Gentle Readers and Dear Friends eight years ago we lost my father. I think of him daily and still miss him being here - today is his birthday and he would have turned 80. I got to thinking about that a few days ago..... and so I turned to the photo albums. Many of the pictures I have I found when we cleaned out my grandparents house, some I have just always had and some I took or had copies made from the piles of negatives that have accumulated at my mom's house. My dad was an avid or I could even say rabid photography nut - and every event no matter how small was documented in pictures - be they prints or slides. I guess my love of photography came from him. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you. Now remember these are snaps of snaps - I tried to minimize the reflection from the flash.
In chronological order.......
Two very early snaps that date from the Fall of 1931 - the one of the left is my Grandfather holding my dad and the one on the left is my Granny holding my dad. I think these where taken at my Great-grand mothers farm in Decatur Georgia.
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Probably my favorite picture of my dad - taken in Atlanta Georgia when he was 5 in 1936.
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This is a snap form the summer of 1953 or 54 - taken when my parents where in school at East Carolina College (now East Carolina University). This was taken at Nags Head NC.
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This is a detail from a snap of my parents taken at their engagement party on February 13, 1955. My mom has told me that it was all red and white with a Valentines theme.
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This portrait was one that was hanging at my Grand parents home - taken in the Fall of 1963 - the fat baby is me and the silly expression has not gone away in all these years!!
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I'll wrap up today's trip down memory lane with this shot of my brother and I with my dad - taken Christmas of 1967.
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For a stitchity shot let me show again the Memorial Sampler.......
There you go sports fans. Thanks for stopping by!!
Take care,
edgar
Birthdays of loved ones who have left us are always hard, aren't they? I always think of my mom when her birthday comes around each year. I loved seeing all the pics of your dad and family. Definitely pictures to treasure.
ReplyDeletewhat nice pictures. The picture of your dad on the horse is a great one. Its amazing how much we miss people. Happy birthday to your dad.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful beautiful poem. It brought tears to my eyes and made me think of beloved ones not longer walking next to us.
ReplyDeleteA birthday of loved ones are hard days in a way, and thinking of the good things shared together is the best way to deal with it. Loved it to walk with you through memory lane.
Who's the designer of the sampler with the beautiful poem?
Sweet post, Edgar, and lovely photos. You look quite a bit like your dad. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the old photos and can only imagine how you must treasure them. The memories that photos capture and preserve are so very poignant.
ReplyDeleteI can empathize somewhat! My dad would have been 84 just a few weeks ago. He died on Memorial Day in 1987. I keep several photos of him in my bookcase: his wedding photo with Mom and a smiling shot of a fresh-faced 18 year old GI somewhere in France, taken just a few months before he was seriously wounded ... he bears a striking resemblance to Robert Mitchum in that photo!
What a sweet poem and a lovely tribute to your father!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you have these photos and more. The memorial sampler is a perfect tribute and very special heirloom to be treasured. Our fathers must have been close in age as my father would have also been 80. Every day is hard when a loved one is lost but some are always harder. You are in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how bittersweet they are, thank goodness we have the memories! I love the pic of your dad on the horse...I agree with Kristen - you look like your dad.
ReplyDeleteLove the memorial sampler. I remember seeing that and writing down the name...did I get that pattern yet - I'll have to check my list!
What a nice post Edgar and I love the old family photos from the 50's and 60's. It always looks like such a happier time in retrospect for some reason. I wonder if someday people will feel that way about photos from today - maybe they'll be nostalgic for the old-fashioned iPads and iPods. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great day.
love those old photos and you've not changed a bit heheheh .. and I really love the verse on that sampler too it was read out at my uncles funeral a few years back... happy birthday to your dad .. love mouse xxxx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Tribute to you Father Edgar I see where you get your good looks, your Mother is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your father,
I am sure he is in Heaven we still have birthdays after we pass.
I love your Sampler nice job.
Catherine
diamondc
What great photos Edgar, it's lovely to take trip down memory lane :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to you Pops x
Thanks for sharing. It looks like you have wonderful memories.
ReplyDeleteTeresa;s Heartfelt Stitches
Great photos and they remind me so much of ones I have of my dad. He turned 80 in May and we are so blessed to still have him with us. Thanks for the reminder of how precious that is.
ReplyDeleteThe pain of loss never heals, yet your heart remembers and he lives on...
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your Daddy, he looks on you from heaven smiling!
Hugs and love Edgar :)
What a beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your wonderful pictures & treasured memories with us ;)
Love your sampler! I remember seeing one like that in one of the stitching magazines. I wonder if it is the same one?
A lovely stitched memorial to your father Edgar.
