Random Flashback for Friday 9/15/17

Tonight's theme for the 45th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "Misc 80's".  They all belong to the pile of things with time stamps on them, but it's a mix of items, from newspaper clippings to letters to pics of my Dad and his wife-of-the-time's Rawleigh stand.

#221:  The Charlotte Observer newspaper clipping showing my Aunt Evelyn (my dad's sister) in full voice in her local choir there; dated Wed, Jun 2nd, 1982
#222:  a letter from State Senator Noah Wenger offering congratulations to Paul and Esther (my paternal grandparents) on their 62nd wedding anniversary; dated Oct 7, 1983
#223:  a letter from Ruth Martin of the "Courtesy Committee" of "The Ephrata Church of God" also congratulating Paul and Esther (my paternal grandparents) on their 62nd wedding anniversary; postmarked Oct 17, 1983
#224:  the Rawleigh products stand (and, for reasons unknown, a whole lot of shoelaces that we once also sold) -- and although the back says Green Dragon and although we definitely did have a stand there for a time, I actually think what's shown is the Lebanon Fairgrounds, where vendors were set up in the old concrete block stalls
#225:  my dad Ralph behind that same booth at the Fair, standing near the "make-your-own-button" section (they tried to do everything in those stands, and we owned one of those crimper machines to buttonize people)

Random Flashback for Friday 9/1/17

Tonight's theme for the 44th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "80's Cardoza Babies!" -- obviously named because every pic in this batch is either Amy or Sebastian, the children in the early to mid 80's of my cousin Suzanne, a daughter of my dad's sister Mary-Ann.  By the way, that is the same Suzanne who I got to see ever so briefly in early 2017 when she picked me up at the San Fran airport when I was in her town for a Super Bowl party.  And also by the way, that makes these kiddies (whom I've likely never met) my first cousins, once removed.

#216:  Amy at Christmas with a stuffed animal (Goofy maybe?), with "Amy 5/83" written on the back

#217:  Amy maybe at church (is that a stained glass window in the background) with "Amy 5/83 written on the back

#218:  brand new baby Sebastian (with Sebastian Enrique Cardoza 1/18/84 written on the back)

#219:  baby Sebastian with a smirk (with my dad's handwriting that says born Jan 18th 1984 on back)

#220:  growing boy Sebastian (with Sebastian Enrique Cardoza 7 months old Aug 84 written on the back)

Random Flashback for Friday 8/18/17

Tonight's theme for the 43rd batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "boys in the family 73-83"  As is often the case, I feel confident about who is who in more than half of the pics (and I should, seeing as how 2 of the 3 are of me!) ... and I'm completely at a loss as to the rest, so hopefully family members can fill in the blanks.

#211:  ME! with "1 and 1/2 years Troy" written on the back (so it would be a summer of '73 shot)

#212:  ME!  in a crib with my stuffed animals and although it looks like 77 written on the bottom, it would have to be from 1972

#213:  random boy opening Christmas presents as puppy dog watches -- xmas 1980 is written on the back -- anyone recognize the location?  or the dog?  or the boy?

#214: Bobby -- my dad's grandson from his oldest daughter (so my nephew whose existence actually made me an uncle before I was born) with "to Grandpa and Paulette, Bobby, 13 years, 1982" written on the back [Paulette was one of his wives] 

#215:  some couple's fancy olan mills photo from 1983 -- could it be an engagement photo?  based on the "look" of our family, and despite the "theme" for tonight's photos, I'd guess the *woman* was actually the family member in this shot

Random Flashback for Friday 8/4/17

Tonight's theme for the 42nd batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "blue jug at reunion".  As I've been featuring the weeks in this series when I haven't been showing pets, these are the last shots of the 1980 Neidermyer-Peiffer Reunion -- the *first* one so named in the modern era.  Some of you might recognize some family members, but for some reason, it seems like the blue jug was the focus of all of these images.

#206:  family during the meeting, with 1980 unfortunately written over the white skirt of someone; big blue jug on the right
#207:  two older men during the meeting; big blue jug on the left
#208:  more family during the meeting, big blue jug in the middle
#209:  family singers (but who?) putting on a show; big blue jug all the way on the right ... AND a special appearance by little eight year old me staring right at the camera
#210:  not a reunion pic ... back of photo says "Stephen Nickliss (sp?) - Millie Korach (sp?), married June 11 1922, photo taken June 11 1984"  -- I don't think they are relatives so maybe friends of my grandparents who apparently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary with them

Random Flashback for Friday 7/21/17

Tonight's theme for the 41st batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "Just a few more Pets!".  Actually, this will be the last of the special sets I've been doing on an alternating basis in order to get through so many of the pet photos that I discovered were in the mix.  But before it wraps ...

#201:  alert Fluffy with my father's father Paul

#202:  sleepy Fluffy with just as sleepy grandpa Paul

#203:  last shot of Fluffy in his big red bed

#204:  herd of kitties hanging out under the porch of what I think is the farm where my father moved after he divorced wife #4 -- in Fredericksburg across from the town's public pool (a house where that divorced wife once lived with the husband she had before she was married to my dad ... 'cause that's how my family rolls)

#205:  workbench cat with my dad -- except that I don't ever remember having a family kitty so I'm guessing this is also from a time frame much later in life after I ran away from home 

Random Flashback for Friday 7/7/17

Tonight's theme for the 40th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "The Peiffers!".  Before returning to the reunion in 1980 that I started featuring last time (this time with some shots of the Peiffers), I am pleased to show the first photo of all of the surviving children of my maternal great-grandparents John Peiffer and Margaret Demmy.  I get so fixated on the connection between Neidermyers and chickens that I forget that I also come from early 1900's cigar makers (the aforementioned John). 

