I've been working on a major organizational project for a few weeks - sorting my printed photos.
First came the hunting & gathering, then the decision on the catalog criteria.
Once sorted by era (ancestors, my life until living outside of my parental home, early married life before children, our family years, empty nest to current) I am attempting to put them in simple albums chronologically for now, but some stories are begging to be told.
This newspaper article surfaced at the same time the photo did,
so with my
CKC July "Beautiful Maggie" counterfeit kit it was easy-peasy.
I chose the Webster's Pages "My Happy Place"/Sunshine paper as the story is a move to Florida.
I had a long story to tell so I slipped the clipping into an archival sleeve & treated it
like a pocket page. My story was formatted to fit into the space on the reverse.
I left my original hand-written note on the back of the photo visible.
Journaling:
Middle of my
junior year of high school at Springbook my folks announced that the family was
going to move to Florida… wow…
Daddy was
tired of the snow & winter in general, ready to ease into life in the slow
lane & out of real estate. I wish I had asked him more about it later in
life.
By the time
the house sold, I only had about six weeks of school left & begged to be
allowed to stay and finish. I lived with Aunie & Bamma in the Connecticut
Avenue apartment down in D.C. & drove the Vega back & forth to school
in Maryland.
Greg & I were already
very serious & he was graduating from Gaithersburg High School that year.
One evening he brought me back from a date. Before we entered the apartment I
sang out, Everybody decent? No reply but just as we came into the foyer Bamma
came out from her room, What did you say? Aunie had her undressed, ready for
her bath but had gone to get bubble bath. Always the gentleman,
Greg quickly averted his eyes & jumped back into the vestibule!
Congressman
Chamberlain was retiring & a big party was planned aboard the presidential yacht
U.S.S. Sequoia I stayed home with Bamma & spent most of
the evening repeating this conversation: Bamma
– I wonder where Ann is? I hope she’s alright. Me – She’s at Mr. Chamberlain’s
retirement party. She’ll be home in a bit. Don’t worry. Bamma – Well! That’s
easy for you to say! You don’t have a daughter running around at all hours of
the night!
Bless
her heart. She & Aunie would soon be following us to Florida.
Eleanor
Harmon & I were to take the Auto Train to Florida the Monday after Greg’s senior
prom held at the mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Aunie experienced one of my
ultimate procrastination moments when Greg waited in the living room while I finished
sewing my dress.
The following
Monday we drove to the depot. Greg met us there to send me off & eventually
Eleanor & I boarded the train.. Greg stayed on the platform. We tried to
communicate through the window and then noticed that he had on two different socks.
He couldn’t understand what we were trying
to say & took off each shoe & sock until he realized they were
different.
At that
moment the train started to move. I burst into tears & he began to trot down
the platform after the train. Later we found out he got in the car and followed
the train for miles. Worst day of my life.
That first
summer in Florida found me up at all hours of the night writing endless letters
“back home” to those I loved & missed. I also learned more than I ever wanted to know
about palmetto bugs – enormous roach-like insects that were unavoidable –
namely that they fly.
It wasn’t
all bad. I mean, we were only a couple of miles from the Juno Beach Pier. But
my Maryland roots ran deep & I had left my heart back in Gaithersburg. It was
really difficult to look forward to my high school senior year.
At
the same time, Daddy really loved the shop & Mommy had met some nice
friendly neighbors. Aunie & Bamma moved down to a Paradise Villa condo in
North Palm Beach.
I
graduated from North Palm Beach High School in 1975 & from Palm Beach
Community College in December 1976 with an A.S. degree. Greg & I married a week
later.
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