Wednesday, October 9, 2019

From Florida to California


You all seemed to enjoy my parents' old slides when I posted a selection a week ago. So let me do a followup with some more images from the same slide trays, which cover pretty much the whole decade of the '60s.

First, this very Florida image of Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring. My great-grandparents lived in that area, and my dad and mom visited fairly frequently. Dad took this slide in 1962, but I'm guessing Highlands Hammock hasn't changed much in the years since. I love the vertical lines and muted colors. It almost looks like a black-and-white abstraction.


Here's Dad playing the fearless fisherman on the lake where we lived in Pasco County, in December 1966. We used to catch and eat fish out of that lake -- perch, catfish and, as you can see, bass.


This was from one of my parents' trips out west, in 1963. My dad never seemed to tire of the Grand Canyon, even though he was afraid of heights and could never comfortably bring himself to get close to the edge.


My mom and paternal grandmother at Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California, in 1965. This was possibly a Boy Scout camp -- my grandfather was big into scouting -- but I'm just guessing. An amphitheater, maybe?


My grandmother on my Aunt Jean's back porch in Riverside, Ca., in 1965. I love the light in this photo.


My parents had a navy blue 1965 Mustang. Remember my mom's pink Nash Metropolitan, from the previous photo lineup? Well, I believe they sold that car partly in order to buy this one. This photo must have been taken when it was brand new -- also in Southern California, in my grandmother's driveway.


My mom playing ping-pong in my aunt's backyard in 1965. This isn't very characteristic of Mom, who isn't that into games, but she seemed to be enjoying herself!


My grandmother with someone's dog. It may be my aunt and uncle's, or maybe it was hers -- though she usually had Boston terriers. I think the dog's name was Smokey, from the notes on the slide box. Don't you love her cat-eye glasses?


And finally, me on my swingset in early 1970. I think my parents bought this swingset partly to keep me amused while they focused attention on my brother, who was born that June. He and I both played on it in later years, along with various other neighborhood kids. As I've mentioned before, my memory of this swingset isn't entirely pleasant -- I got stung twice by a paper wasp that built a nest in it!

20 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Surely, the black dog that appeared in the eighth photograph is the same one that appeared with your grandmother in the fifth picture!...I know, you don't need to say it, I should have been a detective - my powers of observation are legendary.

crafty cat corner said...

I think I see a likeness to your Dad in that photo Steve.
My Mum had a pair of those glasses. It must be time for them to come around again surely, we haven't had them as a fashion for a few years, although one of the chasers on 'The Chase' wears a pair.
Great pictures and I for one would love to see more.
Briony
x

David said...

Great photos! The swing set was my favourite though. You had hair then! (I know what it is like to lose all your hair).

Mary said...

Love the old photos. Thank goodness your father was smart enough not to get too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon considering how many selfie-takers have fallen to their death there in the last few years. Smart man.

Ms. Moon said...

I remember Highlands Hammock! I think my Girl Scout troop camped there.
That swing set! Kids are still getting hurt on those things. I love the lake behind you in that scene. That is Florida.

Fresca said...

I love the light on your Aunt Jean's porch too--it's like the scene of a David Hockney painting...

ellen abbott said...

reminds me of the swingset we had. I don't remember if ours had the seesaw but we did have a set of rings, the swings, and the slide. and the cat eye glasses. my mother had some of those.

Vivian Swift said...

I love your grandmother's drapes. And I have to say it, people were slim back then, before there was a McDonald's and a Burger King on every street corner and Coke still came in little 8-oz bottles. But also, I think your family's genes play a big part in how trim everyone looks..

Linda Sue said...

What a treasure! Your photos are superb, I love everything about them, Your Mother , so adorable! Your Grand Mother looks quite elegant - the CURTAINS!! That is quite a swing set! I had a tire swing, would have given up all of my bubble gum money to have had yours!

Sharon said...

I love those cat-eyed glasses! I used to wear a pair in black rims back in the 60's. Wouldn't you love to have the Mustang today? It's a beauty. That first photo is pretty spectacular. There is something very artistic about it. I like that hazy grand canyon shot too. Lot's a great slides. You are making me regret throwing away boxes of slides years ago. However, I did keep a few good ones.

Comox Valley and beyond said...

Love these photos your grandmother and mother look so stylish I also like the colour of the photographs more subtle than the colour today, yes Like mentioned above I'm sorry our slides are long gone but I do have a couple of those cat like glasses my mother used to wear.

The Bug said...

That top photo is fabulous! Like a painting...

Love the photo of your mom playing ping pong. Her hair is amazing. My mom played ping pong FEROCIOUSLY - man what a competitor!

Catalyst said...

Great slides with a view into the past, Steve. Should have saved them for ThrowBack Thursday! By the way, congratulations to your namesake for winning election as mayor of Montgomery, Alabama!

jenny_o said...

That first photo is amazing.

They're all interesting - thanks for sharing more of them. As I've said, I love old photos, doesn't matter if I know who's in them or not!

Edna B said...

Wonderful photos! We had a swing set for our kids too and they loved it. As for those glasses, I wore some like that and my oldest daughter now wears them. Everything old becomes new again. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

Steve Reed said...

YP: Such powers of deduction! Yes, Smokey (if that is indeed his name) turns up in a lot of the shots around that time. Kind of like Olga in my pictures!

Briony: Yeah, I definitely take after my dad's side of the family -- my grandfather particularly. Cat-eye glasses are popular among certain fashionistas, I believe!

David: LOL! I barely had hair then. I've always had thin hair on top, even as a kid.

Mary: Well, that's a good point. It's definitely not a place to take risks!

Ms Moon: I remember it was easy to get pinched on that swingset, in the links of chain. Doesn't the slide look wonky, too? I'm sure the whole thing wouldn't pass product safety rules these days.

Fresca: It IS very Hockney! There's really something about California light.

Ellen: All popular in the mid-century, right?

Vivian: People were definitely much slimmer. I don't see any overweight people in these slides, even among all my parents' friends and relatives.

Linda Sue: Those curtains are something else, aren't they? They might have been my aunt's, actually. I think that was her house.

Sharon: Oh, I wish I could tell people to NEVER throw away slides. Seriously, I would take them all if I could. I have so much fun combing through them. I went to a yard sale a few years ago where someone was selling about four trays full of slides. I was going to buy them but another guy beat me to it.

Comox: The colors change a bit over time. I've tried to correct them some, but it's hard to make them look completely natural.

Bug: The funny thing is, we used to have a ping pong table, and I don't remember my mom ever playing. How they got her to play for that picture is a mystery to me!

Catalyst: I saw that story! LOL! There was also a mayor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, several years ago who was named Stephen G. Reed. (Which is my full name.) I think he got indicted for something!

Jenny-O: I agree. I just love old pictures. Even when they're people I don't know!

Edna B: I bet your daughter is thrilled to have those glasses! Retro styles like that are quite fashionable.

Sabine said...

These are all really great pictures, regarding light and composition and whatnot - I sound as if I have a clue, which I have not, but anyway: striking.
Thanks for posting. You must find it amazing to see them, no?

Anonymous said...

These are wonderful photos. They really capture the essence of the early 1960s. Love that top photo, quite beautiful.

37paddington said...

Your mom and grandmother are both very elegant. That first photo looks as if you could have taken it.

e said...

Your mother and grandmother were very nice looking. I loved all of these photos and the 65 Mustang was always my dream car!