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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...
Twice in 18 years, we've experienced a little snow in the Houston area. Our lame little dustings wouldn't thrill my friends from the north, but they made me pretty giddy. There's just something about snow-covered palm trees!  Surprising Snow: As a kid, seeing snow at Pike's Peak in July... A real Snow Day school closing in Tallahassee, FL was a dream come true... Coming out from a candlelight Christmas Eve service in TX to see cars covered and fat flakes coming down...
I love Don with his crew cut and pup, posing beside the retro tree. I remember enjoying Christmas in that very living room, years ago with Don's parents... before racing over to my Mom's where my siblings were waiting on us to get the celebration started. At least our families were in the same town!  What Our Trees Used to Have: Big fat, colorful lights... tinsel... short strands of popcorn and cranberries, because we grew tired of the project before it got long... paper chains... ornaments made in school... Non-breakable Styrofoam ornaments... And glass balls...
You can't drive by this house in New Orleans without grinning. Who says Christmas lights were meant to go on pine trees?  Lights I've Loved: Tilles Park in St. Louis... Pecan Grove neighborhood in Richmond, TX... Tulsa Zoo Lights... Austin's Trail of Lights, which I've only seen in photos and am dying to see!
Heidi was very drawn to music, by her second Christmas. In fact, in this photo she looks quite serious about music. However, I also remember a year or two later, when Heidi was climbing all over this very piano bench, hamming it up, singing at the top of her lungs. "There was a little baby, Oh my Lord...Way down in Bethlehem...wayyyyy down in Bethlehem!" I'm looking forward to a few duets with Heidi at this same piano, in about a week!  Family Favorites: Raffi's, Douglas Mountain... Feliz Navidad... Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas... Songs from Muppet Christmas Carol... Anything sung by Aaron Neville, Garth Brooks, Michael Buble, Bing Crosby...
One year, we attempted a little display of antler-wearing flamingos in the backyard. It seemed like a good idea, since we have palm trees and no chance of snow. I had thoughts of creating a sleigh and a Santa for the flamingos to pull... but by the time I finished hot gluing the bells and chains and the Rudolph nose on the front guy... I was tired of the whole thing. The Flamingo Christmas only happened once.  Past Yard & House Decor: For years, a painted plywood Santa leaned up against a tree, with his knit scarf blowing in the wind... In earlier years, all the houses on the lake, strung arching white lights along our fences... Our porte cochere used to have a rather tacky display of colored lights that attempted to light up nighttime games of ping pong... I so adored my grandmother's lit up plastic carolers, on her porch...
For my 200th post, I'm picking a photo that makes me smile and makes me hungry! I haven't baked a thing yet this year and I'm hoping to soon. I wish these elves were here to help and get the flour flying, but they'll be here soon enough... with their fiances... ready to help bake and eat!  Favorite Sweets to Make: Tradtional iced cookies... Snickerdoodles... Coconut & chocolate chip mounds... Candy Houses... Peanut Brittle...
I've always loved this picture of Don with the kids, heading back to the car after an afternoon performance of The Nutcracker. I love the kids in their coats, holding Daddy's hand... and also holding some kind of treat, that was given to children after the show. I remember feeling relieved that Heidi had loved the show and also a little relieved that Scott had slept through most of it. Sadly, Scott woke grumpy and refused to participate, when a photographer for the St. Louis Post wanted a photo of our family with the Sugar Plum Fairy!  Shows We've Enjoyed: A Christmas Carol at Houston's Alley Theatre... Christmas Pops concert in Tulsa... The final performance, before Lauren Anderson retired as Sugar Plum Fairy (first African American princiapal dancer for Houston Ballet)
I miss the quiet of snow and I miss this wonderful house. In Grinnell, Iowa we had lots of snow and I remember piling on lots of layers to play. We made snowforts, snowmen and snow angels. We pushed and pulled each other on sleds and sometimes skated on the icy street. Best of all, on special nights, my parents took the 4 kids on sled rides, running up and down the street, under the street light. Hot came chocolate later, after our layers of icy clothes were removed.  Sounds in Winter: The sound of car tires on the quiet, snowy street... Kid voices echoing over the cold snow as we played (at least it seemed that way)... Icicles falling with a thud or a crack... Boots walking on crunchy snow... The wind howling or whistling during a snowstorm... Branches clinking and sometimes cracking after an ice storm...
These pics were taken at Sugar Land's Town Center, at one of the annual tree lighting celebrations. For a few years, we had the fun of standing out in the square watching Scott and the S.F. Austin High School drumline perform as part of the festivites. One year the temps dropped into the thirties and I feared those drummer fingers would all snap right off.
Xmas Music in the Past: Mrs. Whitby's annual piano recitals... 18 years straight of neighborhood caroling in 3 different states... Middle School and High School band concerts... Often humorous attempts at caroling around our piano and antique organ... Watching and singing along, with Muppet Christmas Carol, still!
These 10-year-old photos amuse me. They remind me of all the times the kids hammed it up for the camera, when I was just trying to hurry up and get a Christmas card shot. Even though Scott & Heidi were faking a little gleeful anticipation, the photo does remind me of how much I do love a wrapped gift. The wrapped gift under the tree, is just as much fun as the opening.
Wrapping Memories: Little ones having more fun with ribbons and bows, than gifts... Grown kids coming home at Xmas with shopping bags, looking for the "wrapping station"... Heidi dressed in a giant wrapped Xmas box for a holiday parade... Present wrapping getting sloppier as the job goes on... Fingers sore from using scissors to curl ribbon... A time when there were no "gift bags"....
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