Mother & I

This picture was taken back in the late 1970's while I was back in Seward. Mother and Dad had the beautiful Saucer Magnolia tree in their backyard. The flowers didn't last very long in our Nebraska climate and this shows them at their peak. We often get our last winter freeze when they are in bloom. The USDA Soil Conservation Service had a Regional Training Center in Lincoln and I got out there from D.C. a few times a year. I occasionally took advantage of the opportunity to then come on out to Seward and visit my folks. This picture was taken on a Saturday afternoon which is evident by Mother having been to the Beauty Shoppe where she had an appointment every Saturday morning. I would go to Church with them on Sunday morning; then fly home in the afternoon and be ready to go back to work on Monday morning. These are cherished visits.

Bluestem Books

We continue to pull out some old pictures to complete our collection of collages. This one is from July 1999. Tim's were back to help celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary which we did on July 3 and stayed on for a few days. We went to Lincoln on Saturday where we visited this Bookstore, the UN-L Campus including the old Coliseum and on out to East Campus for ice cream. Earlier this week, I told Elaine of a new Kiwanian who has an interest in Czech history in Nebraska. She pulled out a booklet on "The History of the Linwood, Nebr. Community". She thought he may be interested in seeing it. I spent about an hour in it last night and didn't remember ever having read it. Neither of us could remember where it came from but assumed I got it at an auction in a box of stuff. This evening as I went back into my 1999 Journal and read about the above picture, I found this notation in regard to our visit at the bookstore: "...I got Ian McHarg's, 'Design with Nature', a good 1908 USDA Ag Yearbook, an excellent Richard Halliburton book, and one on Linwood, NE". What a coincidence, I could have searched forever and not been able to find the source of something I bought over 13 years ago, and here I find it within 2 days of when we first raised the question. 

Winter Texans

Winter Texans in Victoria Palms. We got down to spend 3-4 weeks during the winter for several years but these friends spent most of the winter there.   This picture was taken in late 2000. We had some great times with the Rutledge's, Hackbart's, Soucek's and Armstrong's as well as other friends in the area. With wind gusts of over 40 mph and temperatures in the 20's here in Seward today, it would have been nice to be down there. But like many things, we are pleased that we were able to enjoy it as much as we did when we could. 

Sadie

Sadie had lunch at our house today. Unfortunately I had to go to Kiwanis and wasn't able to eat with her, Elaine and Carolyn. Julie wasn't feeling real well so Carolyn went out to get her for a while. We hadn't seen her for a few days and she always seems to have grown. She was very comfortable setting on a blanket on the floor playing with her toys. Elaine said she sat  up to the table and ate a good lunch. The sweater that she is wearing in the picture was knitted by Julie. A friend of Julie's knitted the cap. I think she likes the way she looks.

A Picture Collage of Past Events

For many years I have scanned our pictures and put together collages like the one shown here. This one is page 1 (of 2) that I just finished for the 2001 year. I still have 5 years ('96-00) to do to get caught up. We were using a Kodak Advantix camera during those years and have kept the prints well organized. We keep the collages in a binder with captions written on the previous page. I try to get pictures that represent the significant things that we do during the year. As we look back we sometimes think that we should take more pictures of the "mundane" things we do on a daily basis. We realize many of life's "ordinary" days are pretty special if they are no longer possible. And, we never know when that may happen. As I walked out of Devaney Field House after Seward lost their semifinal game in the State Tournament, I wondered if I would ever get back. The University basketball teams will be moving into a new facility next fall and Devaney will be remodeled for Volleyball. The State HS Tournaments will still be there but I don't anticipate Seward getting back very soon. 

Our First Little House

This was Elaine and my first house. We bought it in early 1951 and lived there till 1956. It was also my parents first house about 30 years before we bought it. It was one of several houses build along the same plan for people here in Seward that had been victims of the 1913 tornado. Elaine's folks bought it from us and kept it as a rental house until their estate was settled in the early 1980's. We brought 3 babies home from the hospital during the time we lived there, obviously the place has many happy memories. It's nice to see people continue to take care of a place like this that has been a "starter" home for many families over the years

Can't Win them All

This picture was taken down at the Best Buy Store in Lincoln where I had my PC worked on. It is working better but still not 100%. Not only that but Seward HS Girls lost their semi final game in the State Tournament tonight. They were taken to an overtime last night before pulling out a victory but just couldn't do it tonight against Grand Island Northwest, a team they had beaten during the season. So they finish the season 23-4 after winning the last 4 Class B State Championships, it was a great run. Often when you lose, you can look forward to next year, but in our case, there is little hope. About the best we can hope for next year is a winning season unless an outstanding player moves to town.