Saturday Centus - Laugh Out Loud

Welcome to another silly and mysteriously funny Saturday Centus, where Jenny from Off on my tangent, temps us with a prompt, this week it's (Laugh out loud) and the somewhat tidy rules this week of no more than 53 words total but.....(and I really enjoy this) we can throw in a picture too!  Isn't that just so darn wonderful? Yes, it is!

So here is my offering....(note read and scroll down to the bottom!)


The time had come for the groom to retrieve his blushing bride’s garter! She sat before him while his eyes were blindfolded. Once the music played his fingers slowly began searching, when suddenly a puzzled look came over his face.



   EVERYONE  
            
                    HAD

                                TO
                                 "LAUGH OUT LOUD"
(keep scrolling for ......)

They’d pulled an old bride/groomsman switcheroo!

I thoroughly hope you may have been tempted to Laugh Out LOUD as well, go ahead don't be shy....it's all about fun and silly games here!...and if you want to play along go here

http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/2011/08/saturday-centus-laugh-out-loud.html

Six Word Saturday - 6WS - 13 August 2011

Quips and quotes and all things nice can be found right here with another edition of

SIX   --   WORD  --   SATURDAY           AKA    --     6WS

This is where Cate from  "Show My Face Blog" has us put some sort of order to our life with using six words..... Thank you Cate!

Here is my offering.... today.....



         DREAMING OF
       DISTANT PLACES
           AND THINGS


DO YOU EVER DO THAT TOO?  The feeling is ever so apparent after getting up really early to drive somebody else to the airport......

We are under the spell always of what is distant from us.
It is not in our nature to desire passionately what is near at hand. - Alec Waugh

"Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers." - Rainer Maria Rilke

So if you feel the urge to go that extra distance as well to offer your own six words go here

http://www.showmyface.com/2011/08/six-word-saturday_13.html

Sepia Saturday 87 : 13 August 2011

Sepia Saturday and Weddings can make a girl cry even long after her vows.......
Welcome to another Sepia Saturday where every Saturday Alan from  SEPIA SATURDAY  posts a theme photo for us to follow.....or NOT!.... it's all about sepia photos, old photos, family photos or what ever photo you desire to post...just do it!

                 If you didn't see the theme photo for this week it featured sweethearts and/or couples in love.   You can check it out at Sepia Saturday.

                 I've decided to take another approach....one of opposites, since some folks are just unlucky in love, or rather long lasting love.  Whether it's divorce or somebody becoming a widow or widower.... the serendipity or happiness of marriage for them lingers no more........

Oops, looks like something is amiss even before the Honeymoon!
(funny today some use Photoshop to remove people in photos!)

                         Wants A Divorce
                         Mrs. Cloutier Does Not Love Her Husband
Caroline Cloutier has asked for a divorce from her husband, who conducts a small   store ....in this city. 
       Mrs. Cloutier has had troubles of her own until you cannot rest, having been married four times.  She lived on a farm north of Crookston with her first husband and found, after several years, that he had a wife living from whom he had never been divorced.
       She also alleges that the present spouse is abusive, calls her names which would not look well in print, plays handball with the dishes, and is very jealous.  She will therefore sue the court that absolute divorce be granted her.  Cloutier is said to be quite rich having several farms and a valuable piece of property in Thief River Falls.
             The entire article (not all here) was printed in the Thief River Falls News - Dec. 19, 1901

Friendships have a better chance of surviving......

On the left is, Brenda Ueland and her good-long-time friend Martha Otenso on the right. They are Ice Boating on Lake Calhoun, in Minneapolis.  Courtesy of The Minneapolis Public Library.

“So you see, imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering,” – Brenda Ueland

                 ...... keeping best friends together longer.

              
SOMETIMES, YOUR BEST AND LONGEST RELATIONSHIPS       
ARE WITH YOUR DEAREST FRIENDS.

