Precious photos & memories

June 30 is always a day of memories for me, because it’s the date of my dad’s birth.  To celebrate the centennial of that event four years ago, I put together a book of photos from the “giant red photo album” with faded and worn black pages.  Of course, many of those photos are from before my time of remembering.  

Then again some of them seem timeless - like the old farmhouse where so many of those memories began - long before I was around and then for lots of years of memories for me.  Of course, some of my favorite memories from that house are from the year we lived there as newlyweds. 

This week and this month I have again been looking at those old faded photos.  I love this one of my dad with his little sister, Lois, who was a piano virtuoso at a very young age.  More than 70 years later, the cherished Gibson guitar is now in the care of my brother, Paul.

I wish I could figure out whose house this is where they set up a card table for our family.  I love this photo - maybe because we were such a good-looking family.

I do know exactly where this one was - by the big south window in the living room.  It feels so homey to me.  I was going to crop it a bit more, but I simply must leave those big feet and long legs in there.  Speaking of feet & legs, I notice that Paul is sitting on the deer-leg stool.  I wonder where that ended up…

Swing the camera a few feet to the left... and a few years later... finally one with little brother, Richard, who would eventually become the steward of the old farm places.