Next generation...the college crew

It's funny when you try to talk family groups it's by generation. If Beth and Jim are gen 1 then these young adults are gen 3. (Sometimes when we go to the bigger reunion, Sam and Anne become gen 1, they slide to the gen 4 position and I become gen 3). It's all relative (ha ha).

Anyway, for years, I've had a niece and nephew sleepover at my house...pizza, movie, craft, and sleeping bags wall to wall in my living room. All ages, all at once. It's a hoot. The thing is after they go away to college...the schedules don't work and frankly...they've graduated. I realized, I had as many (or more) kids who had graduated from the slumber party. So, I started a college age banquet over the Christmas holidays when they are all in town.

This is us, December 2006. I am the good aunt center front. A few missing but a good turnout nonetheless.

Maybe it's just the cap and gown and glasses but are these guys related?

Buddy Holly Brother

Buddy Holly brother

As John mentioned, Brother Dave had to get glasses when he was in sixth grade. His grades were falling and they found out he couldn't make out the blackboard. Dad and Dave came home with his new glasses. Dave walked in the front door and I howled with laughter. I got yelled at of course and the joke was on me because the next year I got glasses too. Anyway, Dave wore plain black frames year after year, prescription after prescription, until he met Jane. Here are just a couple of snaps but the black frames were an era.

Three generations

Here are our parents and grandparents. Jim and Beth don't have kids yet. I don't know the date or occassion (Connie is the baby though). Cousins left to right: Marilou, John, Gail, and Connie.

Thanksgiving 1982

Dwight and Julie were living on the east side of Cincinnati and had the whole crew over for Thanksgiving. These days, they are still the ones that do most of the hosting...Thanks guys!

As usual, it was time for a family photo. I'd say look at Dwight's red hair but the truth of the matter is my hair isn't that dark anymore either. Christopher is the baby.

I really like this photo of mom and dad too.

Auburn Hair

Mom had the most beautiful hair. It was thick with a slight wave and the most beautiful auburn color. She kept it long until she was in her 50's. My memory is that she would wear it in a french twist everyday. She showed me a million times how to do it but my attempts never looked as good as the way she did it.

None of us had her hair color exactly. David and Annie come the closest.

Mom always talked about how jealous she was of her older brother John because he had natural curl in his hair. She had to work hard to get the beautiful curls in these photos. She would stand in front of the mirror trying to put curls in and then she would watch John stand in front of the mirror trying to comb curls out.

The photo on the left is a detail from a school photo. The photo on the right is one taken by JWE (I think) about 1949.

JWE travels

Dad was smitten with traveling. I always speculated that his tour of duty in Tokyo during the occupation following WWII may have had an influence. I will ease some photos of JWE on the road but these two are more what I consider family photos than travel photos...

After he first retired, he was reluctant to travel by himself. I believe he always thought he and Mom would get to travel together but it wasn't to be. Christine (Alaska) and I (Great Britain/Ireland) both had the opportunity to be his traveling companions in his early retirement years. It was just a brief adjustment as he went on his own to traveling with senior groups after that. So these two trips are very special to me of all the trips he took.

The first phot is Dad on our trip to Great Britain (1989). We traveled with a tour bus group and we were staying at a little B&B this night. The shot wasn't contrived...he just happened to sit at the table to make notes in his journal.

The other photo is Christine and Dad on the crusie ship to Alaska (1988). As I recall, the trip included planes, trains, buses, and boats.

Well maybe, they just always looked like something was up. This picture has Aunt Mary, Grandad Sam's sister.

Now doesn't group give the appearance that something's up? Everyone has a knowing / innocent smirk. Everytime I look at this photo, I wonder what the joke was...or what did Uncle Paul get caught doing? I notice that Grandma M. has a good grip on him.

Sam and Anne

What a fun photo of Beth's parents. I don't know the date.

10 days old

Dean was a tax deduction baby. Born on New Years eve. Here he is with big brother DScott. Dean has always had a different perspective on the world...he has an odd way of looking at things (smiles).

Baby Christine

Here are a couple baby pictures of Christine. Grace Church used to have a full-time paid babysitter. Mrs. Grote took care of most of us on Sunday mornings over the years. Here, Christine is being charming and cute in Mrs. Grote's lap. There was a certain creak to that rocker. Last I knew, Christine acquired it and still has it. Funny, this is the only church nursery picture I came across.

