Memory Monday # 63

     Another big formal dance we had in the winter was the Sweetheart Ball.  This dance was sponsored by the FHA, (the Future Homemakers of America). We also had the FTA (Future Teachers of America) and the FFA (Future Farmers of America)...but this dance was the ladies night!!  It was kind of like a Sadie Hawkins' Dance because the girls would invite the boys!  Now back in the 1950's girls weren't as forward as today, so this was an accepted big deal...a chance for the girls to let their wishes be known!!!
     I wasn't really dating anyone special at that time...my personality was such that I had a LOT of good friends...boys and girls...but I was not really into romantic liaisons! My friends all insisted I invite someone to go...so I got up the nerve to ask a guy who had graduated a couple of years before me...he WAS really cute so a couple of weeks before the dance, my gal pals and I drove out to his house which was out in the country.

Illinois Snowstorm-1958

      It had been snowing all week..drifts everywhere, but we were persistent...as we got to his house, it was snowing and blowing like crazy!  We honked until he came out...my gal pals shoved me out of the car...he and I stood in the blowing wind and I asked him to go with me to the Sweetheart Ball!  He probably said yes just to get out of the weather!
      Actually we had a good time and he and I dated some that summer when he was home from college!  The year I asked him to the dance, he was going to a local college and living at home.
      Looking back and knowing how I HATE to drive in bad weather, I had forgotten how as teenagers, we were just like the Mailman..."Snow nor rain nor dark of night will keep us from our destination!" (or something like that!)

More Memories and Family Visits

     Last week my two daughters and I drove to Illinois...first stop, Pittsfield...to visit my brother and SIL.  Jack took us to a great restaurant on the Illinois River...so much fun! And great food!!

Corncob burner at restaurant which used to be an old mill

My two daughters right and left, my brother and sil, my cousin Fran in chair

     The next day my girls and I walked the town where I grew up and went down memory lane as I pointed out the sites to them!  We did eat breakfast at the Cardinal Inn and had grilled rolls (see earlier blog!) Then after lunch with Jack and Sandi, we drove north to my niece's house where we spent the night.  She had a cookout for us with all the family she could round up.

They have a lovely 8 acres with a stocked pond..catfish and bass..this one is going back after pictures!

Kids on pond with a paddle boat...a great vacation spot!!

     And a brunch the next morning with a couple more family members who could not make it the night before!

The six cousins

And more!  Not everyone was there but almost!

     Then we loaded back up and drove to my husband's home in Missouri.  His mother at 95 is still living so one of our main purposes in going back was to have a memorial service..a Celebration of Life...for him as his mother and many relatives and friends were not able to make it to the service we had here in Texas.

     My SIL and grandkids also drove up to meet us there...another fabulous time had by all!  That Saturday night, we all had dinner together then most of us went out to the farm where Dick had grown up.  My girls and I have a plan for the "Final Farewell Tour for Dick Dodds"...we have several containers of ashes to scatter and this is the first leg of the tour!  We drove up Walnut Hill in a couple of trucks...and walked part of the way to the top.  It was a beautiful evening...sunsetting as we got there...After a few words I scattered his ashes around; many of the kids had never been up there so I think it will be very memorable for them!  It was actually my favorite part of the whole weekend.

And six more cousins...other side of the family..a different generation!

    The next day, we held the service at a little country church...many family and friends were there.  There were classmates of Dick's from high school, friends from college, and my brother, Sandi and cousin Fran came over from Illinois....also many relatives and neighbors....a very nice afternoon. The minister of the church there...long time resident and  family friend...moderated a very meaningful service full of memories. We served light snacks afterwards so everyone could have a visit.

     We all headed back to my mother in law's apartment to change clothes and get some family pictures! That evening, we all headed to the Burger Bar...a favorite local stop for hamburgers and milkshakes/ice cream...a habitual visit every time! 

My MIL, Dorothy and her grandchildren

And with grandchildren and great grandchildren minus one!  One little guy just was not going to be in the picture!!!  It was getting late!!! And he was probably hungry!

     The next day, Marti and her family headed back to Texas and Andrea and I headed to Bentonville, Arkansas.  She had never seen Crystal Bridges so we decided to take a little detour...will blog about that later! Andrea also has written a blog about our trip from a little different perspective...you can see what she has to say by going to this link!

     

Our Beautiful World - By the Seashore

    This week the theme for the blog Our Beautiful World is "By the Seashore"!  Great topic!  Who doesn't love the seashore?  We have visited so many different seashores....lakes, oceans, etc. that I am going to have a hard time restraining myself on the pictures I have...counting in the hundreds!!!! But here goes!

