Sepia Saturday for Holiday week.

 Sepia Saturday for this holiday season.

I am sure this image was from some parade of sorts, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw it was the photo I have below.

That is my truck in the photo.

Taken in the mid to late 80's,1980's.

You can see, barely to the left in the photo part of a log cabin. This is a log cabin I built on my log cabin mentors property, which really doesn't not pertain to this story but adds some context.

My mentor had a nephew who was a very good chef and had a very highly regarded catering business.

This nephew asked my mentor if he could provide a Christmas tree for one of his clients. My mentor being in his 80's and me being in my 20's asked/volunteered me to find and retrieve this tree.

That is where the log cabin comes in. I found this tree on my mentors property where I had built him a small log cabin (which I could use any time).

So shortly before Christmas I drove out to this property, just me and my dogs, and found this tree.

Luckily it was not to far from the drive past the cabin and I was able to drag it out, rapped in a large canvas drop cloth, to the drive.

But how was one person suppose to get this large tree on to ones truck?

Has you can see in the photo the tree is longer, front and back, than the truck, a full sized Ford pick-up.

Well, being a Boy Scout, and use to working alone, after several cups of tea I came up with a solution.

I throw two ropes over a very large limb of a very large tree. 

One rope would be to haul the tree up, while the other would be used to hold the tree in place while I did this maneuver a couple of time; driving the truck forward, rising the tree, tying it off, backing the truck up and repeating again. 

Once I had the tree high enough to back the truck under I did the final securing to the big tree then back under the tree.

I was then able to slowly lower the tree onto my truck and secure it.

I then had to drive the tree about 30 miles to the clients house.

This house was owned by a very important lawyer in St Louis.

His house was in one of those gated communities. Separated entrances for the 'staff' if you know what I mean.

There that day was the house boy to help me with the tree.

Eventually we wrestled the tree into the mansion, not to go near the fireplace or family room, but in the entrance foyer of the place. With two staircases, one going up each side of the fireplace. My whole house at the time was not twenty feet high, yet this twenty foot plus tree fit inside the entrance way!

Once done, always being a little bold I asked the boy, since the lord and master wasn't home, if he could show me around a little. He did, a little. No private rooms.

I remember thinking when I saw the dining room that you could either A; play tennis in this room or B; fit four mobile homes in there, two on top of two.

This visit gave the goal of trying to be wealthy which after 45 years I have still not obtained.

Sepia Saturday for this week. Shipping out.

 Sepia Sat. 

I have always had a love of the big old cruise ships, having come to America on one in 1956,

So this weeks prompt was perfect, but not for me. But for my extended family.

My family came over on the Queen Elizabeth.

This prompt is for the Mauretania.

Which was with the same line as both Queens.

Sort of being the family archivist and historian, which I love, I have tried to gather as many of the old family photos from as many family members as I can.

This one came from the aunt that was responsible for us coming to America in the first place.

But since my aunt had died by the time I got it and my cousins weren't sure what it meant I had to start digging.

This below boarding list is from 1952 going from New York to Southhampton. My aunt is not listed, but my uncle and two sons are, about half way down, Moeller. I don't know if they were coming over to visit after my aunt had already headed over earlier or she was coming later. My cousins did not remember this.

So after a little research I was able to put a reason to their photos.

Sepia Saturday for this week - Bridges or trollies.

Sepia Saturday for this week.

Here is the prompt.

I took from this photo a memory that I barely have from being a kid.

When I was growing up, we use to travel to St Louis so my dad could play in Cricket matches in Forest Park in downtown St Louis.

We would often pass these red trollies on our way there or on our way home.

I don't think we ever road one.

They ended in 1966.

But in our hometown of St Charles, just across the river from St Louis a trolley would run from across the river to this building.

It still stands today.

You can see the bridge in the back ground. Made for cars and trollies.

Here is one very large trolley at the St Charles terminal.

Here is the bridge being built. Trollies on one side. Cars on the other. 

I guess you would either have to stay behind the trolley till it got across the bridge or pass it. But the bridge was very narrow.

Here is how the bridge looked while I was growing up. At one time the only way into St Louis from St Charles.

The trolley tracks were gone. Cars going both ways. 

The lady in the lower left corner is leaning up against the old terminal.

There was a walk way on the right side of the bridge which you could get to from down on Main St. where most of the shopping was done till just after this photo was taken.

The bridge lasted till the mid 1980's

Sepia Saturday for this week - easy rider.

Sepia Saturday for this week.

I can only think of one family story to go with this prompt. . . .






















My mom and dad met during WW2. He was in the RAF, she worked at a canteen for servicemen across from a cinema the men would go to on their time off.

After a few visits I would imagine my dad asked if mom would go out walking with him.

That's probably all it was for a while. Taking a bus from the base to the canteen.

Once they started dating he said he use to pick her up with a bike that had a sidecar and a little motor.

I imagine it looked somewhat like this photo. I don't think it was to far to the base near Selby.
It is one thing we don't have pictures off, that little bike and sidecar.

The only family photo I have of motorbikes and my family is this one of my Uncle Leslie.
I never really got to know him, moving to America when I was 1 1/2.
Look like he is really proud of that bike.
Apparently he also owned a car, but no drivers license. I think my dad got to drive the car a bit once he married my mom.

Sepia Saturday for this week - Diving Right in.

Sepia Saturday post for this week.

We spent a lot of time in the late 50's early 60's diving right in.

It usually took place at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri at a place called. . . .

Bonds cabins. We just called the place the cabins at Grand Glaze.

One week there every year for many years.

My brother and cousin diving right in.

And jumping right in.

Brother and I getting ready to jump right in.

Brother and two other cousins after the jump.

Break between dives.

Me getting ready to jump right in.

We just don't sit still that long.

Sepia Saturday clue for this week.

 We don't have a whole lot of table sitting pictures in my family. At least from our early days. I hope it is not because we weren't that pleasant to watch once we started eating.

This one and the next are at a local state park. I think I am asleep in the car.

 One shortly after we got to America. I think I still have the table.

Mom and her sister sitting at a table at a local beach.

We have one of dad (left) standing at a table after getting his helicopter engine certificate.

 Car sitting seemed more popular with us.
Usually at the airport watching planes go by.

Or at rest stops making sure everyone got back to the car.

 We did sit on the stairs a lot. . . .

and on the ground, usually at cricket matches.

 By the look at my age in this one, this my have been our first fried chicken dinner in the New World.

Here with cousins.

We have since made up for by having a family/non-family gathering every Thanksgiving out at the cabin.

All gathered. . . .

Sepia Saturday for this week.

 My family doesn't gather a great deal. When we do, it is usually a special occasion, reunion or group photos for some youth activity like scouts or baseball.

 Family get together dads family.

Mom and dads wedding 1946.

 Cousins wedding London

Aunts wedding London

 Cadets St John's Amb. Brigade, Selby UK

 Dad in the RAF WW2














Dad front row right with hat, on some school trip.

 Beach photo with mostly unknown, although I do see my mom.

Aunts wedding Selby.

 Cousins wedding.

Sisters and an unknown lad.

Dad, right in the middle with unknown friends.

Mom, dad, uncle and brother, Selby.

 Two sisters on the right, other two unknown.

 Mom in the middle

 One mom, one aunt, two cousins.

 Fellow St. John's workers wedding.

 Cousins football team.
















1970 Yorkshire family reunion.

Scout Troop 763 around 1969.