“Shell and Fan under our apple treeTheir backyard was full of flowers, as you can see, with a bird bath in the middle. My grandfather is holding an apple off of the apple tree just off camera to the right. My grandmother made wonderful applesauce with those apples and lots of cinnamon. The vegetable garden was behind the flowers. They were married on June 11, 1919 in Montgomery Alabama and came directly to Detroit. Both were 70 years old in this photo and had been married for 39 years.
This is one of my favorite photographs of the two of them together. I like the peeling and the white out and even the scotch tape. This one was taken on the side of their house. If we could look in the basement window on the left, we would see my grandfather’s shop which smelled of machine oil and wood and basement and faintly of the pine-sol he sprinkled around. “Lizzie”, the model T Ford is behind them. It was taken 2 February 1941. I bet it was Sunday.
To read my grandfather’s proposal letter to my grandmother, click here. For other Sepia Saturday photographs of older couples and who knows what else this week, click here.
I like how you focus your blog on the maternal side of your family. That photo is beautfully framed with the trees and house behind them, potted flowers in front.
I do my paternal side on my other blog http://cleage.blogspot.com/ Their yard was beautiful.
There IS something wonderful about the current condition of your clearly treasured snapshots. But thank God for digital files that allow you (and all of us) to preserve them for future generations.
I wonder if all those digital files on my computer will be passed down? I need to organize them too.
I've found an Eliza this week, Kirstin but not like your Shell and Fan.
How similar the poses in the two snapshots are, despite them having been taken almost two decades apart. Great photos and descriptions of them and their lives, thank you.
Wonderful picture. I loved your descriptions of sights and smells; we could almost be there.
I love how vernacular photos are so open. They really seem to let you step right into the time when the photo was taken. Thanks for sharing these little windows on your world.
OMG that proposal letter is too much. I felt like such an eavesdropper reading it. It was so funny how he eased into the proposal, first telling her about the person who died, who they were keeping on ice!!
Isn't that just like a man?
Nancy
Ladies of the Grove
She started her acceptance letter talking about a church meeting.
That second photo with the scotch tape is just wonderful. And the proposal letter is sweet. It is funny how he mentioned other things first, but you can tell he is very much in love. It put a big smile on my face.
The "damaged" photo ended up looking very artistic.
Kristin that was a wonderful tribute to your gands. I am like you I love the old photos just the way I get them.
QMM
How wonderful that you have a proposal letter. They really did grow the garden, the flowers. I can almost smell the fragrance. Nice
family photos are such a treasure to behold! Thanks for sharing yours! A lovely couple indeed!
Life was on a slower pace back then, although I know they were kept quite busy. Lovely picture.
The proposal letter is such a treasure! Thank you for sharing that and the wonderful pictures!
The second photo is particularly good, and the proposal letters are wonderful. Thanks for sharing these gems.
What a sweet post! Love the photos. Amazing you have the proposal and acceptance letters,what a precious keepsake. They seem like a very special couple!
You are so right about that second photograph – the fading, peeling and taring just seems to add to the overall effect, making it something more than just an old photo. Fine Sepia Saturday post.
I love the sensory description of his workshop.