The Big Trip

Next Thursday is my Mom's 98th birthday. Now, I'm trusting you not to mention her age to a soul! She doesn't look a day over 70, and isn't too keen on people knowing how old she is, so keep it under your hat, if you don't mind.

I'm putting together an album for Mom, combining some of the layouts I've done through the years about her life, and some of her own words, as recorded by her grandson (and my nephew), Ehren. Now this is going to be a surprise, so this is something else you're just going to have to keep a secret.

One of the stories Ehren recorded, is about a trip Mom took right after she met my Dad. In January of 1938, Mom boarded the "City of Portland" passenger train of the Union Pacific Railroad, near her home in Twin Falls, Idaho. She first traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she stayed for a few days with her cousin Cora Wright, daughter of her Aunt Anna Ward. Then the train took her to Chicago, where, she feared the Mobsters she'd been reading about, might board the train and gun down all the innocent passengers. Luckily, Al Capone and his crew were busy elsewhere that day, and Mom was able to transfer safely to another train, where she headed for Clinton, Iowa to visit her cousin Verna Gruetzmacher Neugard. These lovely photos are of Verna & Vi (my Mom), aren't they sweet? I love their beautiful coats and hats! Mom is the shorter one, and the cute photo of her laughing is my favorite! Even though Mom was from Idaho, where it gets pretty darned cold in the winter, she often said that January in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota was pretty miserable. I can imagine, they were properly dressed in dresses, not warm slacks like we might wear today! After her sojourn in Iowa, Mom & Her Train headed up to Minneapolis, where she spent a week or so with her cousin Louella (subject of a couple of my layouts) and her husband Jim Warren.

Mom had had her first date with my Dad on New Year's Eve, 1937, and they spent New Year's Day 1938 together too. Mom embarked on her train trip only a few days later, and was gone for about three weeks. She was so happy when Dad was there to meet her at the station when she returned. The rest, as we say, is history!

City Girl: When Annie Moved to New York

Now THIS was fun! Way back when I first started doing this digital scrapbooking thing, I created a layout about San Francisco, that is still one of my favorites. I thought I would like to do something that had the same spirit of 'almost reality'...each building and element on this is a separate photo, woven together to create something that seems almost plausible. Just not quite. From a bridge in Central Park to Rockefeller Center, to Annie's new apartment building, to the Chrysler Building, to the statue at Columbus Circle, it's all in there!

Annie: I hope you like this! You're brave and strong, and I know your new Life will be an amazing adventure. I love you!

Architecture: New York

Surprisingly, this is the first layout I can recall, where I've changed all of my photos from color to black and white. When I've done it before, it's just one or two. This was challenging, because I wasn't sure I would like it. The jury is still out, but I definitely think that the black and white emphasizes the forms and architectural structure (thanks, Heather!) where color might just get in the way. This is the first in a small series of my New York layouts... I have 3 or 4 in mind. I don't think they'll all be in black and white though.

I am really an architecture enthusiast. I admit, I'm not so much interested in modern architecture, although there are quite a few stunning modern and mid-century buildings and homes that I appreciate. It's just that I love the ornamentation and artistry of older styles. New York is a haven of decorative and interesting buildings. I'd love some day to take an architecture tour of the city. My sister Leslie is an architecture docent in Chicago- she conducts architecture tours of the fabulous buildings of that amazing city. So I guess love of beautiful structures runs in the family! (Click on the image for a closer view.)

(Edited 12:45 pm: Bruce suggested that perhaps a color version of this layout might be a bit easier on the eyes. Although he doesn't claim to be an expert on all things artistic, I often find his insights important and worth looking at. So Just for something else to look at, here's the same layout in color. I'd love to know what you think!)

Of Trips and Travels

My trip to New York was definitely whirlwind... one full day of travel on Tuesday, a fun-filled, feet aching day in the city on Wednesday, and another full day of travel Thursday, and I'm home. I have all my photos downloaded & ready to go, but just haven't had a minute to create any layouts yet. They will come soon!

