Flashback Friday...XO XO XO's

If you see these Birthday Girls today...

I hope you give them a hug and a kiss!

I'm glad their birthday fell on a Friday...

so I could Flashback Friday them and give them a great big virtual Hug and a virtual Kiss and thank them for all the hugs and kisses they have brought to our family over the years!

I don't know if this is completely true...

but growing up...

I remember our family being kind to each other, but no one was overly affectionate or openly expressive of their emotions. 

Don't get me wrong. 

We loved our parents.

Our parents loved us and us kids loved each other

...but we just didn't "do" affection or share emotions.

Enter the Blondes. 

There are three Blondes that joined our family and changed the dynamic forever.

And, in my opinion, changed it for the better.

The blonde twins that married our cousin and my older brother....

brought our family hugs and kisses.

And the blonde girl and amateur stand up comedian that married my other brother...

brought to us the gift of humor and with it gave us the ability to laugh at ourselves and expand our expressing of emotions.

I cannot imagine how our family would be without them!

Steph and Verna, (I'll flashback the 3rd blonde...maybe on her birthday), showed up with big smiles, lots of laughs and said their hellos with hugs and said their goodbyes with kisses.

I can still remember watching Verna give "Uncle Bob" a hug. 

He stood there straight as a board...with both arms hanging at his sides.

Once he sort of got used to it...he would maybe, hug with one arm and pat her back.

By the end of his life, even he had gotten over it even got to the point that he would hug you back!

Us, Vandercars have come a long way, thanks to those three Blondes!

So, thanks Steph and Verna (and Sandy) for loving on us...and for all the smiles, (the laughs) and all the hugs and all the kisses!

Have a great Birthday!!!!
XO XO

Flashback Friday...."Got Aqua Net?"

Directions to here:

Protecting the guilty and innocent...
You'll have to ask your parents/grandparents for the story...recently being discussed via email.
Which by the way has peeked my curiosity as to whereabouts...I may just have to do some detective work.
no name revealing comments, please...email me your info and questions!!

Flashback Friday....Nights in Columbus

It doesn't seem that long ago that we all headed to Columbus for Matt and Chari's wedding....

But we all look so young!

my, oh, my...

we have added a lot of people to this family since then!

Flashback Friday....Kiss us, we're Irish (for real)

So...we're Irish.

This is the first year that I can really say that I know for sure that any one of us can say

and not just be saying a popular phrase.

I guess I knew this all along, but this is the first Saint Patrick's Day that it hit me that our maternal Great Great Grandparents lived in another country....called Ireland.

 According to most records....here's where we come from.

Oh, how I would have loved to hear our Great Grandparents Irish accent!

Flashback Friday...Hey, there George.

The story has been told that Albert and Hattie Vandercar had picked out the name Ray for a boy.

However that baby boy decided to make his entrance into the world on George Washington's Birthday and they decided to name him George.

So, on February 22, 1895...

George Ray Vandercar 

was born.

117 years later, on February 22, 2012, George's Great Great Grand daughter, 

Aelah Mae Vandercar, 

was born! 

So, little Aelah, in the future...when your crazy Aunt Nancy sees you and bursts into singing "Hey there, Georgie Girl,"...bear with me, I know your name is Aelah...it just makes me happy to look 

backward, 

forward and 

up 

and see a whole lot of branches...

sharing the same tree and the same roots.

Congratulations, Joshua & Adrienne!

And welcome to the world, Baby Aelah!

Directions to here:

f.y.i.
this story was told to me by: Gladys MAE
and written in Georgia font

Flashback Friday...

I miss my parents.

That is all.

Flashback Friday...101 W. 181st

January 25 marks 27 years since Grandma Fern passed away.

She was the only Grandparent I ever knew as Mom's side had passed away before I was born and I was just two years old when Grandpa Vandercar died. 

I was a lucky kid, 'cause her house was a stone's throw from my front door.

