Throwback Thursday - Norwich, CT and Misquamicut Beach

Another ride to see another one of my uncle's churches. This one was in Norwich, CT. He actually pastored there twice. The first time was in the 1950's. At that time the church was in an old farmhouse, which they also lived in.  Ettie told me that while she was up in Massachusetts having one of her children, I think one of the boys, the first house they lived in there, which housed the church, burned down.  

These are pictures of me and my cousin Lynda at the old farm house house.





After we found the church, while we were in the parking lot, I called my aunt Ettie because nothing really looked familiar to me. I remembered a nursery school at the church which wasn't there and I couldn't remember where the parsonage was. She told me that they lived in back of the church.



She reminded me of a funny story. She used to get migraine headaches a lot, and this particular day she was in bed with the shades drawn. My cousin Lynda was bugging me to cut her bangs. I told her that I didn't know how to cut bangs (we were probably early teens). She bugged me so much and went upstairs to ask her mother if I could cut her bangs. Ettie said it was up to her. I finally cut her bangs and they came out horrible, short and crooked. Lynda went up to show her mother, and Ettie said she would just have to live with it. I warned her but she just kept bugging me. I wonder if Lynda remembers that!

My aunt also told me that the nursery school was in the basement of the church. This is the door that lead to the nursery school.



The nursery school playground that I remembered is now more parking lot.



One thing that I remember about the old house from the 1950's was a huge rock hillside in the back yard. That was obviously still there, although it didn't seem quite so huge to me!



I asked my aunt to, someday, write down the dates of all their different pastorates.

It has been fun tracking them down.

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to drive down to Misquamicut Beach.



***More Post offices.....

Willimantic, CT



N. Franklin CT



Norwich, CT


Another fun day!

Marley's 5th grade open house with Mason

I can't believe that Marley is in 5th grade and this is her last year at Coburn School. Tonight was open house; Paul and I brought Mason and met Kris and Marley there. Mason was so excited about going to Marley's school, and Marley seemed pretty excited to have him there. First we went to the cafeteria where they were having a book fare and they each picked out a book. Then we went up to the third floor to Marley's class. We looked around her class.






Mason sat at Marley's desk.






We saw her locker in the hall and projects that they had worked on including an earth (made from paper mache) that was hanging outside her class.



(Marley's is the top one)










The teacher had a little talk to all the parents (I think Paul and I were the only grandparents). Her teacher seems really nice. She even agreed to pose for a picture.




After that we went to McDonald's and had ice cream. Mason said he wanted ice cream but then wouldn't even try it (whoever heard of that?). Then he said he wanted Marley's M&M Flurry, but spit out the M&M's. He is still in a not good eating mode!

It was a weird night with some kind of "front" coming in, rain, wind and cold. What a change!

We then went to Kris and Toby's. Kristen's dining room table was full of "in the process" notebooks. I wish I had taken a picture of it. She has branched out from the little Crayon notebooks that she made for the craft fair. She has all kinds of cereal ones, Lipton Tea (which she is giving Dot for her birthday), Junior Mints, etc. The next time I'm over there I'll take a picture.

All in all a really fun night!


I know you are going to have a great year Marley!

Five birthdays

Today was our annual five person birthday party. The picture didn't come out too good this year. Here it is, such as it is.

Poor Kristen. She was the first birthday, three weeks ago, and she was the only one who didn't get her own little cake (except me, my birthday hasn't come yet). All the others had birthdays on days that we were actually together on their day, so we had little cakes to celebrate. On Kristen's birthday they went to the camper so we didn't see them. Next year Kris - you'll get your own cake. Promise.

Stacia and Amy came out for the afternoon and we had a fun time.






Mason was so excited during the of singing Happy Birthday and helped blow out the candles.




Marley wanted us to play Apples to Apples and while we were playing we saw a tree frog climbing up the front door. We all had to go out and check him out.



Fun day. Happy birthday to all of us!

Happy birthday Janelle!

Today is Janelle's birthday, and last Friday was Mark's birthday. Tonight I babysat for Mason while they went out to dinner to celebrate their birthdays. When they came home we had a little birthday cake so that Mason could sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out the candles.