Just before I left, I started this layout, and last night I finished it up. It's about another time, and another type of travel. When I was a little girl, from 7 years old to my teenage years, we took a road trip twice a year to deposit one or more of my siblings to Provo, Utah, where each one, and later I, attended Brigham Young University. In those late 'fifties, early 'sixties years, there was no Interstate. We took the old Highway 91 through the Mohave Desert, up through Las Vegas, and into Utah. I clearly remember the old road signs advertising Foxy's restaurant in Las Vegas. We'd start seeing these once we passed Baker. Like the old Burma Shave signs, each one had a message, and I excitedly would watch for the cute little Foxy cartoon character on the signs. I actually only remember eating there once, but I'm sure I begged my folks to stop every trip through Vegas. (there's a postcard from Foxy's on the layout) I remember the Blue Dot Cafe in Mesquite, Nevada (which was no great shakes, but like Foxy's- lots of roadside advertising). We most often spent the night in St. George, and always ate at the famous Dick's Cafe, with the horse on the roof. (there's also a postcard of Dick's on the layout- you can click on the image to get a bigger view), and stayed at one of the nearby motels. As long as there was a swimming pool I was happy. One trip, my brother Gene injured his neck diving through an inner tube at our motel pool. I was petrified that he'd be paralyzed, but he survived to torment me another day.

Going through Southern Utah was my favorite part of the journey. I was enamored with the gorgeous red-orange cliffs, and the contrast of the vivid hue with the light green of the cottonwood trees. Once I begged my folks to stop by the side of the highway so I could fill my sand bucket with the red sand. Once the bucket was full, I realized that the color didn't look so bright anymore, just a dull, rust colored pile of dirt. When I was ten or so, I got my first camera. It was a Brownie, but not a regular Brownie by Kodak... it was a Brownie Scout camera, purchased on a trip to Portland, Oregon. I took all the snapshots on the layout when I was eleven and twelve. It cracks me up to see that I took photos of the beautiful red cliffs, in black and white! But it shows that even then, I loved beautiful scenery and vivid color.

A highlight of each trip to Utah was a stop in Santa Clara, just a few miles outside of St. George, to buy fresh fruit. The cherries of St. George were the best in the world in my opinion. (not that I had much experience in world-wide cherry eating, mind you!) Sadly, when the Interstate was finally complete sometime in the early 60s, Santa Clara was not off the highway, and so became only a memory as I traveled that route for many more years to come.

There were other cafes, truck stops, and sights to see- Cove Fort, the old State Capitol building in Fillmore, and the random curio shop when I could convince my Dad to stop. I loved to buy rocks and shells, copper bracelets, and arrowheads. Junk to my folks, but treasures for me.

I'm sure I have made the 750 mile trip between LA and Provo hundreds and hundreds of times. Today we only stop at McDonald's and the cheapest gas stations we can find. No more Bonnie and Clyde death car in Jean, Nevada! No motel with swimming pool (in fact, no motels, period- we make the trip in one day instead of two), no Dick's Cafe, or El Bambi Truck Stop, or a roadside fruit stand. The trip is always fast, and often at night so we don't waste any precious vacation time actually traveling. Sometimes I long for the day when getting there was MORE than half the fun!

Greetings from New York!

I didn't bring my computer on this trip, and so I'm trying something I haven't done before: I'm posting from another computer, and one that doesn't have Photoshop! So, I have been trying to resize my photos, and I'm not sure it's going to work very well, but here goes!

Today we spent a whirlwind day in New York, and my feet are throbbing. I even went so far as to buy a new pair of comfortable walking shoes... at four o'clock this afternoon, so the damage had already been done. But Annie and I did have a fun day. It was stressful, since a part of Annie wishes I'd just have let her go all by herself, and not have me with her at all. She's especially embarrassed by the number of photos I take, and she's quick to delete the ones of her she doesn't like, even if I adore them. Lucky for me, I did manage to sneak a few in that she didn't get a chance to delete. All in all, Annie really is glad I came, so I can help her make this huge transition. A part of her loves being spoiled and taken care of, and the other part is just impatient to get on with her new life. I'm really excited for her, she is fearless!

Here are a few samples of our day, I will feel much better when they're on my own computer, and I can crop, color correct, and play with them in PS instead of iPhoto & Preview. I'll report more on our adventures when I get back!



The photos above were taken in Central Park, the Imagine one is part of the Strawberry Fields section of the park, honoring John Lennon.



These photos were taken in and around Times Square.



Me & Annie in Rockefeller Plaza



These last photos are at Rockefeller Plaza, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The Empty Nest

This is, without a doubt, the sappiest layout I've ever done. But I couldn't help myself... on Tuesday Annie and I will get on a plane for New York City, and on Thursday I'll come back to LA by myself. She's off on the adventure of a lifetime, and it looks like the Eskander nest will be officially empty. We also got the news a few days ago that our son Alec & daughter-in-law Alicia and the Perfect Grandson Jackson are moving to Utah very soon. This is definitely going to be a tough time for us.

But I know that with every change, challenge and sorrow, come blessings, and new doors will open. So, we'll just have to see what this new chapter in our lives has to offer! We're off on a new adventure!