#196:  handwritten date of May 15, 1987 on back of photo of my paternal grandmother and her siblings (in order from oldest to youngest):  Esther Mae, Beatrice, Edith, Naomi, Robert, Margaret and Kathryn (sons Charles and John died in the 50's) -- note that somebody will have to help me assign names to each sibling other than the two on each end whom I know (Robert and Esther Mae)
#197:  1980 Neidermyer-Peiffer reunion (the first one!) showing some of my grandma's siblings
#198:  1980 Neidermyer-Peiffer reunion with Uncle Junior (my dad's brother) talking to unknown family members (with a Neidermyer chicken truck in the background)
#199::  1980 Neidermyer-Peiffer reunion shot of more Peiffers
#200:  unknown smiling man performing shoveling task in the woods (?) with "Buffy - Sara & Gordon" written on the back (so maybe someone can explain that?)

Random Flashback for Friday 6/23/17

Tonight's theme for the 39th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "Esther and her best friend".  In case you missed all of the other photos (including the big big batch of pet pics that I am almost finished featuring), Esther, the lady showing up in all of this set but one, is my paternal grandmother (my dad Ralph's mother) ... and "her best friend" is Fluffy, the puppy I associated with her when visiting their house when I was a little kid.

#191:  fuzzy photo of Fluffy and Grandma Esther in the driveway in front of the flag

#192:  clearer photo of Fluffy and Grandma Esther in the driveway in front of the flag

#193:  a bigger Fluffy and Grandma Esther in front of the family car with my dad's writing on the bottom of the Polaroid that says: "mom - pup"

#194:  Fluffy and Grandma Esther in front of the Christmas tree

#195:  Fluffy on a pedestal in front of flowers

Random Flashback for Friday 6/9/17

Tonight's theme for the 38th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "family reunion 1980 (part one)".  And I have to say that, nearly 200 pictures into this project, this upcoming set (in three parts), include some of my favorite photos I've posted to date.  Selfishly, it may because in 1980 I was eight years old, which means I can still very distinctly remember when dozens and dozens of Neidermyers AND Peiffers (my paternal grandma's side of the family) would take over Brownstown Park in Lancaster County near the original family property.  If there's a sad aspect it's that a good many of the people seen in these shots from nearly four decades ago are no longer with us ... but since we have these photos, we can remember them forever.  And, for fun, in three of the photos you can see half-naked wet cousin Donnie -- which means that these pictures were taken AFTER he engaged all the young kids in a water balloon battle that likely got out of hand. 

#186:  Grandpa Paul is seated in white shirt near middle of photo with my Aunt Margaret seated next to him and my Uncle Fred with a big mustache standing next to him in the blue shirt ... my dad is framed in the middle of the back opening, which is where you can see half-naked wet cousin Donnie

#187:  a closer shot of Aunt Margaret (who looks like she's praying to the crockpots) with half-naked wet cousin Donnie (her son) directly across from her

#188:  half-naked wet cousin Donnie in the foreground with two of the Peiffer sisters (my great-aunts as they were siblings of my paternal grandmother)

#189:  lots of family gathered around the picnic tables (although I'm not sure I can identify a single one)

#190:  from right to left, my Uncle Fred, my father Ralph and Ralph's 4th of 5 wives (not that he had any of them at the same time or anything like that -- collecting wives was just his second favorite hobby after playing with toy trains)

Random Flashback for Friday 5/26/17

Tonight's theme for the 37th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "puppy polaroids through the seasons" (because there were SO many pics of critters [mostly puppies] in that collection that I've been alternating every other one of these types of posts to get through them all).  As I said the last time this little white ball of fur was featured, I'm all but certain that each one is of Fluffy, the protective dog I associated with visits to my grandparents in my youth.  But that being said, it doesn't always look like exactly the same dog in each picture.

#181:  Fluffy (?) in spring/summer on an end-table in my grandparents' driveway in front of the flower bed

#182:  Fluffy (?) next to a big pumpkin on my grandparents' enclosed front porch

#183:  blurry fuzzy puppy Fluffy (?) in front of a christmas tree

#184:  older Fluffy (?) in front of a different brighter christmas tree with my dad's writing of the word "puppy" on it

#185:  groomed Fluffy (?) on hood of a car in snowy winter with Dec 1979 written on back

Random Flashback for Friday 5/12/17

Tonight's theme for the 36th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "late 70's", as all of these photos of color are time stamped toward the end of that decade (and all but the last seemed to have come from the same camera).  Seeing as how I personally ended that decade at all but 8 years old, I'll have to rely on others to fill in any blanks for people and/or locations I don't recognize.

#176:  (my) grandpa Paul doing the gentlemanly thing and holding my grandma Esther's purse outside a church? restaurant? (time stamped Sep 77 on back of photo)
#177:  unknown couple kissing (maybe one of my dad's brothers?) at unknown location with unknown handwriting on back that says "they developed the wrong picture to send" (time stamped May 77 on back of photo)
#178:  cross armed woman not looking at the camera -- handwriting on back says "Jan 1978 Elsie Brisket" (or maybe 
"Musket")
#179:  female choir of some kind singing somewhere with maybe my Aunt Evelyn (my dad's sister) on the end at the right of the front quartet all dressed in yellow (time stamped Mar 79 on back of photo)
#180:  same female choir as before (as per the green outfits and the same choirmaster off to the side) with this handwritten on back:  "[unclear word] competition March 18, 1979 I'm in the 2nd row 3rd from right" ... which I still think is likely my Aunt Evelyn