Places Called Home

I have stopped to count the MANY  places that we called home throughout our life together, but, I never remember the number !!  We had  a lot of different roofs over our heads, a lot were furnished rentals, some we owned (or mortgaged !! )  Douglas was in the Navy during our first years together, so moving around became a natural thing for us.  The top photo on the left was a large home in Norman, Oklahoma that had been converted into furnished apartments.  We had the second story, front, one bedroom unit. Douglas was going to aeronautical school, learning the trade that he would use for the rest of his life.  Two weeks after our wedding, he went to Norman, found the apartment, and I followed shortly thereafter. We were there just a few short weeks and then off to Millington, Tennesse for an advanced training school.  There, after a very tedious and long hunt, I found a converted attic apartment in Memphis, 16 miles from the base -- I will never forget one ad for a furnished apartment -- I went to look at it -- oh my !!  It was a rundown shack, broken windows, a bed with an old straw mattress -- wow !  the ad was certainly misleading !!  Tammy was born at the Millington, Tennesse Naval Base hospital one hot August day.  About two weeks later, his Mom, Dad and brother came to meet their new grand-daughter/niece.  I have always loved the photo of  Douglas, holding his new daughter, saying his good-byes when they left to return to Iowa.  October came and we were off again, this time to Quonset Point, Rhode Island.  Douglas had "leave" time, so we spent several days in Iowa for a visit with our families before moving on.  We purchased the 8' x 24' mobile home, hooked it up to that '46 Ford coupe and away we went to the East coast !!  The car was a lot worse for the wear and tear it took towing that "home", but, we made it !!  The mobile home was our roof over our head for the next three years, there in Rhode Island, in Canton, Ohio, then Virginia Beach, Virginia.  I was pregnant, we were going to need more room, we had an opportunity to sell the mobile home, so, we were off on a hunt for a  furnished apartment. I found this little two bedroom cottage just three blocks from the beach -- it certainly wasn't anything fancy, but, we thought being within walking distance of the ocean was the best thing, ever!!  Tammy and I loved going to the beach that summer of  '61.  The landlord, Andy and his wife, lived in a large house at the front of the lot.  Andy and Douglas had many a conversation over that little white picket fence. Look at Tammy trying to be "just like her Dad" !!

The Family of Fishermen (and women)

Why anyone likes to go fishing is something I could never quite understand, but it seems Douglas came from a family of fishermen.  His parents and friends went to Minnesota and Canada off and on for years.  At one time, I think his parents had a cabin on a lake in one or both of those places.  Photos on the left show his parents catches of the day in Minnesota years ago.  The bottom left photo, Douglas is showing off his big catch to his daughter, circa 1961.  The other picture is his grand-daughter, Hilery, showing off her catch, around '84.  Photos on the right were taken while we were living in New Hampshire.  The duplex we rented there was on an acreage, with a large wooded area.  Back in those woods was a fairly large pond where bullheads were easy to catch.  Douglas spent many an hour there and there was always a good fish fry that evening !!