Contemplating.

Contemplating.
Wayzata, Minnesota

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Sepia Saturday - 196 - Reading Between the Lines

"You can't be everything to everyone, but you can be everything to a few people."



"Don't you see, driving is by far cheaper than flying my dear!"



SEPIA SATURDAY





For a change I'm posting at the beginning of this week's Sepia Saturday call for #196.

Marilyn's theme photo may not be of sepia nature, but it's one of my favorite styles from ages ago, especially for advertising.  Although, today I'm more of a fan with the likes of this photo below. 


 
 
Reading Between the Lines
 
Marilyn's choice of photo this week brings family to mind for me. 
Family, is what consumed my life last week with a family road trip back home to Michigan. 
 
Yes, we drove rather comfortably in a good sized Grand Caravan.  On the first day of our trip we drove through 5 states.
Seriously!
Beginning in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and ending in Michigan
 about 8:30 pm that first evening.
 
 
We didn't have it so bad, I mean really, caravans often appeared much like this-
 


Don't you just adore her smile?
That smile can only arrive
via fun-family-fun-ing!
 
Oh, and lovely flowers too!
 
 
 
This was more often
the way it was.
 
 
I know, for the lucky ones.  Not every family had the luxury of such a fine automobile equipped with the latest of travel trailers.
 
 
Many of us had tents!
 
 
 
But, how lucky can you get? A daddy that plays the guitar, how incredibly wonderful that is.
 
Doesn't that picnic basket bring back the memories?
 
Another favorite thing my family often did was sit beside our car and enjoy the goodies my mother prepared for us.  Note: I brought boiled eggs just like my mother did.
 
Our quick meals back then resembled this first photo below.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
This last week, our quick stops (the first day) were more like this photo below!
 
 
HEY! There's a Mac and Don's ahead!
 
 
"Can we stop?  Can we please, please!"
 
Reading Between the Lines
of family
and why far too often, we let so many years
pass between trips.  It's mostly about time, and the amount it takes to travel so many miles.
 
Thankfully, we arrived safely at the Life Tribute
of my great aunt who lived a vigorously, pack filled and wonderful adventure all the days of her life.
From July 1913 to June 18, 2013.
 
Just a few photos from our day there.
 
 
 


 
My great aunt Doris, is sitting on the left at this family camping adventure, in 1923.
 
Later, they got their first family cabin pictured in the board below.




Here is another family grouping taken in 1927.




This is during my Great Aunt Doris and my Great Uncle Elgene's "Honeymoon" to Northern Michigan in 1937.
 
What a unit they had to drive in!
 


Just some family times throughout their lives together.  The baby in her arms is my second cousin Roberta.  The bottom right photo of the building, was Elgene's Maytag Store in Lansing, Michigan.  They owned and operated the business from 1952 through 1975, and quite some time ago I posted a photo of it and a brief story about their family business.

It was interesting to hear about the ups and downs of their life together, and much about the woes of running a family business, especially during the crime filled years.  The Lansing Police Department played a dramatic roll in their lives together, and a few even shared the day with us.  I can see quite a story ahead about their life, and Roberta and her husband, Larry are just the writers to do it too.


 
 
We truly enjoyed catching up with relatives and bringing out the stories of her life.
Complete with photos from her childhood, with days working at the Bartlett Resort, to honeymooning and the raising of their daughter, Roberta to her final days of living (as a widow) and spreading her joy, love for family and even her move to live with her daughter, Roberta in 1996 to garden in sunny California.
 
To see more Sepia Saturday posts go here
 

18 comments:

ariverflowsby said...

Alas! camping days are over. Here comes winter. they're talking snow in the hills....freezing temps...are you ready for winter, Karen??

Cloudia said...

What a wonderful legacy you have, my dear K :-)


Aloha

ScotSue said...

Lovely memories of family enjoyment alongside a fascinating collection of photographs.

Little Nell said...

What a wonderful idea - I've never heard of a Life Tribute before, but it certainly appears that she deserved one, and it was worth the journey for you and your family. It must have been heaven, a family get-together and all those sepia photos!

Postcardy said...

I like the old family photos, especially the honeymoon trip.

Filip and Kristel said...

How strange these caravans look in metal.

Greetings,
Filip

21 Wits said...

Little Nell, It was very exciting, especially seeing my family in sepia photos, since I don't have so many old family photos as I wish I did! Their honeymoon photos were really fun. It was a special trip we'll long remember.

Anne Young said...

I enjoyed your recollections of trips past and present

Wendy said...

Your family and memories are perfect Rockwellian subjects! Your bringing boiled eggs on your trip just because your mother always did made me aware of the many things we do because our mothers did. It must be our way of recreating those warm memories. Stellar post, Karen. A+

Bob Scotney said...

My trip to Michigan this year ended on Monday with a night flight from Detroit. Not a caravan in sight and just my daughter, her husband and three dogs to keep us amused.
We have been there for each of the last 16 years but cannot match your magnificent photos at all.

Alex Daw said...

Wow - what a great trip and what great memories. I had to google the trip - my knowledge of American geography being very poor. I had dinner al fresco by the river with my friends last weekend. It was great. We should do it more often.

Liz Needle said...

Thanks for a fascinating and entertaining blog. You have a wealth of memories there.

Mike Brubaker said...

Great post. Travel by car or camper has certainly changed from the pioneer days and the 1920s. Today we go in air conditioned comfort on smooth roads at speeds out ancestors could never imagine, but I think they got better stories from the trip.

Anonymous said...

We enjoyed many tailgate picnics while on the road to Somewhere, USA. Great memories!

Sharon said...

We would have a hard time driving through five states in one day in Australia!

Jackie van Bergen said...

I hope someone had a voice recorder at the life tribute - to capture all the wonderful memories and family stories.
A great post!
Oh, and Sharon, it would be hard to travel through 5 states in Australia but easy to travel the same distance - just all in one state!

Tattered and Lost said...

I love the old trailers. They were efficient and stylish for their time. And how grand it must have been to travel in one long ago. Considering there were no interstates road quality was probably a topic of discussion whenever they met other trailer travelers.

Bruno Laliberté said...

Somehow, I can't picture you in that caravan... Too rustic for my taste at any rates...

Good for your great aunt.
Nice of you all to gather and remember her so fondly.
:)~
HUGZ