa with a board between us while the flashlight of the NBC Mystery Movie (McCloud, McMillan and Wife, Columbo) swept across the screen on Sunday night. I got to where I could beat him in chess and Mastermind. I never saw anybody (including myself) beat him in checkers.

I never could tell how much Dad enjoyed playing games. At family get-togethers, when I would ask him if he wanted to play cards, he would often say, "Oh, I'd play if you need a fourth" as if he would play to facilitate the game but not so much because he enjoyed it.

This somber picture looks like it may be a head shot for a bio, resume, or story somewhere. It has not held up so well. There are odd streaks and discolorations on it (many of which I have cropped).

Is this from the early 1960's? Or a little more recent?