Brenda Ueland, born in Minneapolis, and freelanced for the Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, Golfer and Sportsman, and other publications and newspapers wasn't so lucky in love.  She had many lovers, was married three times and also divorced three times.  Her career was prolific as she wrote scripts for radio shows like "Tell Me More" where Ueland responded to listener's personal problems and also a children's program about notable women, "Stories for Girl Heroes."

One of her dearest friends, Martha Otenso was luckier in love.  Also a novelist like Brenda only Canadian and a screenwriter as well and also taught in a rural school.  She was born in Haukeland (now Bergen) in Hordaland County, Norway before emigrating with her family to the United States. She married a fellow novelist, Douglas Durkin, and her stories mostly included elements of romance and melodrama set on farm life in Minnesota.

Luckily for me, the seller of the photo below had no idea who these two ladies were.  (Although their description is written on the back plainly.  Another long and lasting relationship, this between mother and daughter.

"Who has time for scrubbing and cooking when there is walking to be done!"
Introducing "The Lady Pedestrians."
May I introduce Helga, a 36 year old suffragist (1860-1942) and her 18 year old daughter, Clara Estby (1877-1950) together they walked from Mica Creek, Spokane County, to New York City beginning on May 6, 1896, just to win $10,000!  Yes they met many curious and famous characters along their over 4,000 mile journey.  This link will give you their full interesting story.  They hoped their winnings would save their family farm.

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9847

In short, they wore out 32 pairs of shoes but made it to New York.  Sadly they weren't paid even a nickel by the sponsor although once they traveled back home, their visit through Minneapolis proved eventful as they were given $10,000 for their story for a book that apparently never was published.

OH THE BITTERSWEETS OF LIFE SOMETIMES.....

Then there was the unlucky in love who became widows.....as this starry eyed woman.

...and of course not to forget the single ladies.....where a good father tried his hardest to get his daughters hitched.

I can hear him now, "My Sweethearts, from the top of your head to your dainty toes; you're the last word in fashion where ere you go, and any good lad would be proud to claim you as his bride."

Remember to stop by Sepia Saturday and view the other witty and excellent posts......and hoping your relationships are long and lasting too!

http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2011/08/sepia-saturday-87-13-august-2011.html

Note: History buffs may recognize the name Ueland in Minnesota, and Brenda's father was Judge Andreas Ueland from Norway, and her mother, Clara Hampson Ueland was a kindergarten teacher and was drawn to social activism and in 1914 was elected president of the Minnesota Suffrage Association and in 1919 became the first president of the Minnesota League of Women Voters (thank you Clara!) and after women won the right to vote in 1920, she was chair of the league's legislative council.  Sadly, in 1927 Clara died when struck by a truck on her way home from the Cottage City Streetcar stop.

Thanks for stopping by another Sepia Saturday post......have a great weekend and try to create some serendipity into your weekend...if you can!

Thematic Photographic 157 Rough

Literally ROUGH

Once upon a rock garden.

Once again it's time for "Thematic Photographic" and Carmi has offered "rough" as our theme for photos  BUT!  As never before ( that I've roughly seen) other than occasionally saying you could assist the aid of your mother-in-law to the mix ......this week Carmi has asked us to view rough more literally than figuratively..............and so here are my rough photos presented as Carmi requested, literally!

Okay Rough and ready here we go.......................

Ah the slightly rusty, severely rugged old rough beams so crudely displayed......

Harney Peak in South Dakota, at the very top without a flashlight and evening was falling fast.

         Rough when viewed literally is well simply: jagged, rugged, uneven, irregular, bumpy or coarse....and not really pretty or stunning so next I offer rough................and a bit more.....

....of place, or location along with a few pounds of craggy and jagged with a touch of stormy.....along a rugged terrain....

A slightly scratchy, crude, unpolished but approximately uneven ruggedness naturally bumpy in places, but with a streamy likeness of is that a babbling brook?

Okay sticking to the program....how about a real wooden finish to rough?

This wooden display of rough is rugged and unpolished and coarse to the touch, but to the eye, quite lovely.

