We started our day off with a detour yesterday.
Leaving the house with plenty of time to get from Minnetonka to Chaska, Kim wanted to know if I could find the house where I lived during the first few years of my elementary school years.
I may not remember the name of all of the side streets and cross roads, but my heart knew the way.
Turn past the swampy little pond on the right – the one covered with the lily pads. The one where I wanted to collect little snail shells. The one where I first found a salamander, and wanting to keep it safe as a pet, put it in my little purse, hid it in my closet and forgot about it – only to be discovered later by my mom as she searched to find out just WHERE that smell was coming from.
Go further up the street. No, not that one, but I can tell we are getting closer.
And there. That’s it. That’s the one. My house. “The BROWN house” as we have always referred to it as. For 50 years in my memory, it’s always been the BROWN house.
Here it is.
Just a couple of weeks ago in Utah, my mom was relaying the story to Mark and I of how she kept us busy with a bucket of water and two paint brushes to "paint." the house. there we were, my 6 years old to his 3 years old, dipping paintbrushes in water and watching the paint go darker as we brushed our way across, as high up as we can reach.
"You missed a spot!" she'd tell us as the "paint" we were applying began to dry, leaving the more faded brown behind. How long we kept this up I have no idea, but it sure beat sticking us in front of an Ipad.
The trees have grown. Of course they have. It’s been half a century! Kim and I did a quick photo bomb in front of the drive way from the street. There were cars in the drive, it was early morning, and I’m not one to go knocking on the door to say “Hey! I lived here – can I come in and look around?”
Just in front of me as I stood is another road that runs straight up into the drive way. Oh, the memories.
I received a huffy bike for my 6th birthday. High handle bars with tinsel streamers. Banana seat. Sissy bar. I remember it vividly. I also remember the day I went screaming down the “BIG HILL” that led straight up into my driveway and didn’t stop at the crossroads to look both ways and ALMOST got slaughtered by an oncoming car.
I was grounded from that new bike for a week.
And as I looked at that HUGE hill yesterday, I saw that it was barely an incline at all. How memories fool us. Or your visual perspective changes when you are that close to the ground. I had a good chuckle with my 6 year old self yesterday. “You should have stopped and looked both ways, kid!” I told myself.
Trimming up the Jamestown Landing Strings!
Making a scrappy mess and loving it!
Visiting with friends and making new ones, too!
Making triangles and watching these units come together-
Great job, everyone!!
The Minne SEW ta quilt was a gift (Thank you ladies!) and I believe it is found at Gruber’s quilt shop, so Google can help you there if you want to locate one. This Minnesota girl loves it!
You can find the rest of our day’s activities in the slide show below:I also received a priority package yesterday right in the middle of class!
12 beautiful bags of Vintage Textile Soak from
The Star Spangled Sampler & Co!
Thank you!
We put a bag on each table, and the bag went to whose birthday was closest to today. A definite hands down no contest to one of our attendees - her birthday WAS yesterday!
In the car with my mom.
My good friend Gudrun Erla drove me from the workshop to Maple Grove, baggage and all for my weekend ahead of much needed R&R. So great to see her here as well as in Utah a couple of weeks ago. When I'm here, I'm one of the Mach girls. Mach is my mom's maiden name. My mom, myself, and my two aunts make up the "Mach 4!"
No time for resting just yet. we were on the way over to my second cousin Lisa's house where many of the cousins on my moms side were gathering to go through old photo albums and remember those who had passed before us, pooling our memories on just who was who and where what was taken -- oh the memories that came flooding out of these cousins remembering their childhoods together.
My mama in the middle.
Such a great evening! Many of the photos have come back to Joy's house with us so we can scan and make copies for everyone.
One thing is for certain -- we all laughed when we realized that many of the photos from the 1940s were either of folks standing in front of cars, or of men holding strings of fish. LOL.
Today -- YARD SALE DAY! It's a family tradition! My uncle's wife, my aunt Kathryn is also joining us...so now we are the Mach 5! Oh, this is going to be fun!
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
Blue Bell applique quilt made by my great auntie Irene.
So happy to be spending the next three days surrounded by family! My heart is full!
11 comments:
I remember going through photo albums with my grandmother, her sister & my aunt Berniece when she would come to visit. I WISH I would have been able to record that info, all lost now to the past. Love looking at the old photos still, just don't know who anyone is. Cherish the time together & label those photos as you scan & copy them!
You are very welcome for the T-shirt! When we saw it at the quilt show in June and knew you were coming to Minnesota in August - we knew we had to get one for you! From two Minnesota girls to another! Enjoy your time with your mom and aunts - I remember them fondly from our cruise last summer.
A walk down Memory Lane with your Aunts and Mom. Gudra was so kind to be your xdriver and find your childhood home. The painting with water is a Good Idea. Mom's were so smart back in our days, when we were Younger. You're as Young as you Feel, right? Lucky girls who won the little bags based on where their Birthdays fell. Have a Wonderful 'Remebering' Weekend!!
I have a friend who lets her kids have fun painting the driveway with water and paintbrushes.
Thank you for sharing your memories of Minnetonka childhood. It was a delight to see you again. Lois
Hope you're taking full advantage of family time. Those old photos can be so much fun. Oddly enough, I went through high school with a Mach. Your mom didn't happen to have relatives living in Creighton, Nebraska back in the mid-60s to early 70s? :)
I used to paint our house with a bucket of water, too! In fact, one of my mom's favorite pictures was of little me doing just that, and I have very happy memories of feeling very productive while I was "painting the house". We had smart moms, huh?
What fun to see a pic of your Mom. She looks just like I remember her on the Alaska cruise. Pretty lady. I assume her back is better. Give her a hi for me. My daughter still has the hexes she gave her. Have a wonderful time Bonnie
Glad we were able to find the house without much searching. And happy that it wasn't raining then!
HI Bonnie,
I am trying to figure out where you are. Minnesota. My mother grew up there
in Newfouden, Minnesota. Close to Canada.
Anyway--I am still working on Jamestown Landing when you were here in Cali,at the Orange
grove quilters guild.
When i have more done I will snap a picture
Take Care---Wendy Dillon,Long Beach, Calif.
it is amazing that the pond is still there, snails and lizards included! What if it had been drained? Then how would you find the "brown house"? Some landmarks just do not stay the same.
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