ReplyDeleteEdgar, what a wonderful memorium post finishing up with your beautiful memorial sampler. And what a cute baby/child you were!
ReplyDeleteI spent Sunday afternoon looking through two boxes of photographs - not too many from my childhood but a few - I think photography was an expensive hobby then. We are so lucky to have digital photography now - take 20 pictures to get 'the one'!
Oh, dear Edgar! Thank you for sharing your dad with us! I can see where you get your good looks, charm, and talent!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Mr. M!
The trip down memory lane is wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. I know it always helps me on those special days when I am thinking about my Mom to share those feelings with others. I especially love that photo of the three cowboys. :)
ReplyDeleteEdgar
ReplyDeleteHold fast to your beautiful memories...you are blessed to have them...
Busy Hands...Happy Heart
Patricia
Aww, what wonderful pictures and memories you have. You are so fortunate. I am fortunate to have my mom still living, at almost 90. A happy birthday to your precious dad. And my Paulette is "rabid" for photography as well..that cracked me up. :) Beautiful sampler, too.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs for you Edgar! It is always hard to think of the ones we miss. I love your collection of photos (esp. the pony and the silly look on your baby face); I bet looking at them helps.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you have so many fantastic pictures to help remember your Dad. I love old photos - the clothes, the hair, everything, especially love the cowboy gear!
ReplyDeleteLovely post in memory of your dad. It's nice to have all those photos to reminisce.
ReplyDeleteHi Edgar, thanks for sharing your photos and memories of your Dad. I lost my Dad in 1982 and I still miss him. I have a picture of me with my parents at the beach when I was about 5 years old, on my chest of drawers in my bedroom. Although gone from your sight, your Dad lives on in the hearts and minds of those who loved him. Thinking of you from across the pond, Sandy.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful tribute and beautiful sampler.
ReplyDeleteBobbi
Those special days are always bittersweet when we have lost someone we love so much. You posted a nice tribute to your dad.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures Edgar. Thanks for sharing your Dad with us. Your sampler is very pretty. ~ Christie
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are with you today. I have the same kind of pictures of my Dad and they mean so much! My Mom's family did not take pictures and I have none of her as a child. I put her hometown and name on one of my samplers as a tribute to her. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your precious memories. The photos are priceless.
ReplyDeleteWhat great pics. I'm so sorry you lost your dad. I'm sure that's a wound that never heals all the way. It just fades to a duller pain than it is at first. I recently lost my dad, and am still coming to terms with it. This year has been full of firsts. First Father's Day without dad, First New Year's without dad, and so on. I think Father's Day was really the worst. It was horrible. But I know it will get better, so I'm hanging in there. I'm glad you are to the point where you can look back and smile. The pics you showed of your dad are great!! I love the one of him at five too. It's awesome!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute to your father! Your sampler is beautiful! Is Cissy short for a name. Only asking because my family always called me Sissy.Picked up when I was born because my sister could not say that's my sister - but my Sissy and it stuck with my all my life. Debbie
ReplyDeleteNothing beats sweet, good memories, does it? So glad you have all of these special photos of your Dad & family. It's memories
ReplyDeletelike these that keep us going....
What a beautiful tribute to your Dad! I loved seeing all your family pictures and the stitched memorial really brought a lump to my throat.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad's death anniversary will be in a week, oh how I miss him. He's been in Heaven 6 years and not a day goes by where I don't think of him and I miss him terribly.
Happy Birthday to your Daddy. Cherish those memories until you see him again.
What a sweet post, Edgar. My dad passed away 6 years ago and I miss him every day. Thanks for sharing all your treasured photos. Your dad lives on in you.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
You made a lovely photographic tribute to your dad's birthday. My mom would have been 85 yesterday. I miss her a lot.
ReplyDelete((((hugs!)))) I love this post.
ReplyDeleteAugust 4th is my birthday and also my daughters birthday... The pictures are wonderful! We all are truly blessed to have those in out lives that bless us forever! thank you for sharing a piece of his life with us.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing that wonderful tribute to your Dad.
ReplyDeleteyou probably hear this a lot, but you look a lot like your dad. Thank you for sharing the pictures. I hope they brought you comfort.
ReplyDeleteHello Edgar. Nice to meet you. This post of your Dad is wonderful and what a beautiful sampler. I have such a difficult time letting go of my Dad's untreated anguish that I can't look at old photos and smile, but I did for yours. Along with a few tears! I absolutely love your blog header. I prefer seeing the actual piece before it's trapped behind glass. 1000 posts?!?!?!? Catching up is obviously going to take some time, but I think it will be worth it.
ReplyDelete