I hope you didn't get scratched or bruised viewing any of these, but if you have some of your own roughness to share, or you just want more..... go here

http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/08/thematic-photographic-157-rough.html

Whimsical Wednesday - 10, August 2011

Supporting every one's whimsy and the arts......on this Whimsical edition of Whimsical Wednesday brought to by sea shells by the sea side.....

The Sugar Plum House on Candy Cane Lane - by the sea side.....

                             She sells seashells
                              By the seashore
                            The shells she sells,
                            Are surely seashells,
                           So if she sells seashells
                                On the seashore,
                           Then I'm sure she sells
                                seashore shells.

If you care to play along with your own bit of whimsy, or just want to see other whimsical creations just go here
http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/p/whimsical-wednesday.html

Saturday Centus You Are My Sunshine

Hello everyone welcome to Saturday Centus....where oh so sweet Jenny puts together a fun little game on her "Off On My Tangent" blog......

Today, Jenny has given us a prompt of 4 words, "You are my sunshine" and we may throw in a photo along with 50 extra words.."Oh yeah, let the games begin please!"

...and while blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back he begins....

 So beginning from last week's Fried Egg photo prompt I offer you live coverage from the Fried Egg Competition, remember the eggs are to be almost frozen .....so yes those are ice cubes you see.  Here are my 54 words total which includes the prompt of "You are my sunshine."
 
Here is my post....

       Honestly folks these Marionettes are confident in their ability to beat Sir Gordon Ramsay in the Fried Egg Competition.  With organized efficiency, the officials bring in the contestants and Ramsay himself.  Let’s hear what this striped Marionette is saying as he selects his perfect egg, “You are my sunshine!” as Ramsay retorts, “Bleep, bleep."


Side note: (for Gordon Ramsay's sake of course) what you have read here is based on pure fiction, and trust me no eggs, or Marionettes were harmed in any way.   Oh yes, the ice cubes were a total loss.

I hope you've enjoyed my post for Saturday Centus, and if you want to play along too, or just view some other absolutely incredible submissions for Saturday Centus just go here..and everyone have a delightful sunny side up ....weekend because did I mention everyone who visits here ..."You are my sunshine!"

Six Word Saturday - 6WS - 6 August

      





Welcome everyone to another Six Word Saturday.....where Cate from http://www.showmyface.com/  created an outlet for us to express "whatever" in six words.
It doesn't need to be a sentence.  Just simply six words to share with everyone!

...and so on this extremely busy day of sorts, like Saturdays can be, I give you my six completely expressive words for today!

If you want to play along too just go here
http://www.showmyface.com/2011/08/six-word-saturday.html

"Sometimes, we just out grow things."

Life is Change.  Growth is (except you know like age) optional.  Choose wisely.

This mouse must give up one of his Mouse ways of seeing things in order that he may grow!  Hyemeyohsts Storm

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and for those of us lucky enough to be enjoying summer....get every second out of it that you can....we all know what change is coming.......too soon......I'm already wishing we were still in June! 

Sepia Saturday : # 86 Saturday 6 August 2011

This is a true bull (and Goddess) story, really.......

..and yes my story begins with this Lion (since we all know how special lions are too)

Lion sculpted early 1800’s by Bertel Thorvaldson, hired to erect a monument to the fallen Swiss Officers and Guards who guarded King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and their children during the French Revolution.   Now for the rest of the cow story.......

BECAUSE I AM CRAZY FOR COWS TOO

We’re off to see ........ “striking and affecting statues" of historic figures and animals by great sculptors who created important personalities and specialized in animals as well…..on this Sepia Saturday trail, just moo-ving along as Alan said!

"Lions, and tigers and bears and bulls, Oh my……all the way to stealing a one ton bull. Amazing story indeed it is!"

"Silly, silly cow...how do I love thee...let me count the grunts..."
"Oh Bessie, come on now, push….just a bit more, please,” begged the farmer leaning over his (later known as) one time blue-ribbon cow.  Bessie was so busy pressing her snobbish nose into the air as both horse and cow decided, to stay put in unison.  So sorry it appears no fair for you Mr. Farmer.

