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This photo was taken on New Year's Eve about 6 years ago when my 2-inch Bear had more fur and stuffing. He's been put though a lot over the years, while posing for my camera. Sadly he did end up falling into the champagne. But that wasn't as bad as many other close calls in the past.  Close Calls With Little Bear: Almost got carried off by a seagull... nearly caught on fire when posing with 10 candles... Fell into a marsh at dusk... Blew off a wall and was lost in growth 12 feet below... Fell out of pocket in New York, was run over by a car and mailed back to me by a family who found him AND the posted "Missing" note...
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No, this is not a surprise Christmas gift, with a bow. This was taken today at the Carmax, used car dealership. Thomas our "sales-guy" placed a temp bow on our newly purchased Kia. He was delightful, by the way. We spent as much time talking about Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim Museum and NYU, as we did cars. I'm pretty darn excited to drive this car, but I'll be sad to say good-bye to my well-worn Honda Element.  Favorite Past Cars: The (1965?) red, Ford Galaxay convertible, that held our family of 6... Dad's red Fiat Spider convertible, that he used to teach me to drive stick... Our crazy (not classy) conversion van called "Prime Time", with mood lights and built in TV... '73 Chevy pick-up that Don drove, on our first date... My new 1978 , 4,000-dollar Ford Fiesta, with no a.c. or power windows!
I miss the days when backyards had clotheslines. The last time I saw clothes drying in the sun was 2 years ago in Bouquillas, Mexico. Don and I were visiting Big Bend National Park in west Texas. We brought our passports so we could cross the Rio Grande at the only ranger operated legal crossing. It was a beautiful day and we met some wonderful people in the village.  Clotheslines I Recall: Beach towels struggling to dry on the line, in our jungly, humid yard in Sarastota... Taking pictures of old quilts on a clothesline, behind an unoccupied house in smalltown Texas... Watching preschoolers enjoy a bandana washing activity, then hanging them on a line...
This looks like I'm taking a picture of a seagull. Actually my sister took this photo of me, because she was amused that I was photographing my tiny, 2-inch bear on the sand. We were together almost a year ago in Florida, eagerly snapping away with our cameras. Taking photos makes me happy. Taking photos with Jenni, makes me twice as happy.  Photo Moments: In Rome, my memory card was suddenly full, just as the Pope was approaching in his Pope Mobile... In Utah, I fumbled my camera off of "auto focus" and have one blurred photo of Robert Redford walking by... Such fun, attempting to capture the sun setting as the full moon was rising on Galveston beach...
I'm continuing these "happy posts" till the end of 2016. Christmas is over, so I'll post more random, favorite images. This photo shows my grandmother and her sister playing croquet at her grandparents' house. I have always adored old houses and this one is a beauty. I so wish this house were still standing in Springfield, Missouri so that I could go visit.  I love old houses with... Wrap-around porches... Creepy attics and basements... Pocket doors... Bay windows... A barn for a garage... Staircases with ride-able banisters... Tall windows that open...
It's the day after Christmas and the four "youngins" are already gone. That should make me sad, but the photos make me smile! We toasted to both engagements on Christmas Eve and the night before we had a few toasts at our favorite German restaurant. I was surprised on that night when there was a toast to me... finishing treatment. The holidays have made me forget!   MERRY CHRISTMAS!
In 1963, my family woke to this Christmas scene, in our Staten Island apartment. Obviously this photo is taken after the gifts were opened and wrappings were cleared. The best indication is that the easel on the right, has clearly been put to use. I was 6 years old that year and remember being giddy over the gift I had asked Santa for. You would have thought I might have painted Santa, or a Christmas tree. But that's Lincoln. I liked painting him in his top hat.  Memorable Gifts: When young Scott got an Elvis doll for Xmas and squealed with joy... The battery operated penguin toy form Grandpa, made so much noise and racket, but the kids loved it... My sister and I got Chatty Cathy dolls for Christmas... I got a diary at age 10 and wrote every day for that year and 11 years after, in new diaries... 2 year old Heidi was very skeptical of a doll, but adored her tiny bear...
This Christmas Eve photo was taken at our home, in 2004! To hope for a little snow in the Houston area is asking for a lot, anytime! To wish for a White Christmas is almost ridiculous. But, the snow started the evening before Christmas and we woke to a little more on Christmas morning. There's nothing like snow to bring neighbors out of their homes, cheering together!  Memorable Christmas Eves: Snowy, NYC 1963, when Mom and we 4 sibs killed time at a city fire station, waiting for Dad to get off work... 25 years later, we began a "Xmas Eve at the Fire Station" tradition with my kids. One year after a cookie delivery, I was allowed to try out the fire pole... In 1988, a knock on the door with a "Ho Ho Ho!" excited little Heidi. The door was opened to discover a big stuffed monkey and note from Santa... Many memories of mom in later years spending Xmas Eve knitting, frantically finishing up the stocking for the latest family member!
