Third grade
In this time of corona, school was cut short this year. The classroom sessions ended early, sometime in March. Colleen and I met in third grade. We both went thru classes to the last day of that school year, May 27. That was a couple days back. I can recall the exact day and year because it was my brother’s birthday. And, who would have thought that history would get us together so many decades later. We orbited, separately, living full lives for so many decades before finding each other once again. That’s pretty amazing to me. There were a lot of moving parts that fortuitously fell into place for this to happen. We did sit in this very style of school desk. They seem to have gotten smaller over the years.
History
I think of history as old and ancient – time. Colleen and I have been together a few short years. Yet…. all the ornaments I had went with Lisa. Colleen brought some and we acquired a few (lot), just like we acquired a few (four) more cats. As you see, we get a lot of help. That would be Nutley (aptly named).
Santa? A friend collected them. I never paid much attention. Colleen got an interest. And off we went. When we visited Winterthur, it seems that Mr. Dupont collected Santas too. How’d we compare? Not too bad. My hat’s off to Colleen’s sharp eye. I may find them but she’s the one with final approval. Honestly, I am impressed with how quickly our collection has accumulated in such a short span. Call it, making up for lost time. Mr. Dupont’s Santas are to the left.
Willow Tea
Who knew? Cranston – Stuart and Catherine. They invented it. He thought of it; she ran with it as his biggest competitor. A famous architect of the time designed her Willow Tea shop. It’s all retold in the Kelvin Grove museum. And! We had a reservation that very afternoon. How neatly serendipitous is that! Really! The décor was as it was shown in the museum right down to the distinct high-backed chairs. My research assistant (wife) outdid herself this time, for sure! Chuckle, I was tickled pink!
Things they tell you
How would we have known? You travel. Your local guide tells you facts you had never considered. Being fat was a sign of wealth. And the wealthy also traveled to the “continent” for their portrait to be commissioned to a famous painter (of the time). In this instance, the lord was young and not yet corpulent. So, the painter painted up his hands and face. And then, the lord paged through a catalog and picked out a body to be painted and matched. Voila! Fat and rich! Who’d have thunk…?
Where were you?
I have been party to history. I remember where I was when Kennedy was shot… and where I was when 9/11… and where we all were when Sondland came and cheerfully gave up the Republican leadership. History. Tragic. But indelible. Where were you?
Kolb Bros
I’m a photographer? The Kolb brothers were daredevils that filmed the Grand Canyon. Their feats were something to make the heart faint. Colleen is the reader. She read and told me about their exploits. The wood home/studio was perched precariously on the canyon rim.
The railroad and Harvey company tried to compete and put them out of business. They commissioned Mary Colter to design a stone building on the trail ahead of the Kolb house. Tourists would stop there first and miss the Kolb studio. And to make things worse the company put their mule waste station upwind from the Kolbs. Yup, a shitty situation. The Kolbs prevailed and the building stands. Who knew the histories and how they intertwined? I should read more.
Legend of the lawn jockey
Lawn ornaments, like a footman bearing a lantern or a gnome in a garden, the origin and meaning is unclear. Racist? The ornaments are still popular and sought after. Legend: Jocko Graves, 12 yo African American boy, died in service to George Washington; he froze to death standing post to light the way for troops returning across the Delaware River. True? No one is quite sure. Ah! He’s holding a light! Get it? Well, I can say I learned something new. The offering in the antique store is old? The price is $775. Ummmm….no.
Covered
Well…what a nice segue! (see yesterday). Back in October I posted the picture of an old building and its old signs that would soon be covered up forever. Now it is/has been… The old signs will not likely be seen again. Maybe a hundred years on, it will be repurposed and we might see beneath the veneer again. It’s another instance where I got a picture that will not be available to be recreated again. Different place, different time. No one spoke up. The signs were covered up without fanfare. It happens all the time. History is lost…but not forgotten.
Where were you… 1963 1965 1977 2001 2003 … fifty years on.
10th Anniversary 2011, spotlights represent the fallen towers
In a ‘roundabout way I will meander and recall the Kennedy assassination of 1963. It will be soon fifty years ago. When did I get so old?
http://apps.beta620.nytimes.com/john-f-kennedy-assassination-coverage/issue.html?hp
Mailbox
I don’t remember when I last saw one. And I haven’t mailed a letter in forever. I’ve been to the post office to pick up registered mail. Otherwise I don’t know the cost of a stamp. And they tell me now that the stamps don’t have a price on them anymore. They are good until you use them. Hmm… I think the last time I bought a stamp it was about 43 cents? And that was a while ago. Well, with the post office in the pickle it’s in, mailboxes have disappeared from most corners. And soon this will be a collector’s item.
Colony Records
The name says it all. It’s closed. There no records. This was a fixture in Times Square for many years. No more records, right! And it was a place for sheet music. I remember we stopped for Suzuki piano lesson music. Yup, it was a big hangout for anyone who needed hard to find things. There was a write-up before it closed. Now it’s a storefront waiting to happen.
World Trade Center, Freedom Tower
The recent news is that the tower is topped. They have positioned the antenna and will complete the outer structure soon. I’m glad to have an opportunity to get these shots. They will be unique, a one of kind memory. From here on you can only get shots of the completed building.
And when you happen to be traveling without a camera, an iPhone at least gets you a shot.
photobackstory 