Mysteriously, doesn't this real cow resemble very closely the cow statue in Alan's theme photo?



For me too, IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT THE COWS! From my family’s dairy cows in Michigan to my grandfather’s cows on an Arizona ranch…..long live the cows, every last one of them!

Don't let me forget to mention this fair was a really big deal.  Some of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition Fair goers arrived by boat....

They worked and they saved and they worked some more to be able to make it to the fair! Grab your hats, and we're off.

Greetings from Sepia Saturday   where we find ourselves lost in a world of glamour, an assassination, magnificent sculptures by ingenious artisans, diabolical desperadoes, curious spectators all involved in glitzy tales from yesteryear. By the end you will know most of the story (minus one detail) that I am about to unfold.

My story grazes across Alan’s theme photo, a delight as always and his mission: to uncover a cow!  Yes, a cow and no doubt he sauntered through many a country fields (by way of Internet speed) to unearth one!...and viola! a cow, with also a fair maiden at his side, and both are resting on the grounds of The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, Illinois.  

       We begin moving into the summer of 1893 with a setting of endless adventures until the low-slanting light of late afternoons mellowed into a clear, crisp autumn. October 9, 1893 was designated as”Chicago Day” setting a record attendance of 716,881 attendees at an outdoor event.

The World’s Fair of 1893 more commonly known as the World’s Columbian Exposition was created in honor of celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World of 1492.

The post card below of course is taken from a painting, as we all know there really aren't any REAL pictures of Columbus known to exist and there is no way to be certain that this painting believed to be Columbus and created by Italian Sebastian del Piombo really is of Christopher Columbus, but it works for me now.

As important as it appears to me that one would, sadly again no one wrote even a single word on the other side.

This wouldn't be a story if it weren't for:  Enter “The World’s Fair Bulls” as they were so often called, along with Daniel Chester French, (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) an American Sculptor and his helper, Edward Clark Potter bringing forth two huge and enormously proud bulls that ornamented the livestock exhibit at the World’s Fair.  Hence, Alan’s photo this week.  French, already known for designing the “Minute Man statue in Concord, Mass.  and would later create the Abraham Lincoln memorial statue in Washington, D.C. and then design the Pulitzer Prize gold medal, before finally with the aid of his student, Potter modeled the lions in front of the New York Public Library.  Below (at the end of my post) are two links to further your knowledge in all of French's accomplishments.

One of the two lions by Daniel Chester French outside of the New York Public Library. This photo is one of others in the public domain photographs, File: New York Public Library Lion - 27527.jpg. and located on Wikipedia Commons.

Another of Daniel Chester French's work is Abraham Lincoln

Sculpture by French of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial Statue in Washington, D.C. Photo permission granted by GNU Free Documentation License from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Lincoln_Memorial_%28Linco....

Last of photos, is another very famous statue by Daniel Chester French

French's "The Minute Man" statue in Concord, Mass.

Erected in 1875, in Concord, Massachusetts, located in Minute Man National Historical Park, also called The Concord Minuteman, French wanted to depict this statue for the typical Minute Man of 1775.  The first stanza of Emerson's - Concord Hymn is inscribed at the the base. Photo also courtesy of wikipedia commons.


                   Two days before the close of the World's Columbian Exposition tragedy struck and it ended on a sad note as the ever popular mayor Carter Harrison, Sr. was assassinated by Patrick Eugene Prendergast just as Chicago was swarming with interested visitors and streams of people jammed the gates of a World’s Fair so dynamic and bustling with competition from everything new upon the horizon and all things otherwise known as big, especially in the art department.


      Oh did I fall short of explaining the diabolical desperadoes? That story begins like this. Rightly so, all the artists and bulls were a very big deal at the fair. After all the bulls earned their own name of The World’s Fair Bulls, and once the fair ended they proudly hailed from Garfield Park to greet visitors strolling Chicago’s well known park. However, all great things often come to an end, and much of Chicago’s west side was suffering with weeds covering in masses and drugs flourished through the area.  So, the 1980’s brought the premonition of disaster evident so suddenly and formed an inexplicable chill which sent shivers down people’s backs.

