Thursday, August 27, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Throwback Thursday - The tree in our backyard
In May we had our tree in the backyard taken down. It was very sad for me.
We bought our house in the Spring of 1973. That Summer Paul and his Aunt Judy dug up three small maple trees from her property in Granby, CT. We planted two trees in the back yard and one in the front yard. The one in the front is the only one still standing. One of the trees came down in a bad thunderstorm years ago when the kids were teenagers. We came home from church Sunday night and the tree was down. Luckily it fell right between our pool and the carport with no damage.
Last fall we started noticing that the base of another tree was black. Paul thought it might have been hit by lightning. Our landscaper said it was from ants and put down something to kill the ants.
This winter we noticed that pieces of the bark were falling off. In the Spring Paul called a tree service and they said that the tree might last another year but then it would be harder to take down.
This picture was taken in the summer of 1973 soon after the tree was planted. Kristen was almost a year old. My thought was that I would take a picture of her every year on her birthday next to this tree. It lasted one year, ha ha!
These are pictures of the tree coming down.
We bought our house in the Spring of 1973. That Summer Paul and his Aunt Judy dug up three small maple trees from her property in Granby, CT. We planted two trees in the back yard and one in the front yard. The one in the front is the only one still standing. One of the trees came down in a bad thunderstorm years ago when the kids were teenagers. We came home from church Sunday night and the tree was down. Luckily it fell right between our pool and the carport with no damage.
Last fall we started noticing that the base of another tree was black. Paul thought it might have been hit by lightning. Our landscaper said it was from ants and put down something to kill the ants.
This winter we noticed that pieces of the bark were falling off. In the Spring Paul called a tree service and they said that the tree might last another year but then it would be harder to take down.
This picture was taken in the summer of 1973 soon after the tree was planted. Kristen was almost a year old. My thought was that I would take a picture of her every year on her birthday next to this tree. It lasted one year, ha ha!
These are pictures of the tree coming down.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Our Wall of Fame
These pictures are on one wall in our family room. It all started when we had our first family picture taken for a pictorial directory for our church. My in-laws, and also my grandmother and my aunt Dot had their pictures done too. An idea formed in Paul's head to put these pictures on the wall and then add some of our relatives. His plan was to go back to our children's great-great grandparents on both sides. Included are 13 of our children's 16 great-great grandparents.
Over the years I have forgotten who a lot of these people are. Paul seems to remember them and I have been after him to write down all of the names and how they are related to us.
This winter we did just that.
From top - left to right by row:
1. Charles T. Sanderson II, Irma Beatrice Sanderson’s brother. He ran a bulldozer in Plymouth, MA
2. Ray Lee Higgins and his mother Laura E. Mann, father and grandmother of Jean Martha Higgins
3. William Ross Harper, grandfather of Jean Martha Higgins
4. Nelson Bessete, father of Lucien (Lucy) Agnes Bessette
5. Grace Greenwood, mother of George Herbert Ramsdell, Sr.
6. Charles William Ramsdell, father of George Herbert Ramsdell, Sr.
********************************************************************************************
7. Helena Pillkuhn, mother of Edward August Radtke
8. Bernard Ferren Wait and his descendants (see color coded picture with names in Family Tree Maker) at 25 Pine St., Greenfield, MA
9. Berta Dill, mother of Frederick Ferdinand Radtke, and her mother Lousise Wilhelmina Weinberg, brother Wilhelm Dill, and sister
10. Lucien (Lucy) Bessette and her mother Linda (Clarinda) LaBarge
11. Johann Friedrich Dill and his wife Lousise Wilhelmina Weinberg, parents of Berta Dill
12. Edward August Radtke and his wife Berta Dill, parents of Frederick Ferdinand Radtke
********************************************************************************************
13. George Herbert Ramsdell, Sr. and his wife Irma Beatrice Sanderson, with children Priscilla Grafton, George Herbert, Jr., Marjorie Ellen, and Robert Trenchard
14. Bessette sisters, baby Lucien (Lucy), Aldora, Sadie, and Marion
15. Lucy Agnes Bessette and Dorothy Margaret Wait
16. Mark Edward Radtke and Kristen Anne Radtke
17. George Herbert Ramsdell, Sr. riding an Indian motorcycle in front of the Indian Motorcycle Company, Spfld MA
18. Donald Merz Wait and his wife Lucien (Lucy) Agnes Bessette with their children David Reed, Dorothy Margaret, and Esther Ruth at Esther and Bob Lundstrom’s home in Norwich, CT
********************************************************************************************
19. Charles Trenchard Sanderson, father of Irma Beatrice Sanderson
20. Donald Merz Wait in Western Union truck
21. Priscilla Grafton Ramsdell and Frederick Ferdinand Radtke
22. Paul Frederick Radtke and his wife Deborah Jean Waite with children Kristen Anne Radtke and Mark Edward Radtke
23. Edward August Radtke and Ferdinand (Nante) Radtke in WWI
24. Eleanor Harper with her children Jean Martha Higgins, Lee Higgins, and Ross Harper Higgins
********************************************************************************************
25. Eleanor A. Radtke and Nancy Jane Radtke at Priscilla and Fred’s House, 25 Yale Ave., Feeding Hills, MA
26. Bernard Ferren Wait in Florida
27. Dora Louisa Merz, wife of Bernard Ferren Wait
28. Irma Beatrice Sanderson, wife of George Herbert Ramsdell, Sr.
29. Donald Merz Wait and Lucien Agnes Bessette, Mohawk Trail State Forest, MA
30. Ellen Eddy Pierce, wife of Charles Trenchard Sanderson and mother of Irma Beatrice Sanderson
***Update - For Christmas 2017 Paul and I made a Chatbooks book for Kristen and Mark with info on all of the people on this Wall of Fame. We tried to include everything that we knew about these people, not just their names and how they are related to them. I was so happy with how it turned out.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Memorial Day
Today we all (except Mark) camped out in front of Kristen's house to watch Marley march with the West Springfield Middle School Band in the Memorial Day Parade. After the parade went by we walked to the Town Common for the ceremony.
It reminded me of the only parade that I ever marched in, with the Girl Scouts. It was the West Springfield Memorial Day parade, 1964. I joined the Girls Scouts with my friend Doris. It was held in the First Congregational Church on the corner of Lathrop St. and Park St. in West Springfield. I'm not sure how long I did Girls Scouts and I don't really remember much about going to it, other than the parade (probably because of the picture that my Aunt Dot took). One memory I do have is walking home after Girl Scouts with Doris and it was dark out, getting home and watching the Red Skeleton Show with my grandfather. Funny the things you do remember.
I also remember when I was in grade school at Park Avenue School, walking down to the Town Common, which was just down the street, for Veteran's Day and Memorial Day ceremonies at the same place where they had the Veteran's ceremony today.
Can you pick me out ? (I'm the one holding the edge of the flag).
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Little door at Mystic Seaport
Every time we go for a ride I look for little doors. I just love them. I haven't found one in quite awhile but today while we were kayaking at Mystic Seaport I found one. So cute!
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Paul's 6 lb bass
Today we went kayaking at West Lake in Sandisfield, MA. I wanted to look for frogs and Paul wanted to fish. No frogs were seen, but Paul caught a 6 lb. bass.
The last time Paul got a fishing license was, in think, in 2010. Last night on his 65th birthday, he went on-line and ordered the license which was half-price.
At least there is one good thing about turning 65, LOL!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
Uncle Ross's gravestone
My Uncle Ross, my mother's brother, died in 2006. He purchased his gravestone before he died and had it put in the North Blandford Cemetery where many of his relatives, including his mother and father are buried. His death date never got put on his gravestone.
My mother died in 2010. She had been living with my half sister Laura. Laura has both my Uncle Ross's ashes, and my mother's ashes, and my mother didn't have a gravestone.
When Paul and I had my Aunt Dot's gravestone made, we had them go to North Blandford Cemetery and get my uncle's gravestone. The guy cleaned up the stone and had my mother's name, birth date and death date added to Uncle Ross's gravestone.
I'm not sure if their ashes will ever make it to the cemetery, but at least their names, birth dates and death dates will be there for posterity.
Sometimes life is complicated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)