The Golden Gate Bridge-San Francisco Bay

Lake Michigan through the Arch

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes-Lake Michigan

Deception Pass-Oregon

Pacific Ocean-Northern California

Lava Lava Beach-Hawaii

Lake Louise-Canada

Yukon River-Canada

Jasper Park-Canada

Denali-Alaska

Memory Monday # 62

      Still my Senior year in high school...We really had a great time!!  Homecoming that fall was a bit strange.  That year, we had an epidemic of measles...and we had to postpone the whole event by a couple of weeks...more than half of the football team, the marching band and the Homecoming Court were down with it!
     I was lucky enough to be chosen to be one of the Senior girls of the Court.  There were two of the other three classes chosen by their perspective classes..and eight queen candidates who were Seniors for a total of fourteen young ladies all dressed up in formals!  The Homecoming Queen was voted on by the whole school!

1957-58 Homecoming float

Several of my best friends were also candidates!

      And of course, we had our own float in the Homecoming parade!  The parade would be held around the square, marching band and all...the dance would be in the gym after the football game. So it was a big night!!

      It was also the last dance we would have in the gym wearing SHOES for the year! After football season was over, basketball season began and all winter we would have lots of dances but they would be Sock Hops.  Now I know you have heard of sock hops but may not have known of the origin.  After basketball season began, we were not allowed on the gym floor with shoes on, so if we were to have dances, we would check our shoes at the door.
      

Our Beautiful World-Animal

     And for the theme this week...Animal...on Our Beautiful World Blog...I have to agree with one of the bloggers who added "S"!!  I can't pick just one!!!  So here are my animals!
     My first selection is from an exotic animal preserve near us...Fossil Rim, Glenn Rose, Texas.  This link will take you to their really cool website. Here animals wander freely..with the exception of the rhino...they have their own area!

Wildebeest

Aoudad 

Zebra..wanting to get friendly!

Giraffe

White Rhino

     And some pictures of the wonderful animals that we saw on our all-day tour of Denali State Park, Alaska. These animals are in their natural habitat.

Red fox..right by the road!

Caribou mama and baby

The Raven..considered to be a Sacred Bird by some  

A grizzly bear baby...he crossed right in front of us to get with his mama and sibling

A bull moose...we also had to stop for him!

Memory Monday # 61

     Monday is about over so I need to post a really quick little memory!  With the last of the Triple Three races this past weekend...the Belmont...it brought to mind the races we would go to at the county fair in the summer.  The races there were sulky races.

A race with sulkies

Sulkies were little two wheeled vehicles with just a seat for the jockey between the wheels.  As you can see the jockeys are really close to the horses' tail!  And there would be dirt thrown up in their faces along with what ever else the horse ran over.  The horses were beautiful....they were trotters; when racing they had to run a certain gait and if they broke the rhythm they were disqualified.  These races could be quite exciting!

     I don't even know if they still have sulky races any more. So, I just googled the subject and it looks like they are still being held, but more prevalent in other countries than the US where I live.  They are also call Harness Races and the horses can be called pacers.
      

Our Beautiful World-Textures

     This week the picture blog, Our Beautiful World, has chosen "Textures" for the theme.  I like this!!!  There are so many wonderful textures out there in our beautiful world so I am going into my photo file to see what I can find!

Trees!!  I love trees...their interesting shapes...texture of the bark...color...tenacity! And some say you see one tree, you have seen them all....I do not buy that!!! I think each and every tree has a unique personality...and you can see it in the bark!!

Memory Monday #60

   

MMMM!!!  the teenage staple...French Fries!!!!

      I almost forgot again!!  Last blog, I think I talked about my job at the swimming pool concession stand. And that most of my friends had jobs also, from working at the soda fountain in their father's drugstore to being a carhop at the local drive in. And most of these were day jobs so we could still get together at night.
      I remember one early summer night, a bunch of us were stuffed into one of our parents' cars (none of us had our own cars)...I was in the back seat behind the passenger side; it was a two door car...we pulled up to the Cardinal Inn for our nightly fix of french fries and began piling out...being in the back seat, I had put my right hand around the door opening to pull myself out when who ever was the last one out of the front slammed the door...with my hand still there!
     Instantly, the accident was realized...the door opened, and one of my friends grabbed my hand which was really gushing!  My ring finger on my right hand was pretty smashed!  Everyone was screaming and carrying on except for my one level headed friend!  She grabbed something and wrapped my finger in it, applying appropriate pressure.  The driver (I don't even remember who it was now) sped us to my parents' house.  Now I am pretty fuzzy on what happened next...I just know I ended up at the hospital with my parents...in the emergency room...and the doctor giving me something for shock.  And I remember him putting some kind of powder on my finger to numb it and beginning to sew it back together. Actually it was just the whole tip of my finger above the first joint which was smashed, but somehow he was able to save the end.
     So thanks to my friend with the cool head who kept it all together, and to the doctor's remarkable skills, I today have all my digits...albeit that end of that finger remains numb, and is still affected by extreme cold...just a reminder of that summer evening out with my friends....I never did get my french fries that night!!!