Could it be possible, but one of the bull and goddess statues was GONE!
Apparently, it was a park tour guide that first noticed quite by accident that the bull and the goddess of corn were missing.

(Luckily the stolen one ton bull was not the one pictured in Alan’s theme photo.)

As time went by, the other matching bull remained; still greeting visitors now with its base a bit cockeyed as though someone tried nabbing it as well. Its tail had been hacked off, as was the goddess of grain’s arm. Of course a mere $1,000 reward was offered for the return of the missing bull but it just didn’t seem anyone was ready to release it yet.

Speculation drew greater for the demise of the bull for scrap purposes, and quite possibly much more than $1,000 if it was scrapped.


After a state of slow flux some twenty–four years passed by, those people who were devastated by the theft relentlessly continued their search for the missing bull and its maiden, while others just buried it beneath their everyday trials.


               There is a rainbow at the end of the missing bull’s story.  On a snowy February morning, Julia Bachrach, the Chicago Park District historian opened what appeared to be just another e-mail, and was surprisingly shocked to read, “A big bronze bull with a goddess attached was at a New York auction house,” according to the head of the New York auction house, he was confused having such a strange and curious item arrive so mysteriously.

As the story unravels, the missing bull and goddess had just shown up one day after being discovered on a wealthy rural estate in Virginia. There it was, a big bull standing alongside of a little lake not far from horses in a barn and was in pretty good shape at that! The owner of the property had since died, and the appraiser of the estate immediately thought, something rather “BIG” was standing right there waiting to be noticed, and so began the Internet research to find its rightful home.


Why would anyone steal a one ton bull anyway?


One rumor reported it was being held hostage in a church basement!


STILL THESE QUESTIONS REMAINED. How would you go about stealing it? Could someone or several desperadoes actually haul in a crane and flatbed truck to carry it away from a large, heavily visited public park without anyone witnessing it?


Apparently so.


The one ton bull and goddess of corn had simply been taken.


Yes, finally the missing bull and goddess were back to where they belong however; the entire mystery of it all may never be fully solved. Unless the villain or villains come forward it seems. The Park District had sent Andrzej Dajnowski, along with A Park District lawyer to find out. But that answer will no doubt never come forward. Dajnowski, had studied art restoration as a teen-ager in Poland (also worked for the Park District in the 1990’s) before the return of the missing bull, and was asked to design a replica of it to put on display with the surviving one still at Garfield Park, on the west side of the Conservatory. He studied photos of the missing bull and the surviving one.  Now the entire old and new bull family can graze together again.


It is a happy ending to this bull story really, although they are trying to figure out where the money will come to fully restore the stolen Native American Goddess of corn representing the “New World” and her bull.  It’s safely tucked away until then but you can still visit the Roman Goddess of grain symbolizing the “Old World”. 

After researching all this I think a trip to Garfield Park again (I totally missed the bull) but as luck would have it, the Garfield park Conservatory seems to have been hit pretty badly with hail and needs a great deal of funds for repairs.  So our favorite bull may be out to pasture longer than we hoped.)

To view more works of Daniel Chester French go here
http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/dc_french/daniel_chester_french.html

And even more interesting link for French is here
http://chesterwood.org/history/french/

Thank you for as Alan says, moo-ving along with me through another glimpse into the unknown and exciting world of Sepia Saturday if you too want to join or see more go here
http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2011/08/sepia-saturday-86-saturday-6-august.html

Thematic Photographic - # 156 - Red - 1 Aug

Welcome to another Thematic Photographic where Carmi, from Written Inc. has declared our week's theme to be - RED - So, flowing along through RED ... (rather fitting with the red hot heat spreading about! )

So if red it is....we can visit the Fourth of July Parade..... for some red hot red!

So many fire engines screaming red.....from every town around us......loud and crazy sirens......

and naturally being a dog lover...I have to include a shot of one of my favorite dogs sporting a bit of red himself...

Snoopy has fans everywhere he goes......doesn't he?