In this photo, Don and I were married just over a year and still learning how to work out Christmas celebrations with both of our families. Don's family felt organized and calm, compared to my family's quirky-chaos, which I loved. In this photo, Don and my bro were topping the tree with the always unhappy "Miss Copeless" doll.  Don's traditions vs. Beth's traditions: D's Xmas boots & B's Xmas stockings... D's family took turns opening gifts & B's fam, all dug in at once... D's house was quiet enough to hear Xmas music on radio & in B's house, you might not hear the phone ring... D's family was up early and dressed for present opening & B's fam often in robes until pm...
Santa photos can be so adorable and also so pitiful. At least no one is crying in either of these photos, taken about 30 years apart. The Santas don't exactly look jovial and the expressions of the children vary. Scott looks a bit annoyed. Heidi and I both seem to be conjuring up smiles. I wish I had more Santa photos!
Santa Memories: The Macy's Santa above, seemed pretty ideal to me at age 6. We were in NYC on Xmas Eve and snow was coming down... A preschool fieldtrip in St. Louis to see Santa could have been disasterous. We teachers chose the shorter Santa line. Our racially mixed group of children showed no surprise or concern that their Santa had dark skin... I remember taking my kids to see the most gentle and realistic mall Santa when they were young. I so wished they were old enough to appreciate the rare Santa experience they were getting.
My Rex Harrison/Dr. Dolittle doll only debuted as a Christmas decoration one year. He is usually stuck away in a box of things that I should think about parting with. I'm afraid my Christmas decorating is filled with many oddball goodies, that aren't totally appreciated by all.  Odd Stuff: Thumb-sized, metal Christmas elf, bought from an artist 34 years ago... Royal Doulton china chimes with Snowman illustrations... The Christmas Crab is more plastic toy than ornament. It hangs on tree by a long ribbon and is worn by the crabbiest...
It's December 20th and the ping pong table has not been pulled out of the garage yet. We threaten to get rid of the poor, warped thing that only gets used about once a year. But when the paddles come out and the Santa hats go on, everybody gets so darn happy. We'll see if we can keep it around one more year.  Games We've Played at Xmas: Darts... Charades... Pictionary... Jacks... Any cards... Trivial Pursuit...
Each year, I still pull out children's Christmas books, even though my kids are grown. Some books, I've learned to appreciate more... like the Grinch! And a few old favorites make me laugh with their bland illustrations and lame stories. I wonder what it was that drew me to them?  My Old Favorites: Katie and the Sad Noise... Cajun Night Before Christmas... Eloise at Christmastime... The Polar Express... Frosty, Charile Brown's Xmas and The Grinch...
I guess it's a little crazy that I pull out my husband's Christmas artwork and put it on display each year. But I love these 2 little 3-D masterpieces! The construction paper has grown faded and Rudolph is losing his pine antlers, but I adore them. They take me back in time, to my own memories of being happily absorbed in Christmas crafts... and then later my own kids!
KId Crafts: Tedious work of paper chains and popcorn stringing... Folding pages of Reader's Digest to create a standing, paper tree.... My kids' ornaments, made each year, with lots of glitter and pride... My childhood family tree in 1962, covered in all family-made decorations, since we were living away from home that year...
For nearly 20 years I organized neighborhood caroling, as our kids were growing up. We started going door to door in St. Louis, when the kids were hardly old enough to belt out Jingle Bells. In Tulsa, we pulled a wagon around our block, singing and collecting donations for charities. But I love memories of our Sugar Land, TX group which always started at the entrance, decorated with angels. It grew as more joined us, traveling around the neighborhood, pausing at corners to sing for anyone who wanted to hear. Because of our neighborhood diversity we often had kids and adults joining us who had never heard of caroling. Some spoke different languages and didn't even celebrate Christmas, but all joined in together!  Caroling Memories: Spontaneous caroling with family friends on a snowy Christmas Eve, when the 8 kids slipped out of the house and began knocking on doors... Caroling with my sibs as Mom played piano and we kids played rhythm band instruments...Taking Heidi's Girl Scout troop to carol at a nursing home and the girls were a bit initimidated... Ending our annual caroling with cookies and hot chocolate, wound up kids and gabbing parents...
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