The Girls

I have the two best sisters in the world! My oldest sister Lynne is an amazing cook, organizer, and epitomizes the phrase "big sister". She is so thoughtful and caring. She never lets an occasion go by without celebrating, and still keeps me in line. I love the way she cares for our Mom, spending many fun hours shopping, going to lunch, and transporting her to her various appointments. My slightly younger older sister Leslie is the ultimate fun sister. Adventurous and creative, Leslie can always be counted on to make each event a special one! She lives halfway across the country, but regularly makes the trek to California for visits, and goes the extra mile to support her far-flung nieces and nephews.

I wanted to do a layout using these fun photos I have of the two girls when they were little, in the 1940s. (Now don't kill me, girls, I just HAD to do it!) I love their sweet little girl faces, and the devotion they obviously have for each other. Mom and Dad always called them "The Girls", and although a brother, and then a little sister joined the family later, Lynne and Leslie will always be "the Girls" to me.

The Windy Sea

ANOTHER beautiful morning this morning, and windy! I was stuck in hellish traffic this morning (see my post a few days ago about my Top Fifteen, where I posted a layout called "Commute from Heaven/ Commute from Hell") Well, today was one of those days. I crawled down the coast, and of course, got some amazing glimpses of the heavy winter surf. I love watching the waves when it's windy, because the wind blows the top off the waves, and creates plume of spray that gives motion and grandeur to the already dramatic waves. Writing about the ocean makes me wish I'd bothered to take creative writing classes in college... my feeble vocabulary just can't describe the majesty of the ocean. I'll let my photo do the talking.

Nature

I've never really considered myself a nature girl. My favorite place to be is indoors, in my cozy house. I usually prefer my nature in paintings, photos, or movies. But I think I have changed in fundamental ways in the past few years, and I believe that photography has been the catalyst for my awakened love of the beauties of the great outdoors. For those who know me and/ or follow my blog, you know that I often stop in the early morning hours, on the side of the highway to photograph the beautiful things I see around me. It might be the pink flowers on a lone plum tree on the canyon road. Or it might be a startling sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. I've photographed dew on the long grass, and the rare autumn leaves in Malibu Canyon. I'm also enamored with ivy creeping over walls, green valleys, and mountains in the late afternoon, and my computer is stuffed to the brim with endless photos of flowers, butterflies, leaves, and trees. So, here's to Nature, with a Capital N. God's gift to us, our beautiful world. I don't claim to do it justice, but at least I give it my best shot.

A Beautiful California Morning

I know much of the country is under a foot of snow, or at least suffering sub-zero temperatures. I'm sad to hear that Florida may lose a chunk of their orange crop this year. But here in Southern California, we are suffering from gorgeous weather and mild temps. I say suffering because I don't want to sound smug or insensitive. After all, my sweaters and jackets are covered with cobwebs because it's been so long since I've had to wear them. Snow shovel sales are way down, and mittens and beanies are languishing on the shelves. Oh well.

This was one of a dozen or so (ok, 22) shots I took this morning along the Pacific Coast Highway, in Pacific Palisades. When I left the house I was a bit disappointed that the day wasn't bright and clear as it was yesterday. But when I saw the gorgeous clouds over the ocean, I bit back my disappointment, and pulled over for some beautiful photos.

More Disneyland

I know looking at people's Disney photos can get tiresome, so I promise I'll quit now... out of the nearly 500 photos we took on Friday, I had a hard time narrowing my choices down to 30 or so photos. THEN I valiantly tried to put them all on one double page layout, and I just couldn't do it and make the photos look decent. SO, here I have a three-pager. Click on the images to get a closer look. It was a perfect day for photography!

Disneyland

Yesterday was my birthday, and my sweet husband Bruce took me to Disneyland! We had such a fun time! I don't know whether it's because I haven't been to Disneyland for years, or due to my 'advanced age', but I was rather nostalgic as we wandered around the Happiest Place on Earth.

Growing up in Southern California, I was part of the first Disneyland generation. My first trip to Disneyland came a year after the park opened. It was 1956, and I was five years old. The attraction that I remember best (actually the ONLY attraction I remember distinctly from that first visit) was the Jungle Cruise ride. I have hazy images of the Rocket to the Moon, the Autopia, and the Storybook Boat ride. My most vivid memory is getting lost at the end of our day, and being taken to the lost and found where I was eventually reunited with my Mom and siblings.

