I'm joining Martha today and a Throwback Thursday with a another tidbit of our lives here in Texas. Well, some of the family this time. Mostly Bud's side. In fact a lot of Bud's history. I have, in our main hallway, three walls I like to call our Nostalgia Walls. Family heirlooms & keepsakes and portraits. This week, it's Navy, Retirement, Grandparents, and a little snippet of my mother. So, here goes:
The above photo is dated 1940. It's a calender of his grandparents' store in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This is where Bud had his first job...a stocker and sacker....but, many years later than this year on the calender by several years.
Next, on another wall is all about NAVY. Bud was stationed on three ships during his long stint as a seaman. His MO was an I C man...radio communications mostly. The three ships were the J D Blackwood, Tabberer, and the U S S O'Hare. [the O'Hare airport in downtown Chicago was named after Commander O'Hare and has a huge picture of the ship in the terminal.] Of the three ships he was aboard, he has two of the ships' crest plaques...the O'Hare
The clear round piece behind the rabbit with white lines is part of O'Hare's [the ship] gyro-compass.
...and the U S S Tabberer
Now, this ship has quite a history in the naval record books. Commendations, and such. Why even, if you may have heard, the Halsey's Typhoon is all about the ship Tabberer. I cannot tell you the story verbatim, and yet I've heard it many times. It's best you read about it if interested. The link is provided with its name.
His last ship on the wall is the J Douglas Blackwood.
And the tied knot along the wall is called a monkey's fist knot tied by him years ago.
After being discharged, Bud eventually landed a job with the U S Government and worked for the very same for nearly 30 years before retiring. His last day to report to work, it's traditional the retiree gets the flag flown outside the building as a momento...here is his:
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The rest of the walls are other family members...my grandmother's wedding portrait, Our kids from birth to High School Graduation and U S Marine Corps, grandsons, oh, and my mother's bible. She was a very devout Christian...read her bible nightly and oftentimes aloud, [you can look closely and see how frayed from use it is!] THE hanky she carried everywhere, her prized thimble which no one else was allowed to use, her high school graduation ring, her mother's ring and a 1930 autograph book of her classmates [behind the bible, invisible in the photo]. They're there, all within reach of safe keeping where I can grab them quickly if a disaster falls upon us!!