Wordless Wednesday - New baby nephew

A once young nephew is having a birthday today. 32 years a blink of any eye - Happy Birthday Bobby! See WW and WW

Whimsical Windows - Final approach

I am back today to a great meme, Toby's Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors. Given my computer issues, I have missed a post or two (or more than I'd prefer :), and do believe that my MacMini needs a new hard drive as it barely works. A normal hard drive or a solid state one is what I need to consider and per usual, the $$ will dictate my choice. All that said, Patti is letting me use her computer when she is not working - thanks!

This view was taken from the right seat, by myself in my walking days, I believe in the Autumn of 1983. The plane was the ubiquitous high winged Cessna 172. This is over East Hartford Connecticut as the pilot was turning 180° to land on Runway 2 at Hartford's Brainard Field. Of interest to me that day, is the large office building, my then employer, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft (the corporate UTC logo directly below). The pic was snapped on my film SLR, a Pentax K1000. Lots of windows in the distance, my passenger window offering a unique look at the world...

SOOC - Crossing the Mighty Mississippi

SOOC - Straight Out of the Camera - takes me back three decades to the headwaters of the long (2340 miles/3770 km) Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. Unlike the unpredictable and often dangerous waters downriver in places like Memphis and New Orleans, one can cross the river at its source safely, as a pair of then younger cousins do in August 1983. A lovely state of over 13000 lakes and lots of mosquitoes...

Whimsical Windows - Happy Birthday big sis...

1956, Brigantine NJ

1968, East Hartford CT

1983

I often return to the past for Toby's fun meme, Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors. Today I must though, for the firstborn and big sister Michele had a surprise 60th birthday party for her yesterday. Planned for and executed by her two fabulous kids with lots of food, fun and music.

We celebrate here as she is seen with in doors and windows over the years. She is amazing, and birthdays are to be celebrated! Although the celebration was yesterday as she is on a business trip today to the frozen tundra (-6°F /-21°C) of Minnesota...Happy birthday!

Tina's Pic Story - Favorite

Tina hosts the fun meme Pic Story, where she provides the weekly theme which this week is your favorite picstory. This picture, posted before - you should carry your camera at all times lest you lose a fun memory.

It is August 1983 at the zoo in Omaha Nebraska, the temperature a stifling 102°F (39°C). However, the furry polar bear was lying on his back, taking it easy in the heat. I still like this bear! Congrats on 100 PicStory posts

Whimsical Windows - Cathedral of St. Paul

Toby hosts the fun architectural meme, Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors - we look for interesting portals and such. Today, I found this subject in a (big) bunch of photos I scanned last November. I was, however unaware of just what it was. Given the degradation of the color print, I deduced it was from the1980s...with some luck, I found this to be from 1983 and is the Cathedral of St. Paul, in the Minnesota city of the same name. Built in 1904, the architect was Louis Masqueray, the style referred to as Classical Revival. It is imposing even with the softer sepia edit. The mystery of what it was is now solved in this impressve structure...

Ruby Tuesday 2 - Vintage b-day

Ruby Tuesday 2 today goes back to a child's birthday party in 1983, the guess based on the growth stage of the nieces and nephews celebrating the day. 

Some ruby is there, fulfilling the basic red required...All the kids then are parents now - great kids back then. Outstanding grown-ups now...Follow the trail of more rubies at RT2! 

Tina's WW - Birthday 1983

A fourth birthday party was held awhile back with cake, candles and Smurfs party hats on all. Still charming...See Tina's WW

Ruby Tuesday - Sail on, sailor...

Ruby Tuesday 2 returns and I again look to the past for ruby, a lot or not. I'll go with the minimal red returns us the year 1983. These are sisters Christina and Julie and often the case with siblings close in age for special occasions, moms chose matching outfits. 

That occasion was the baptism of their new baby brother Bobby in which many relatives would celebrate...and every attendee did so! Hints of ruby are in their 'uniforms'...cute is a cute does!

(Yes, for those of a certain age, that is a Ford Pinto, clad not in ruby but in that not so attractive brown that cars of the 1970s wore. You had to be there to appreciate what passed for style in the day...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Lush Lakeside

The land of sky blue water

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 is here as I go back a few decades. I have been scanning many old prints again from years ago - and return to a favorite vacation from 1983, the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota and Big Stony Lake, 200 miles (322 km) from the Twin Cities, 90 miles (144 km) from Fargo,North Dakota. Relatives have this for a summer retreat, and if I recall, these pictures were taken early, maybe 6:00-7:00 AM on an August morn with the sun just rising above the boat and over the dock. This is a place of solitude - ditch the electronic devices, bring a book and mosquito repellant to this place of quiet and watery shadows...

Ruby Tuesday - Party dress

A cousin's birthday party guests Julie, Christina and Amy, 1983

Ruby Tuesday 2 returns this week as do I. Plenty of old prints have been found and scanned, and over the decades there have been plenty of reds from decades past. This is from 1983 and are birthday partiers ready for cake and fun. With one dress and a few balloons to meet the ruby requirement (the Smurf birthday hats explain the era). Too cute, kids then some with kids now - where did the time go?

Whimsical Windows - Lakeside view

Toby graciously hosts the fun architectural meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors. Windows allow us to look out hopefully at scenery of note. I unearthed these views taken in August 1983 and a vacation to a relative’s lakefront home in Minnesota. Big Stony Lake one of actually 11,842 (not 10,000) lakes in this beautiful state and four hours northwest of the Minneapolis/St Paul airport - close to the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River. We are looking outside the living room window toward the boat on the lake 

The bottom view is looking up from the dock - nondescript in style, yet functional for a lakefront home. Inland is where we reside now, but summer in The land of sky blue waters is great for a respite, although the mosquitoes up there are the size of birds :)