Getting caught up here, as I sit in the Northeast Kingdom...away from the old folks for the next 2 weeks. I figured I'd do some historical stuff. You know, the folks were cool in their day - cool kids in high school, cool folks in Lordship, cool couple in Florida. Sometimes we lose sight of that as we look at those who are aging. They had lives that were somewhat different than they are now, but have some of the same elements.
We checked with our great neighbors before we came up here - making sure the old folks weren't being pests. Dad looks out for neighbors. He noticed last week that one of our neighbors' cars hadn't left the driveway. He walked over, to check on her. She was not feeling well, so he brought her some gatorade from the store. Her husband noted that - we said that's the way they always were - for over 30 years in Lordship, and for the past 22 years in Florida (the time overlapped for the math folks out there).
Mom was a freshman in high school, part of a club right away, the shortest person around. She was, however, loud (so surprising!), and could sing (in A Capella groups, and other gigs). If girls had interscholastic sports in the fifties, she would have played softball or run track, played volleyball or been a point guard on the basketball team. She probably would have been on dance team rather than a cheerleader. Her family was firmly middle class - her dad was a regional director for ARCO, and she had moved to Stratford from Salem in 8th grade. Mom had 3 sisters (1 has passed, the other lives in NC). Her Mom was a stay at home mom, and they were also "cool", hanging out with folks who owned a bar on the beach called Pop's. Her Dad also played piano, and her Mom sang.
Dad was 2 years older - a junior when they met. He was a football player - running back. They wore leather helmets in those days, and occasionally his name shows up in the "Years Ago" column in the CT Post. He was "hot", in other words. He worked setting pins at Stratford Duckpin, when he was only 13, and kept pigeons - carriers. His parents probably weren't as cool as Mom's. His Dad came from a big Italian family, and worked at GE in Bridgeport (the plant that was just torn down) like so many 1st generation Americans. His Mom grew up on the Stratford Bridgeport line by McDonalds, and lived to be 104. She gave her job up as a lace maker in a factory when she got married. Dad has 1 brother, still alive; had another brother who died as a baby.
Dad joined the Army, as required, upon graduation. Most of his friends did the same - no one went to college unless they had really big money, or were super duper athletes. You went in the service, then maybe you went to college on the GI Bill. The night before he left, his Mom made him this great dinner...he commented on how good everything was, and his Mom told him she was glad because he just ate his carrier pigeons. Yup - true...she wasn't taking care of them while he was gone.
Mom got engaged before he left. She was engaged in her junior year of high school, but still partied with her girl friends (at least that's the story). Dad was stationed in Massachusetts and hung telephone lines in the rural areas. For 2 freaking years that's what he did. He stayed out of Korea, through luck. Some of his friends ended up there, all made it back.
While Dad was in Mass hanging line, Mom was having a pretty fine time - she talks about going to sit at the bar at Spada's (now Augustine's Blue Goose) with the "gang". Her Mom and Dad left for retirement in Florida in her junior year of high school, so she lived with some of her friends' families, and her parents' friends families. Great stories from those times, and some of our friends are family members of those folks. One of our Cabo Verde connections knew Mom as a 16 year old because she worked for one of her friends' families. It's nice to have that overlap, especially for Mom these days.
When Dad came home on leave, the first place he'd go was to Spada's bar...that's where he knew Mom would be!
Wedding days are next up...
We checked with our great neighbors before we came up here - making sure the old folks weren't being pests. Dad looks out for neighbors. He noticed last week that one of our neighbors' cars hadn't left the driveway. He walked over, to check on her. She was not feeling well, so he brought her some gatorade from the store. Her husband noted that - we said that's the way they always were - for over 30 years in Lordship, and for the past 22 years in Florida (the time overlapped for the math folks out there).
Mom was a freshman in high school, part of a club right away, the shortest person around. She was, however, loud (so surprising!), and could sing (in A Capella groups, and other gigs). If girls had interscholastic sports in the fifties, she would have played softball or run track, played volleyball or been a point guard on the basketball team. She probably would have been on dance team rather than a cheerleader. Her family was firmly middle class - her dad was a regional director for ARCO, and she had moved to Stratford from Salem in 8th grade. Mom had 3 sisters (1 has passed, the other lives in NC). Her Mom was a stay at home mom, and they were also "cool", hanging out with folks who owned a bar on the beach called Pop's. Her Dad also played piano, and her Mom sang.
Dad was 2 years older - a junior when they met. He was a football player - running back. They wore leather helmets in those days, and occasionally his name shows up in the "Years Ago" column in the CT Post. He was "hot", in other words. He worked setting pins at Stratford Duckpin, when he was only 13, and kept pigeons - carriers. His parents probably weren't as cool as Mom's. His Dad came from a big Italian family, and worked at GE in Bridgeport (the plant that was just torn down) like so many 1st generation Americans. His Mom grew up on the Stratford Bridgeport line by McDonalds, and lived to be 104. She gave her job up as a lace maker in a factory when she got married. Dad has 1 brother, still alive; had another brother who died as a baby.
Dad joined the Army, as required, upon graduation. Most of his friends did the same - no one went to college unless they had really big money, or were super duper athletes. You went in the service, then maybe you went to college on the GI Bill. The night before he left, his Mom made him this great dinner...he commented on how good everything was, and his Mom told him she was glad because he just ate his carrier pigeons. Yup - true...she wasn't taking care of them while he was gone.
Mom got engaged before he left. She was engaged in her junior year of high school, but still partied with her girl friends (at least that's the story). Dad was stationed in Massachusetts and hung telephone lines in the rural areas. For 2 freaking years that's what he did. He stayed out of Korea, through luck. Some of his friends ended up there, all made it back.
While Dad was in Mass hanging line, Mom was having a pretty fine time - she talks about going to sit at the bar at Spada's (now Augustine's Blue Goose) with the "gang". Her Mom and Dad left for retirement in Florida in her junior year of high school, so she lived with some of her friends' families, and her parents' friends families. Great stories from those times, and some of our friends are family members of those folks. One of our Cabo Verde connections knew Mom as a 16 year old because she worked for one of her friends' families. It's nice to have that overlap, especially for Mom these days.
When Dad came home on leave, the first place he'd go was to Spada's bar...that's where he knew Mom would be!
Wedding days are next up...
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