Allison's Book Bag

Four years ago, I joined Saturday Snapshot. The meme invites bloggers to share photos. One of my new year’s resolutions was to create a memory scrapbook from my childhood. I intend for the project to be a work-in-progress, where I mostly post in order of scanned photos. So far, I have posted about my parents and grandparents, the family dog, and personal interests. Next up are photos that include my aunts and uncles or my mom’s siblings (Gertrude, Kathy, Melvin, Monte) and my dad’s siblings (Ruth).

The first photo is at my grandparents’ place and is of them, my parents, some of my aunts and uncles, and me. Everything about the interior has long since changed. The second photo seems to have been taken before my parents flew to Ontario to visit relatives on my dad’s side. A favorite photo of mine is the third which shows just my uncles with me.

Naturally, my relatives have changed a lot since my cradle day photos. Most of have married, had children, and even retired. As such, they sport gray hair and struggle with some health issues. Except for my relatives who moved away from Newfoundland, I get to visit everyone on my mom’s side once a year. Aunt Gertrude and Uncle Calvin will invite Andy and I over for a home-cooked meal. Uncle Melvin and Aunt Linda share my love of travel and pets. With Uncle Monte and Verna, I enjoy long conversations about anything and everything.

On my dad’s side, there’s just Aunt Ruth and Uncle John. The first photo is of them with me and the second is of me with their dog. Andy and I have gone four times since my move to Nebraska to visit them. The first was for a cousin’s wedding; two were just to connect; and the fourth was for my nan’s funeral. Andy and I enjoyed their house in the woods and by a lake. We appreciated that they took time to show off places about their community, hike with us, and treated us to homemade and restaurant meals.

Four years ago, I joined Saturday Snapshot. The meme invites bloggers to share photos. One of my new year’s resolutions was to create a memory scrapbook from my childhood. I intend for the project to be a work-in-progress, where I mostly post in order of scanned photos. So far, I have posted about my parents, our family dog, and personal interests. Next up are photos of my grandparents.

These photos are particularly meaningful, because none of my grandparents are still alive. The first photo was taken near the time I had been christened, and is of my grandparents on my mom’s side. They both met Andy, but long before I moved to Nebraska to date and eventually marry him. I know they both would have been proud. The second photo seems to have been taken before my parents flew to Ontario to visit relatives on my dad’s side.

The third photo is of my grandparents on my dad’s side. Although she was a step-mom to my dad, I only knew my grandmother and so to me she was always my Nan. My Poppy Hunter never met Andy, but my Nanny Hunter did when Andy and I attended a wedding of a cousin. This photo seems to be around the time of my first birthday.

In my next Saturday Snapshot, I’ll post about my other relatives, all of whom I still get to visit. Enjoy the week!

Four years ago, I joined Saturday Snapshot. The meme invites bloggers to share photos. One of my new year’s resolutions was to create a memory scrapbook from my childhood. I intend for the project to be a work-in-progress, where I mostly post in order of scanned photos. Last month I posted about my first introduction to dogs. Next up in my trip down memory lane are photos that show my potential other interests.

Ah-ha! I liked balls. Could sports be in my future? Not a chance! Unless I can win awards for the most times I throw or hit something in the wrong direction. 😉

Still, there’s plenty to indicate that I liked to be active. Here I am getting around in various modes of transportation. None of them explain why I waited until my twenties to get my driver’s license. Maybe I’m just a late-bloomer. Turns out, that I’m also a homebody and so more often than not you’ll find me at work or at home.

I also enjoyed a good swing set. What kid doesn’t? 😉 Maybe when combined with the second photo, it shows I liked the outdoors. If so, this still holds true!

Or maybe the second photo shows that I liked having friends. Perhaps that would explain my interest in phones. 😉 Or maybe it revealed an early interest to talk? My husband would agree! Today I put my verbal “skill” to good use, not only to network with volunteers for animal rescue but also to put words to paper and screen.

Four years ago, I joined Saturday Snapshot. The meme invites bloggers to share photos. One of my new year’s resolutions was to create a memory scrapbook from my childhood. I intend for the project to be a work-in-progress, where I mostly post in order of scanned photos. A few weeks ago I posted about my first family Christmas. Next up in my trip down memory lane are photos of me from other special occasions.

With Easter just around the corner, it seemed fitting to show a photo from my first. I remember Easter as being a time for new clothes and chocolate bunnies. I wonder whatever happened to the blow-up bunny in this photo?

I don’t know if these photos are from my first birthday, but they’re the only applicable ones in my Cradle Days album. I remember birthdays as being a time for parties, games, and friends. Or at least until the end of primary grades, when we moved. Then it seemed harder to make friends and to get them to visit. The car and the horse show up in a lot of photos.

I’m guessing this last photo is of my dad’s birthday. Once upon a time, adults seemed so old to me. Hard to imagine that now he’s almost eighty and I’m almost fifty.

Four years ago, I joined Saturday Snapshot. The meme invites bloggers to share photos. One of my new year’s resolutions was to create a memory scrapbook from my childhood. I intend for the project to be a work-in-progress, where I mostly post in order of scanned photos. So far, I’ve posted about my parents and about my first Christmas. Next up in my trip down memory lane are photos of me with the family dog.

My dad has always been a dog person. I have too, although in this first photo I seem a little hesitant about the big white beast next to me. Smokey seems unsure of me too. Or maybe we both just felt as if our space had been invaded! The next photo we’re further apart but also more tolerant even if not completely comfortable with one another.

Here I seem happy enough to touch the big white beast in the family. Smokey looks as if patiently accepting that I was in the family to stay. And in the next photo we’ve both deliberately chosen to hang out with one another. Maybe we were lonely. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around except of course the photographer. Or maybe we were truly becoming friends.

At any rate, these photos were the first signs of the road I was to take as a dog person. After Smokey, there was Puff, Polar, Cocoa, Choco, and Chuckles. Then I moved to the Midwest, got married, and remained a dog person. We lost Gizmo is 2015. Our toy poodle, Barnaby, is twelve.

PS I’m also now a cat person, but that’s another story!