That was the first of dozens and dozens of trips to Disneyland. As a child, going to Disneyland often meant the arrival of out-of-town relatives. Later, Disneyland became the celebration of choice for birthdays, and I was sometimes invited by my friends to go to Disneyland with them to celebrate. In those days, admission was a dollar or two, and adults could get by with a general admission ticket. They'd let the kids go off and ride the rides while they sat on benches waiting and whiling away the time. A few years after it opened, Disneyland introduced a few really significant rides that changed the park forever. No longer a kiddie park, or a cultural attraction, these rides brought teenagers to Disneyland in droves. The Matterhorn, Submarine Ride, Monorail, and then a few years later, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion, made Disneyland THE place to go for fun. We hoarded our 'E' tickets, so we could ride the Matterhorn over and over. When I was a teen, Disneyland was the best place to go on a date. We wouldn't dream of arriving before dinner- Disneyland had introduced "Date Night at Disneyland" and we weren't interested in daytime Disneyland. That was for little kids. Nighttime at Disneyland was filled with rock concerts, dances, and of course, our favorite rides. How fun it was to hold hands with a boy as you went into one of those 'dark' rides! PLUS if a boy invited you to go on a date to Disneyland, he had to think you were special. After all, it was a 40 mile drive, and even in the Sixties, dinner at Disneyland wasn't cheap. Some of my friends worked at Disneyland during the summer while they were in high school or college, and I always envied them their wonderful jobs.

After I was married, I can only recall once or twice when we took our children to Disneyland. We couldn't really afford to go when they were quite small, and then we moved to the Eastern US for 10 years. When we moved back, the kids were older, and we probably only took them another time or two. We did take a big Disney Vacation to Walt Disney World & Epcot while we were living in NY, and it was fun, but I missed "my own Disneyland". The biggest change I've found in Disneyland is the cost and commercialization. Although I understand Walt Disney was criticized way back in 1955 for Disneyland being too commercial, in my mind there's no comparison. When I was little, if you begged, you went home with a pair of mouse ears with your name embroidered on it, and probably one of those balloons with ears. I don't remember seeing the sheer volume of licensed 'stuff' in those early years. I'm sure there were lots of souvenirs, but I also remember that the shops were full of regular merchandise in addition to the Disney stuff. Today you're hard pressed to find anything that isn't licensed. I have to admit, the toys, clothing, and other merchandise is beautifully designed and fun to look at. But whew, the prices! Last night I came home with a magnet and a souvenir book.

The other thing is how expensive it is just to get in. I don't think there are very many teenage couples who really can afford to fork over $150 just to get in the park for a "date night". But you know, Disneyland is still just as magical to me as it was in 1956. Expensive and commercial it is but it doesn't matter. Every corner of the park has something special. My favorite rides today are Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and (still) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Daytime or Nighttime, from Main Street to New Orleans Square to Toon Town, I'm a sucker for Disneyland. I can't wait to go back! (we bought a season pass, so it looks like I'll be back again soon!)

Stef's Top Fifteen for 2009

Recently I was visiting the blog of a fellow scrapbooker, and she shared her favorite ten scrapbook layouts of 2009. It hadn't occurred to me to do that, but I think it's a terrific idea. I made a little file for them, then just randomly picked my favorites without counting. By the time I had carefully picked just my absolute favorites, I was already up to 13. Then I realized that my thumbnails on my computer screen were so small, that I had inadvertently left out all my double page layouts. So I went back again and found a few of those that I really liked. The whole danged process was extremely painful. Many of my not-so-favorite layouts have photos that I adore. Many of my favorites have photos of me as a child or teenager, which may seem tedious to many of you. Most of my favorite layouts don't even include photos of people at all, which is sad, because I have plenty of nice layouts of my family. I chose these simply because they make me happy, and I like to look at them. You should be glad I didn't pick my top 25. Now THAT would have been tedious! Thanks for looking! (you can click on any of the layouts to get a closer look)

PS. I'd love it if you'd tell me your favorites! Maybe I missed a few!

Silence

A few days before Christmas, my band, the Boney Mountain Mamas, gathered at our friends, the Patterson's home, for a long delayed practice, house concert, and Christmas luncheon. We played for a couple of hours- enjoying holiday music, our favorite tunes old and new, and some entertainment from the Patterson girls, who sang the most beautiful harmonies. After awhile, we all adjourned to the kitchen, where we feasted on a lovely lunch and visited. I happened back into the "music room" where our instruments lay abandoned. The big bass was reclining on the floor, and the guitars, mandolins, and autoharps were leaning against various chairs and couches. They looked like sentinels, waiting for us to return to bring them back to life. Camera in hand, I took a number of photos hoping to coax the haphazard arrangement into some sort of interesting layout, and memory of that special day.

