Skip to main content

Flashback Friday


The memories get a little foggy when the sources of information are no longer around and you rely on things you think you know.  That is a tortured way of saying I don't recall the story of this picture.  I do remember some of Marj's relatives from Adair.  Adair is south of Bushnell and east of Macomb.  They had this neat farm and this old old car.  Phil is just a year and a half years old and the twins are no more than maybe 6 months old.  

As for the car, I have no idea what it is; it is more horseless carriage than car.  It appears to be licensed so I think it was probably in running condition perhaps for parades.  I have no idea who the people were or what happened to the car but it wasn't a place we went to often.  Perhaps the Wombie will have more info. 



This is a similar pose taken in Quincy at Marj's parents house.  We are older than the picture above, with Phil in the middle and the twins being held captive by the folks.  In the background is a nice Ford or Mercury.  Quincy was always a fun trip with fun grandparents ready to sweep us into nice and loving hugs.   Back in those days Quincy was a virtual playground of things to do for fun.  They had a type of overhead tram system and we'd take rides in it.  




Old postcards of the Sky Ride in Quincy.


Also they had a minor league team called the Quincy Gems and we'd go to their games.  One time we had lots of autographs from their players on a scorecard.  Sure wish we had that old thing; it would have been fun to see whose autographs we got and whether or not any of them ever made it.  

The last time I was in Quincy was around 2000 or 2001 to see Dr. William Glasser, the founder and inventor of the counseling technique Reality Therapy which the Mary Davis Home used on our clients.  He was in town to do a kind of auditorium give-and- take. 

Before the meeting, though, I made sure I had time to visit the two houses my grandparents lived in while there.  One was on Sycamore Street and the other was right next to the high school.  My grandfather used to hide in the garage of that house and throw firecrackers at kids walking to school, if he thought they were going too slow.  

The houses now look different, of course, as one would expect.  I tried putting on my 12 year old eyes and mind to picture them as I remembered, but it was too long ago and my mind doesn't think that way anymore.  Quincy was a long trip back then.  No decent or fast way to get there, it sure seemed like a long trip for us kids.  I'm sure I mentioned it before but my grandmother would fix custard bowls for us for the trip back when we were kids.  Who does that stuff anymore.  Maybe Doritos nowadays, but back then it was a grandmother's way of making a trip more enjoyable for us.   My grandmother from Quincy was the first person who died in our family.  We were just kids and that was a long time ago.  She still lives in my memory.  And I can still smell those custard bowls. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless.  Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001.  It was one of those things that can generate crime:  two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job.   Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things.  Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold.   But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find.   His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead.  He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds.  He will be paralyzed for life.   None of this is pleasant.  Reading the f...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Mary Davis Home - Part 2

None of these pictures were taken by me,  they came right from the MDH website.  I am posting these so that friends who have never seen inside where I worked can gain access.  After 27 years I have many stories, tales and acquaintances.  But, I wouldn't know how to express them appropriately in a few paragraphs.  I enjoyed 98% of my stay there and hope I made a difference in the lives of a fraction of the kids who entered.  The original MDH at this site was just the front part.  The large red-roofed area in back was added on in the 90's. This is the Jerry Carlton library.  It was unofficially named after one of the counselors who truly loved the place.   He passed away around 2002, I think.  Mr. Farber looks like he is explaining a few things to a client. The classroom. Activity area with the gym behind the windows. Another shot of the classroom. It was a little different area to teach since we had 2 classes and 2 teachers i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tuesday Tidbits On Wednesday

This week I will be heading up to the Cabin in the Woods.  I think I have come up with a long list of things to do and take care of.  As is usually the case, however, it won't take long till I miss the girls. It's kind of a Stockholm Syndrome in reverse, or circle.  My primary concern is Alfred and her substitute situation for the next few weeks before I head back for a Dr.'s appointment and do a little sitting to help Kenzie out.   But I suppose we'll all adjust and do nicely.  On my part I am looking forward to no diapers and some rec time.   ++++++++++ This is me when I am heading up to the Cabin In The Woods. ++++++++++ Oh yeah. ++++++++++ Poor Alfred.  It'll get easier, I swear. ++++++++++   One of my dreams is to find something like this or an old car tucked away in a barn somewhere.  That is the closest corollary we have nowadays for finding a buried treasure....
2 comments
Read more