Two of my cancer blogging friends have been posting memories from Christmases past. I figured I'd join in the fun. So
Carole and
Fiona, these are for you.
My father scanned these early photos for one of his projects. Here I am in my father's arms.
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| Christmas, 1963 (18 months old) |
That's me on the train. And like your doll house, Carole, I actually remember this toy.
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| Christmas, 1964 (2 years old) |
My little sister joined us the next year. We all made the paper chain hanging on the tree. I'm the one without the doll.
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| Christmas, 1965 (3 years old) |
Somewhere along the line my parents started sending annual Christmas cards with family photos on them. This lasted for several years. Our neighbor would come over and take the picture.
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| Christmas, 1970 (8 years old) |
Fiona, you posted a picture of your home almost buried in snow. I spent 13 years in this house and it only snowed twice. The first year it snowed we got sent home early from school so we could play in the snow before it melted. By that night it was gone. This is a picture of the second year it snowed. It took two days to melt. If we wanted to play in the snow we had to drive into the mountains two hours away.
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| Winter, 1972/1973 |
This is our annual Christmas card photo for 1973. We are standing in front of the same brick fire place as in the 1970 card. My father built this fireplace when he added the family room on to the back of our house.
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| Christmas, 1973 (11 years old) |
I don't have any more digital pictures available until Christmas 2008. My wife and I took our children to Bryce Canyon in southern Utah that year where we bought our first digital camera. We spent three days there and had an absolute blast.
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| My girls—Rachel, Abby and Carla |
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| Hiking on the trail down among the hoodoos (tall stone structures) |
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| Nathan, Michael and Rachel having fun in the restaurant at Ruby's Inn |
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| Michael, Rachel, Abby and Nathan relaxing after a full day outside. |
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| Mr. and Mrs. Claus handing out candy canes |
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| Abigail with Carla, Nathan, Andrew and Rachel behind her |
I think my fondest memory from Christmases past is our stockings. My mom knit a matching set of Christmas stockings for the family back when I was still in grade school. Our name was knit across the top. As we married and moved out of the house she would knit one for our spouse and then for each new grandchild. Now Carla and our children enjoy the same memories. These are our family stockings just after Santa's visit last night. The darker green one on the far left is my original stocking from the 1960's. My mom has repaired a few moth holes over the years, but it is still holding up.
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| Christmas Eve, 2010 |
I had my daughter, Rachel, take this picture in front of our family Christmas tree to wrap up this post. I thought you'd like to put faces to names. Thanks, Carole and Fiona, for all the cyber support. Carla and I have enjoyed getting to know you. From our family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year!
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| Steve and Carla—Christmas, 2010 |
"God bless us, everyone!" ~Tiny Tim
Hi Steve
ReplyDeleteFirstly, wonderful to see a photo of you looking well. I look considerably worse for wear than the photo taken with my brother pre-surgery in September!
Second, the photos of Bryce Canyon are stunning. We have nothing like that here.
Third, you had our yellow Beetle car! In the Winter 1972/1973 photo. This was the first car we could afford when we married. Secondhand and already on it’s last legs. The exhaust pipe had a leak and the floor was rusty, so fumes would find their way into the driver and passenger area. It was novel having the engine in the boot (trunk) and the boot under the bonnet (hood). Every now and then the fuel pipe blocked and any passengers had to get out and push for a bit. Happy days.
With the internet and Wikipedia no need to get out an atlas. I can get an idea of your home town by using google maps. Near the Great Salt Lake?
For an overview of my town, click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollington
Hi Steve and Carla,
ReplyDeleteLOVED this post - fantastic to see you looking like your recovery has truly started and also fantastic to see those memories from the past.
I love posts like this when we've been through so much, because it proves there IS a life that cancer doesn't invade. It takes so much from us mentally in the 'here and now' but it cannot touch the past.
The early pictures are lovely...(I *want* your train - it was beautiful)...I wish we'd kept some of our childhood toys but mum used to make us donate them to the local hospital children's ward once we'd grown out of them.
The stocking are fantastic and it's been great getting to know you all a little better.
Here's hoping that 2011 brings us all only good things - or at the very least, nothing we can't cope with.
Much love
xxxx :-)
Great pictures. Great memories. Love seeing the kids and you.
ReplyDeleteLove, The Big Sister