Last week when we did the same for Mark's birthday I realized that I didn't have any candles except for some used number candles. He ended up having "29" on his cake.



Tonight, believe it or not, I still didn't have any candles, so I asked Janelle to pick out how old she wanted to be tonight from the number candles that I had. She ended up being "18".

Mason was so cute. Both times he helped blow out the candles, and then clapped.

Happy birthday Mark and Janelle!

Love,
Mom

Throwback Thursday - Ossining, NY and Sing Sing

Last week we took a ride to Ossining, NY. My uncle was the pastor of this church in Ossining sometime in the 1960's.





The family lived there during the 1964/65 World's Fair. Ossining is only about 20-30 miles from Flushing Meadows where the World's Fair was and I remember going there a couple of times with them.

This is a picture of me and my cousin Lynda there - June 1965.



These are pictures of me, my cousins, my aunt Ettie and my grandmother in front of the church.





This is my Uncle Bob, and aunt Ettie.



Anyhow, I have always wanted to go there again just to see the church and the house.

The house is huge, 3 floors.



One year the whole family had Thanksgiving there. They lived on the second floor, and the first floor was a huge almost empty room (as I remember it anyway).



It was fun going back there and seeing what I remembered.

We knew that Sing Sing Prison was in the same town, not that I ever remember going to look at it when they lived there but, then again, Paul and I drive to a lot of weird places, so went looking for it.







It's a very old prison, built in the early 1800's, and sits right on the Hudson River. If you're interested you can read about it here (I can just see Kristen's eyes rolling).

***This is the post office in Ossining (see Aug 30th post).



I love trips like this! Great day.

Marley (not) saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the West Springfield Town Council meeting

Last week Kristen got a call from Marley's school saying that Marley was one of two
5th grade students asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the Town Council meeting tonight.

Marley said she would do it, but tonight I think she was having second thoughts. We (Kris, Toby, Marley, Paul and I) got there early and sat near the front. The other student was there with his family, sitting in front of us.

The Superintendent of Schools stopped by before the meeting started to encourage the kids and tell them not to worry, that they would do great.

Finally, the meeting got started and all of a sudden the Council President asked us all to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and led it herself.

What happened? Were they going to say it again? Did she forget? Did she not see the kids sitting there?

After a few minutes, the Superintendent came over and kneeled down next to us and whispered an apology saying the President must have forgotten (?????) and told us not to feel we had to stay for the meeting.

I don't think Marley was upset, but as we were leaving I told her that I still needed to get a picture. We found a room that had a flag in it, and even though she was totally embarrassed and didn't want to do it, she posed for a picture.




This was Kristen's Facebook comment tonight:
So Marley was one of two students asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the Town Council meeting tonight. But apparently the Council President forgot, because before anyone could say anything she (the president) got up and led it herself. I don't think Marley was too upset, but Grandma sure seemed disappointed to miss the photo op. All Marley said was "well that was a big waste of time!". Very true!

Too funny!

Summer Sunday

This has been a rather unusual summer. We have only been kayaking once, haven't played corn hole once, and haven't even had the little pool out much.

I think Paul and I have PTSD from the events leading up to and then the placing of Dot at the Atrium. We have been so tired this summer!

Anyhow, today we got the bubbles and the little pool out and the kids had so much fun. I remember the hours Marley used to play in this little pool. She still likes to play with Mason in it. Marley is such a good big cousin.











It was a fun Summer Sunday!

Happy Birthday Mark!

This picture was taken in the Fall of 1975, so Mark was about 1.

I wonder if I had let his hair grow, if it would have gotten as curly as Mason's.




Happy Birthday Mark
Love,
Mom

Halloween (a little early)

I guess it's a tradition at the Wakeda Campground in New Hampshire to have Halloween for the kids on Labor Day weekend (since it's not open on Halloween). So...tonight Kristen and Marley stopped over to show us her costume. As Kristen says, it's not easy to find a Halloween costume at the beginning of September. I guess they spotted the little hair "thingys" and went from there. We're not sure what to call it, but I think it's cute!