So Red it shall be....did I mention that RED has never really been a favorite color of mine....so searching through my collections of photos for RED can be a challenge!

Like this RED that caught my eye......for reasons other than color!

It was a lovely summer's day on the docks of the Navy Pier in Chicago....

Red may not be my most favorite color, but it certainly is the color of choice for advertisers.... RED is read and seen all over advertising, from long ago yesterday through this very moment in time......

So much to sell...so little time...must grab buyer's attention quickly!

The color RED attracts the eyes of the consumer....every time....think this will sell quickly?  Fresh red paint.....

So what is your perception of color ......what do you see when you stare at this next photo?

REMEMBER STARE AT IT FOR A BIT..... and what do you see?

Do you see red where it should be?

Did you see red in all the right places?

I bet you did....

.....and if you care like spreading your own red for all of us to see go here
http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/08/thematic-photographic-156-red.html

Trust me it's quite fun playing this game...you get to see a wide range of things from Bob S. posting a very sporty red to PaperBackWriter's riding the rails...check them all out.....and if it's something that glows from the sky see what Max has in store ....thanks Carmi for giving us a home to post photos that just might not have been posted if not for Thematic Photographic!
Thanks for stopping by...enjoy your week and don't forget to notice RED!

Saturday Centus week 65 Based on this .......

Lovely sunny-side of life UP egg....just for all of us to savor......Oh yes "yummified" for sure Jenny from "off on my tangent" blog, with her ever so humbly delicious.....Saturday Centus you can check out here


You'll be happy you did....great entries every week....


Jenny you are going to make some tummy's very, very hungry.  How cool is that.....Jenny has given us this lovely fried egg on a ....hmmmm doesn't look like a street, perhaps a table made of concrete or STONE! 

It slightly reminds me of the heat around here lately it could fry anything..... Love the beauty of an empty cracked egg shell too...they have a certain glow to their outer skin.....Okay everyone who dares, it's whatever you want say in 100 words or less based on this photo! 

Here's my post in just under 100 words....

     Move over Gordon Ramsay while a scantly paid dummy has its say. Perhaps one day, if not already you’ll be a self-made millionaire; cooking your way through a life of cookery in your own delectable way. But could you ever match this success?

      A world class act by renowned puppetry/marionettes performing their own magic while suspended in mid air by strings, with one of their little wooden arms tied behind their stiff backs while being blindfolded and given one extremely cold, almost frozen egg to fry (without breaking the yoke) over a hot stoneware table top?
       I thought not.

Six Word Saturday - 6WS - 30 July

Good morning everyone on this blissful, SUNNY  no rain clouds in my world today.....

and welcome to another favorite post of mine for SIX WORD SATURDAY!  Where we spill the beans, so to speak ......about our life in SIX words, for Cate at Show MY Face.com ...just go here

http://www.showmyface.com/2011/07/six-word-saturday_30.html

I'm excited because this is the first SATURDAY in a few weeks that I have this morning and most of the day TO MYSELF!  No weddings, no showers, no work....just coffee and Blogger, or ice tea and lemonade on the veranda, (kidding I wish I had a veranda)  here are my six words today!


           WE NEED SEVERAL
            KINDS OF FRIENDS

First off in the order of importance is this....

"If you make friends with yourself you will never be alone," Maxwell Maltz

"Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go....." - Margaret Walker

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same ..."- Elbert Hubbard
and won't forget you....

...and yes, friends are also those bloggers we meet here every now and then and share tidbits of this and that and just make life feel so complete in knowing that we all share a bit of space in this web of our life! Have a great fun-filled-exciting and peace filled weekend everyone!

Sepia Saturday 85 Saturday 30 July

Welcome to another Sepia Saturday as we drive through a new week's theme ... Alan has seated us with a delightful photo for his Sepia Saturday theme this week. 

The moment I first saw his prize photo (of a beautiful girl sitting on a bumper) the photo below instantly came to mind.  I hadn't seen it for a few years but it was one of many valuable photos I collected, regarding a true story about greed, love, power and death on a Minnesota Lake.....back in 1933.

