I am fortunate. I grew up a mere mile from my maternal grandparents. They were ever present in my childhood and a huge influence in my life. These pics are somewhat about my grandparents and somewhat about their place. Their house was nothing special compared to others but it surely means a lot to me.
We didn’t have lots when we were growing up but my Mom and Grandma made these halloween costumes for my brother and me out of paper bags. I remember going to Jamesway (a local precursor to Wal Mart) the next town over to get bags that would fit. I remember walking around to find paints and my mom and grandma working to get our costumes ready for Halloween. We always colored Easter eggs together…I can even still smell my Grandma’s kitchen as she canned pickles.
You can see in the background the 1960s set of encyclopedias that my brother and I studied and studied. It was our outlet to the world. Every time we visited, we pulled out one of the volumes and just started reading…we went to the moon and under the sea and around the world in those books. It was our ticket to everywhere!
I only vaguely remember my great-Grandma Gardner but I am pictured with her here. Across the road from my Grandparents’ house was the tastee-freeze. On every visit, she would slowly walk back to her room at my Grandparents’ house to get a dollar for me and my brother to get ice cream. It was the best ice cream on Earth (trust me…I loooked it up in the encyclopedias!)
I grew up in NW PA where the snow comes off Lake Erie by the bushel. When I was younger, everyone had snowmobiles. My Grandparents, like everyone, had snowmobiles. I don’t honestly know if I ever rode their machines, but I remember the wonderful stories of their riding on the land behind them. I remember walking in the woods with my Dad and Grandpa and seeing birds and trees and magnificent piles of deer poop. Nature was everywhere in these woods.
There’s almost nothing as good as looking at pictures of “back home”. With the current uncertainty in the world today, I am certainly glad to have so many wonderful memories to hold on to. Welcome to my “back home”.
disclaimer: I am under the weather so I am actively participating in my own recovery plan. Any resemblance between these stories and real life people or events is merely a coincidence
Great memories! Those Halloween costumes were da bomb!
And btw, that’s MY kind of recovery plan! Hope you feel better soon!
caprilis’s last blog post..Way Back When-sday/ The folks
WHat great memories – love the halloween costumes! How is your recovery plan coming along…..
Kris
Those snowmobiles are pretty awesome!!
My mom always made our halloween costumes as well, so much better than store bought.
Get well soon, perhaps it’s a side effect from giving up Mt Dew???
Chiot’s Run’s last blog post..Plants for Thought
That was a nice trip down your memory lane!
I remember those encyclopedias. We had those too and I remembered reading them with my siblings.
YDavis’s last blog post..The Bucket List
Awww…great pics warren. There’s nothing in the world like grandma’s house to a kid, is there? Great memories, thanks for sharing. And feel better soon friend. 🙂
farm mom’s last blog post..Gratitude
Wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing – it reminds me of my own childhood. 🙂 Hope you get to feeling better fast.
Evil Twin’s Wife’s last blog post..Lent
I LOVE those Halloween costumes!! How creative!
My Grandparents also had an encyclopedia, and I learned the most amazing things. I can still remember the way they smelled. My favorite was a picture of a purple cow. I have no idea what that was about, but I liked looking at it!
Capri Kel’s last blog post..Way Back When-sday-Happy Birthday, Ab-Cat!
My paternal grandma had a set of The Book of Knowledge from the late 1920’s that was a combination of encyclopedia and craft/science project book. I vaguely remember doing the crystal radio that only faintly picked up one or two AM stations. She always kept a dollar in her apron pocket for ice cream cones and winked when she told me to keep the change. They were 15 cents!
Caprilis – unfortunately, I burned through all of the recovery package contents last night…bummer!
Kris – honestly, I am feeling much better today…not sure if the plan had anything at all to do with it
CR – I know! Aren’t old school things the best?!
YD – I think my brother has them now…soooo cool!
farm mom – you got that right…and I miss her dearly!
ETW – thanks…I am on the mend!
Capri Kel – Yes! the smell they had…unique for sure and not in a bad way…great memory!
Diane – that sounds like a ton of fun! Books from back then had such a way of really teaching science…no distractions…just cool! Our ice cream was a little more but we kept the change too!
Wow. You used to have a lot of hair.
I loved the story of your great-grandmother – she looked like a very kind woman.
Farmgirl_dk’s last blog post..An almost perfect day
I wish I did have them, but don’t know where they ended up. I don’t recolect them ever being in my posession.
shoot brother…I swore you had them…who knows then…