Old Photos

 My cousin, Janet Hill, who lives in Colorado (younger daughter of Mom's brother Uncle Clark and Aunt Ruth), sent a number of old photos to me in February.  I'd never seen any of them and the brilliance of the Kodachrome slides was amazing.  The clarity of some of these photos made the events and people captured on film more than a half century ago seem more recent.  

Once in awhile I find an old photo of my mother and see her as being almost movie star pretty.  The photo above is one of those.  I recognize my dad's pointing finger here, probably accusing her of being a lay-a-bed. I remember the leather strap and buckle of his watch. I recognize the green of the sofa that sat in the utility room at Grandma's house and remember that tile between the closet and the hot water heater. My cousin, Pam, recognized the fabric of the quilt and spotted another like it folded on the chair behind Dad. The photographer (Uncle Clark, probably) was standing in the doorway to the living room.  Funny how minor details of old photos can bring back such vivid memories.  

Above: My cousins, Janet (left) and Joyce Hill.  Janet had comments about her sister's perm.  I find her hairdo amazing in light of the fact that as a teenager she had gorgeous, long, straight and thick honey lit brown hair.   

That very healthy and not real happy baby in the photo above is me!  The gal holding me is "red headed Judy."  She was Grandpa Fred's granddaughter and my mother's half-cousin.  Her mom was Goldie (Hill) Barbour, Grandpa Fred's daughter by his first wife, Letha.  

Above left to right: my grandma Opal Hill, Cousin Joe (another of Goldie and Virgil Barbour's kids), baby me, and Shep.  I know the dog's name because all Grandma and Grandpa's dogs were called "Shep."

My grandpa Fred L. Hill on his tractor.  

My beautiful Aunt Ruth and Uncle Freddy Lee Hill.  He changed his name to Fred L. later in life.  Always "Freddy Lee" to Grandma Opal.  He had beautiful blue eyes.  Outgoing, liked people, charmed kids and dogs, could whistle any tune.  Loved my Uncle Fred--and so did most everyone else!  

Grandma Opal and my cousin, Janet, fishing down at Union Ford.  I think Grandma was holding up an empty fish stringer as a joke.