The Pioneer Press ran this photo from Fort Snelling Golf Course & Polo Grounds.  This was a much happier time for the lady on the right, Mrs. Ralph (Adele) Mather and her friend, Mrs. Clarence (Florence) Stone.  Adele Mather was alive and well on this day May 29, 1933 but in a few short months she drowns unexpectedly when the canoe she shared with two other people capsized.

There is an interesting story that follows the life of this photo.  I took an assignment on writing about a well known business man of Minnesota and my journey began at his untimely and unexpected death along with the death of Mrs. Adele Mather and the guide that accompanied them on that fateful boat ride.

From the more positive side of automobiles, families all across the world were busy taking photos of their family car or truck......and Dan Seals sings about that special love they all carried... from his song, My Old Yellow Car

                      "She weren't much to look at, she weren't much to ride- She was missing a window on her passenger side-The floorboard was patched up with paper and tar-But I really was something in my old yellow car!"

Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society.   Minnesota History featured a story about The Johnson Family, all gathered here in front of their fine automobiles.

Alan speaks about the bumper in it's glory days sporting enough room for anyone to hoist on top of, but it brings to mind not just the bumper or fender or hood, but the entire romanticising of our automobiles.  Our cars held status even then and so did those that owned them or perhaps drove them....as in the case of this dapper gent in his "Chauffeur's uniform".....

A dapper Mr. John Riggs chauffeur for the Rothwell  family.....they say John never married, and he never owned or drove an automobile that was yellow.

In those golden years as they're called now.... our fascination and adornment for the automobile went far beyond limiting ourselves by any means...they followed their dreams.

An American boy with his hands on the wheel -

Of a dream that was made of American steel-

Though the seats had the smell of a nickel cigar-

I really was something in my old yellow car.

We celebrated a great many things with our fine automobiles .......

Courtesy of Lyon County Historical Society on "Boxcar Day" in Tracy, Minnesota.

Pageants were only a part of showing off......

Friends would gather and take photos of themselves year after year......back then sometimes not every family had their own automobile, but surely somebody they knew did and often an automobile carried as many riders as those posing for this photo.  Back before the seat belt law came to be. -Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society


Somewhere in a pile of rubber and steel
Thee's a rusty old shell of an automobile
And if engines could run on desire alone
That old yellow car would be driving me home!

They knew they'd be powerless without their wheels so they took fine care of them!

They'd wash them, polish them and often times make money for some sort of reason....from Boy Scouts to building a new swimming pool at the local high school..... - Courtesy of Lyon County Historical Society.

Just what is that magical fascination we have with the automobile.....

Will you look at all that possible seating on those bumpers and hoods, and don't forget to notice all those proud drivers of such fine work trucks......another adventure in our precious automobile circle of life.....
-Courtesy of Lyon County Historical Society.

"There was no road too winding and nowhere too far

With two bucks of gas and my old yellow car

That old yellow car would be driving me home!"

Now for a little old fashion southern Minnesota farm life.... from the Seabury family (care of a shop on 50th and Xerxes) in Minneapolis.....they have a story that begins like this....

First comes marriage (and our own Ford).... than comes babies...and more babies, and many families had 12 or more babies .....big families in those days. The man bending his head down looks like James Dean (to me).

then meet......

Son # 1 Gordon at age 2 years and 4 months, of course the family automobile took top billing on the other side of this photo....

Gordon and his toys, and I wonder why Gordon's face doesn't appear too happy, for such a cute little face...maybe somebody wanted his toys!

Lastly after raising all those children....a woman just needed a break.....

 Momma gets to sit on the front of the family automobile...

A fine automobile at their disposal and no where important to drive to......

Take a look at me now throwing money around
I'm paying somebody to drive me downtown
Got a Mercedes Benz with a TV and bar
And God I wish I was driving my old yellow car.

I hope you enjoyed this journey through Sepia Saturday with me, and if you want to play along or just drive through a few other posts go here

http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2011/07/sepia-saturday-85-saturday-30th-july.html