Ty Warner Sea Center

On Saturday Bruce and I spent a few hours in Santa Barbara. It seems that Santa Barbara is our favorite destination lately... there's so much to see, and nearly every place I look, there's a fabulous photo just waiting to be taken. Or two. Or a dozen! A couple of months ago, we got a membership at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. We've been to the main museum a couple of times, and we've also been to the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, which is part of the same museum network. We hadn't yet been to the Ty Warner Sea Center, which is also part of the museum. It's on the beautiful Stearns Wharf, right on the beach at Santa Barbara. Although the Sea Center isn't the fanciest or biggest ocean museum (it isn't really an aquarium, since there's no actual humongous fish tank... just a series of small exhibits), it's really fascinating to learn all about the local sea life and habitats. My absolute favorite thing was the tank full of jelly fish! They were called Moon jellies, and were endlessly fascinating.

A Christmas Snapshot

Bruce took this photo from our stairs, in the middle of our family Christmas Eve program. Annie and I are singing,and everyone looks like they are really enjoying themselves. Out of the dozens of photos he took that evening, there's something special about this photo. Maybe it's because of the high angle of the picture... it's kind of a 'fly on the wall' image. I can imagine the angels watching us, and saying, "yes, they are truly enjoying the true meaning of Christmas". The angels were right. We did.

The Uncles & The Aunts

I worked on these two layouts during my Christmas break, but never got around to posting them on my blog... since I'm valiantly trying to post more regularly in Twenty Ten (or is it Two Thousand Ten- see previous post) I thought I'd write a little about them today.

These photos were taken by the late Sam Calder in 1962, at my Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration. I wrote quite a bit about him in my blog entry called "The Cousins Table", but I want to make sure I give him credit for the wonderful photos he took 'way back then. I was so pleased that he gave me all the negatives in about 1979 or 1980. Back then I had dreams of having my own darkroom. I never did anything with the negs, just let them sit around in their cute little orange and yellow Kodak tins. Finally, about 6 months ago I started scanning the hundreds of negatives, and I've managed to create a half dozen or so layouts from these negatives. I want my children to get to know my family better, and these uncles and aunts (including my own parents) are pictured here in these layouts. I didn't find it necessary to add much in the way of journaling. Just the basic facts, and dates of their birth & death. Only my Mom survives, the other 9 uncles & aunts are gone. But I think the photos are beautiful, and evocotive of times past and long-ago fashions and memories. I can still recall what most of my aunts & uncles were doing when the photos were taken: telling a story, reciting a poem, playing the piano.
I hope you enjoy.

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2010... doesn't that sound like some far-away futuristic date like "2001: A Space Odyssey", or "1984"? (oops, those dates have long gone!) Speaking of dates, I remember an old car commercial from late 1962: "Put a Dodge in your garage and see, the miles of smiles you get in '63". Sometimes I think it's still 1963. So back to 2010. How do you say it, anyway? Is it "Twenty-ten"? We never said "Twenty-oh-nine" or "Twenty-aught-nine". Or is it "Two Thousand Ten"? That sounds better to me, but I've been hearing a lot of that "Twenty Ten" stuff lately. It will probably take me the entire year to figure it out. Sometimes I'd like to just go back to 1963, where there were miles of smiles, and no confusion on how to pronounce the date.

I'm posting a layout I finally finished yesterday. I started it days and days ago... originally it was for a challenge at 2Ps to add a spot of color to a black and white photo. To be more accurate, most people do the old 'change a color photo to black & white', then reveal a section of the photo in color. The technique has gotten pretty tiresome to me, and I don't like to do it very often. So I got inspired to ADD something in color to a black and white photo, something that had not been there before. Somehow I got to thinking about a cute little red knit hat that my high school boyfriend Richie had given me for Christmas of 1968. He was working at the Toggery that year. The Toggery was a nice clothing store in South Pasadena, and the store hired very popular and wholesome kids to work there during Christmas vacation. These lucky kids got their photos in the newspaper along with the store ad. So Richie got me this fun little red hat, which somehow I have managed to hang onto for all these years. I'm sure somewhere there is a photo with me wearing said hat, but I couldn't find it. I didn't let that stop me, so I just took a new photo of me wearing the hat, and did a little creative Photoshoppin' on the old photo, and voila! I'm wearing the red hat. I also added a couple of photos of us, blended into the background, and I made a brush out of an old Toggery ad I happened to have. Have I ever mentioned that I rarely throw anything away? (Actually, counting old school newspapers, old city directories, and a few old regular newspapers, I probably have dozens of Toggery ads in my files, but I digress.)

I wish all my family and friends a Happy and Prosperous New Year, and my New Year's Resolution is to throw a few things away in Twenty Ten.