101 W. 181st Street.

She was my constant companion while growing up.
If she ever tired of me running thru that white door, she never let it show.
She never refused my requests for snacks or sleepovers or marathon games of double solitaire or chinese checkers.
I can close my eyes and still see every nook and cranny of the little red house...from the mission style rocker to the chalk ware Chinese people on the tall dresser, to the pictures on the wall.

She was there.
Constant.
Every single day of my life.

But little kids grow up.
I can remember, in my teenage years, getting off the bus and walking by her door and thinking, I should stop in more.

I can only imagine how hard it was for her to see that little kid grow up and seem to need her less and less.

I wish I could go back to the 14 year old me and tell me how good this advice was.
I wish I could go back and sit and listen to EVERY WORD she said.
I wish I knew the questions I have now and I wish I would have asked them.
The questions about The Kenney Store, Grandpa Tilton's finger, Orchard Grove School, houses they lived in, recipes she knew by heart, Indians in the woods, Uncle Ralph's house, the house before Uncle Ralph's house, Christmas day weddings, gypsies at the door, heart stopping telegrams and on and on and on.
I wish I could ask her the questions I have about people by the name of Stella Wallace, Jeremiah, Aunt Tin, Tossie, Flossie, Persis, Hattie, Effie, Fay, Albert,...the endless list of people, places and things that only she would remember.
She would know all the answers.
All of them.

But alas the Poet/songwriter is right:
               "But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them."
                                                                                                                        Jim Croce

And 14 year olds don't ask, cause they don't know the right questions and they don't know then what they are gonna know later.
And answers fly away.

But there is one thing that has remained true.
Whether a child, teenager or adult....

I love my Grandma Fern.

I miss you too, Grandma.

Directions to here:
whether you are
4, 14, 24, 44, 64 or 94....share your questions, stories, memories and answers!

Flashback Friday...Old New Years

I've been ringing in the New Year

and helping this guy celebrate his

New Year's Day Birthday
for many years!

1970's

 

New Year's Eve 

1982

New Year's Eve

Partying like it's 1999

 New Year's Eve

2005

 New Year's Eve 

2006

 New Year's Day

2007

 New Year's Eve

2008

 New Year's Day

2009

New Year's Eve

2009

 New Year's Day

2010

 New Year's Eve

2010

(don't worry, it's sparkling cider)

and the latest grand entrance!

Jerry rockin' the Scooter

2011....12 a.m...2012

Happy 70th Birthday, Jerry!

And Happy New Year!

Directions to here:

Tune in later for more New Year's Eve pics!

Flashback Friday...Folk Art

On the second day of our Sister Weekend...we spent some time "searching thru thrift store jungles."

While certain sisters were busy checking out a booth and bookshelves full of cookbooks...

I turned around and found this one of a kind piece of Folk Art.

Yes, that is a fly on the head of the...whatever that is a head of...

and before you judge...take look at the price tag.

That piece of folk art reminded me of our own Vandercar Folk art...

and specifically, this piece.

I always thought it funny and sad that the hoofs of these deer were further humiliated into holding up the guns that shot them.

I never knew our house to be without this piece of "art." 

Yet, I never heard or thought to ask about where it came from and or who made it.

In my scanning of the family photos, I've come to see that it must have meant something and or been well loved, because before it came to live in mom and dad's bedroom, it held a prominant place in the household(s).

In 2003

Mom and Dad's room

In the 60's

In the Dining Room

and 1950's

Is this in the little red house (which then became Grandma Ferns)?

And what in the world is hanging next to the door?

Yet another deer hoof?

Keychain? Or should I say Keyhoof?

What?

As for the current location of this Folk Art, I believe it is in Bobby's basement??

So, there you have it...
my challenge to you next generation of hunters...
get out there and get your Game and dream up and design YOUR very OWN piece of Folk Art!
And you married deer hunters, good luck with getting your wife to let you hang it in the dining room!

