Web Robin

Redding Christmas - 1960

In Redding, 1960, they had a contest for decorated trees. I worked for several day, placing tinsel on, one piece at a time. It was a white tree with blue bulbs and blue lights. It was truly a beautiful tree. We waited and waited, but no one came to judge the tree. The next day I call the Record Search (the Redding paper) and asked why no one came to judge my tree. I found out that the tree had to be by a window and able to be seen from the street. Very said. But we did have a beautiful tree that Christmas.

GOOD MEMORIES

 A nice memory of Grandpa Al with two of the Curtis boys, Kenneth and Lyman. Kenneth doesn't look too comfortable. Kathy: Do you remember when this was taken? I can tell by the sofa that it was when the dinning room was the living room. 

Memories

  This was taken on a trip to Mexico on the last voyage of the ship. I guess we've all changed quite a bit. It was a fun trip and the girls really enjoyed it.

The End of a Dynasty

With the death of Ted Kennedy, Mary Jo Kopeckne finally gets justice, as the drunken killer at Chappaquidick is executed.  Apparently even God didnt have the patience to wait any longer for human justice and took matters into His own hands.

That said Joe; John; Bobby; Ted; JFK, Jr.; Jackie; and Caroline have all had a significant impact on the US political and social scene.  Caroline is the only one left and did not get the senate seat in New York she wanted.  She has been otherwise fairly unintrusive.  Does this mean the end of America's love affair with the Kennedys?

Artist to Know: Lilly Martin Spencer

Lilly Martin Spencer was an unusual woman for 19th century America. Born in 1822, she bore 13 children (7 survived childhood). That's not the unusual part: she was the breadwinner of the family. Her husband managed the household. Sometimes she provided paintings in lieu of rent. 

She decided at the age of 18 that she would devote her life to painting, and was able to do so very successfully. She's best known for intimate domestic portraits and still lifes. 

The painting at left, titled "Kiss me and You'll Kiss the 'Lasses," (molasses) shows her sense of humor. The lady is both a proper Victorian woman and a little flirtatious.

You might wonder why I'm including this post. Almost every cover of JAMA (med journal) contains a famous painting. One of the first articles at the beginning of the issue is a critique of the painting, including a bit of art history and bio of the artist. I love stories of artists who make it in spite of obstacles, and thought this lady's work was charming. 

See a few more of her works here.

Photos I meant to post last Thursday

The photo on the left was taken August 15, 2001, just a month before the attack on the World Trade Center. We're standing by a policeman's horse (The officer took the picture.) Naturally, after the buildings fell, we wondered if "our policeman" was one of those lost that day.

The photo on the right is of Chela and Molly May 15, 2002, when we visited the Ground Zero site with friends Susan and Sam Hess. I wish I'd been able to stand on a ledge above the girls so I could have aimed downward to show both them in contemplation and the site itself. Nevertheless, it is an evocative picture -- one of my favorites.

Signed with a Flourish

Julia Murray: a pistol-packin' Mama

This picture was taken during the latter part of WWII. Mother was the only woman guard at the Signal Depot. She was very proud of her job as was the rest of the family. However, Peggy and I loved to tease her when she came home from work, we would sing "Lay That Pistol Down, Babe", a popular song at the time. She would feign anger while we would be doubled up in laughter, every day!

When I was Brittney's age

My sister Kathy sent this photo from my college years. I remember when roommate Judy and I got those matching T-shirts. We were great friends and were happy together for 3 years.

For a time Judy was in Louis & Kristine's ward. I've lost track of her now.

(Ah, youth.... )

Web Robin Turns 3!

Congratulations to all of us!!! We have kept this family newsletter going for three full years now.

Thank you all for participating, for contributing your ideas, photos, comments, humor and good will! Thanks for keeping it interesting and lively.

For those of you who like to keep track of such things, know that there is a total of 4,999 posts and comments. (The first week has been lost, so we have actually created more than that.) We have 21 people with author priviledges, though I'm sure you recognize that only a fraction of that number are frequent posters, which is completely normal for any online community.

But we have something going for us that most communities don't -- we're family! Three cheers for us!