The other picture is Christine in red and white dress. Mrs. Alice DeWitt made matching dresses for Christine and I for the mothers day fashion show at the church. Bold red and white with matching kerchiefs. We were a big hit. As I recall, Christine had matching red/white bloomers that she got to show (she was 2 or 3 so it was no big deal). Mrs. DeWitt liked sowing and cooking (she was the church camp cook for years). My child memory is that she just wanted to sow for someone on this occassion and get in the show.

At Grandma E's house. 1966

Grandad Paul and Grandma Elizabeth

Grandparents we never knew. Elizabeth died shortly after giving birth to dad at the age of 21. Both were schoolteachers. Grandad was also a farmer. JWE had the good fortune to be raised by our grandparents Don and Anne who were very thrilled to be blessed with the opportunity to have a son. Paul and Don were cousins. Paul died not long after Mom and Dad were married. There is a photo of him with toddler DScott which I'll post another time.

Sam and Anne

Grandad M. was a chaplain in WWI. Grandma M. was a schoolteacher. These photos are before they started a family together.

JWE just before he dropped the cat

This is an all time family favorite.
Dad is a toddler which places this photo at about 1923 or so. Photography was popular in our family even then.

Shortly before or after, they snapped this photo of JWE with his cousin Genevieve.

Baby of the family

There is always the perception that all the photos were taken of the oldest and that none were taken of the youngest. While there is an overabundance of baby pictures of DScott, I found lots of pictures of my younger sibs when sorting through JWE's photos. Here are a couple of my favorites of Jay. The first was from about 1972. Mom is trying to finish her chapter before Jay is fully awake from his nap. The second is from 1973. Dad perched him on the piano bench in the front hallway and snapped a few.

1977

A nice photo of John and JWE taken on the front steps of the house. And a rare snap of just us girls. This was the same photo session as the earlier post with the bearded brothers.

1962 strike that try ...1965-66

Here we are again. Dad still has black hair. None of us are driving yet. John is the baby in this one.

Christmas 1983

I have this on my wall. What a great photo. The two oldest from the new generation, Chris and Mary. Chris is three in this picture, he's supposed to pout it's what three year olds do.

1977

Dad took portraits this day. I don't recall why but maybe he had a new camera. No group photo that I recall this time, but those of us that were home had to pose for a portrait. I like these pictures because this is how I remember my parents.

Laddie 1970

This is the mean old dog everyone remembers. He got a bath at Memorial Day every year. He was Beth's dog. He protected the babies until they turned about 2 then it seems like he knew they knew better. He liked having his ears scratched but no one could go near his food. JWE bailed him out of the pound more than once. Here D. Scott helps and Dean supervises.

Dec 4, 1960

I don't know the location but since it was December, I don't think we were camping. The puppy was "Rusty". He came before Laddie but he wasn't very healthy. We didn't have him long. Dean is the baby in this one.

Mom at age of 4 months.

25th Wedding Anniversary

A surprise party. Mom and Dad thought they were going to a church event. They arrived to find a room full of friends and family waiting to congratulate them. Those of us away at college, managed to slip home for the party. This photo was taken at home later. Not sure which sib(s) planned this but it was great!

1958

We liked to give the appearance of angels. I guess we were pretty good by today's standards. We had a lot of discipline and love.

1966

We almost always had 3 generations in our home. For a few years, one grandmother lived in the front of the house, and the other grandmother lived in an apartment at the back. Here, John is the baby in Grandma M.'s lap.

November 1957

Check out this group. We are cousins...Sam and Anne's grandkids. I generally think of us as Gen3. There were a few more after this photo. We still get together every year. Our kids all know each other too. This was taken at Grandma's house in Carrollton.

1959

Dwight has chickenpox in this one. Dean is slightly crosseyed. Of course, I am the princess. I remember those little red shoes.

Another shutter phooo bar, 1990

The consumate photographer at his best. I love this one.

1977

Sometime in the 70's I guess, all the brothers went through a beard phase. Thank goodness that is over. Dean still has a beard but it looks much beter now.

Ignore the man behind the curtain

JWE was always a photographer. He left us with over 50 years of photos. He had this cool camera where he could depress the shutter at the end of a long cable. No timers then. In this photo, we were strictly instructed to look at the camera...ignore Dad. Not sure what went wrong but something didn't work right and Dad was fussing with his remote shutter. Notice that Mom and Dave (#2 son) are the only ones even looking at the camera. At least we kept our hands folded.