Directions to here:

I also just noticed there is the lamp that I've been keeping track of on the 365 scan posts!

Also feedback on the location of the black and white photo and what YOU think the deer hoof was for!
Go!

flashback Friday...With Love and Honor

So glad we got to do this....

Before we had to do this....

Flashback Friday...Flashback Road Trips

Cobbs to Vandercars

Vandercars to Cobbs.

Getting ready for an old fashioned road trip to go see the Cobbs!

Directions to here:

Powerwagon!
and I might have the matching Indiana Beach Sweatshirt that I now know probably belonged to Patty.

Flashback Friday...29 ago.

Happy 30th Birthday week to Adam!

Flashback Friday.....I miss this face!

Happy Birthday Mom!

The words "miss you" are way to small to describe the emotions I carry around when I think of you everyday. 

Great happiness and joy that I had a wonderful person like you for my Mom...

and sadness that our time on earth together was way too short.

I love and miss you.

Directions to here:
This picture was taken in D.C. at Steve's wedding. My mom was trying to make one moody and surly camera obsessed teenager get over her surliness. Making faces usually worked : )

Flashback Friday...Six degrees to Dinwiddie

I've been to Arizona twice to visit Ruby (Dinwiddie) Lawson.

And most of you got to meet her during her visit to, um...Dinwiddie...

(Ruby at Sunday dinner)

but I have yet to officially explain why you should know her or care about her.

Have you heard of the game "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon?"
It was devised, when Kevin Bacon said he had worked with everyone in Hollywood or someone who's worked with them. Meaning, if you name an actor, you can probably get back to Kevin Bacon within six steps.

Well, it works with our ancestors and relatives too.
Especially on the Vandercar/Tilton side.
I've been meaning to chart this out, but didn't want to see Dave's eyes roll back in his head.
And honestly, with this one, even my eyes get a little crossed (reading about cousins)  and trying to figure out just how many ways Ruby is related to us.

Simply put: 

Ruby is our cousin.

or a little more detail:

Ruby is our first cousin, once removed:

Bob (our Dad), Gladys and Ruby are/were first cousins because....

   Bob's mom, Fern Tilton (our Grandma) and Ruby's mom, Phebe Tilton (our Great Aunt) were sisters.

 If you remember Aunt Phebe:

this might explain why Ruby looked familiar to you!

But that's not the end of the game.

There are a few more interesting degrees to add.

Those sisters? Fern and Phebe?

Fern married George Vandercar (our Grandpa)...and had Bob.

Phebe married Keith Dinwiddie (our Great Uncle)...and had Ruby.

What I did not know, is........and stick with me here, Dave...

Keith Dinwiddie's mother's name was Alice Shurte.

Alice

George Vandercar's mother's name was Hattie Shurte (our Great Grandma).

Hattie

Alice and Hattie were sisters.

(look for #13 and #14)

Alice married a Dinwiddie...and had Keith.

Hattie married a Vandercar and had George.

This made Keith and George first cousins.

So, not only is Ruby related to us on the Tilton side because of Fern and her sister Phebe,
but also on the Vandercar side, because of Great Grandma Hattie and her sister Alice.

On a side note:
Grandpa George had a sister named Lulu.
(she opens up a whole other, double related, mind bending scenario...which I will save for another Friday).

I mention Aunt Lulu to explain to you yet another reason why Ruby may have looked familiar to you.

Because Ruby looks a lot like Aunt Lulu...

...who looked a lot like Great Grandma Hattie.

I have no idea what that makes Ruby to us on the Vandercar side.
I'll have to call in the professionals on that one.

So there is your Six degrees to Dinwiddie answer in case anyone asks.
You're Welcome.

Can someone go wake up Dave and tell him I'm done talking about this now?


Directions to here:

This isn't even taking into consideration that Grandpa and Grandma lived in Dinwiddie (at the farm where the truck stop is now) and that many of you still live close by there. Just another degree to add to the game!