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Showing posts from September, 2018

LA Freeways, Clark Gable, and the Burbank Airport

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I just returned from Pasadena, we were there overnight for a little R&R and to look at some art.  Travelling through, I was reminded of a story Mom had told me. She was going to take Jacqueline to Disneyland, but was afraid to drive on LA freeways; LA freeways had to have been a lot easier back then... I think it was Grover Collins that told gave her this strategy: immediately pull all the way to the left into the fast lane, then stay there until you're close to your destination. That was there's only cars passing you on one side. I think this behavior is a felony on the Autobahns of Germany, but it's legal in LA, and that's the way Mom navigated LA freeways for many years. I'm imagining how exasperating that must have been for the other drivers... This fear of LA Freeways might account for the reason she and Jacqueline never went to visit Clark Gable. They were on the same plane to LA when Mom emigrated; Mr. Gable was apparently quite taken with the baby Ja

Ants

Dad wasn't really a kid person, you know the type of father that plays with and interacts comfortably with kids of all ages... I know he loved us very very much but it wasn't until I was an adult that I had a real relationship with him. He had a couple of ways of spending time with us; one, I think was also designed to give Mom a little break. Sometimes on the weekends, he'd ask if we wanted to go to the office with him; David and I generally did, although there really wasn't anything for us to do there. I'd play with the desk supplies, spin around on the chairs, look in all the offices... These were the days when office smelled of wood and old leather. There was also a stack of soft-core magazines in the men's room, that David found and showed to me... We'd also go, as a family, to check out some of his drilling sites if they were within easy drive of Ventura. We had an Ant Farm, a horrible contraption where you held captive wild ants, seperated from th

Missouri mules and boxes of butter

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I scanned this photo last week, but it didn't have a date on it...  I'm going to guess it was 1942-1945. Dad would have been between 20 and 23 years old. He was enlisted in the Navy during WWII and assigned to work as a gunner's mate (part of the Armed Guard ) on a Liberty Ship , one of the merchant marine ships that sailed in convoys guarded by navy ships, and delivered supplies for the armed forced world wide. One year I was passing through Ventura and dropped by to see Dad while Mom was visiting Aunt Trude. We sat down in the den with some of his photo albums, and he started telling me stories of being at sea. I'll tell some of the stories here, and some of them later. I asked him what the most bizarre thing was that they'd transported...  He replied "Missouri Mules". There was a definite pause in the conversation, then I asked "You mean mules like donkeys? Or is that a name for something else?" Apparently they had transported a load o

What's the purpose of this blog, anyways!

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I promised my family when Mom passed that I'd try to write down some of the family stories... Lacking a vehicle for this, I've failed in every way but thinking about it. Lately, I've been scanned old photos, and updating my projects blog, which got me to thinking... What about putting the stories, in no particular order, into a blog? So I'll start writing out the stories I remember, hoping that my siblings will comment according to their memories. I'm hoping the family will enjoy reading these. I'll include stories Mom and Dad told me about their lives, stories of the families, and stories I remember from when we were growing up. Hoping you all enjoy!