Playing Dress-up

The date on the back of this photo is 1948 -- that's me on the right, sister Shirley in the middle and cousin Davy on the right. I don't recall this particular moment, but, I know as kids, we were always taking on roles of someone we idolized or read or heard about, by "playing dress-up" !! I have no idea who any of us were impersonating on this particular day !! Luella, this one friend of Mom's, had a couple of trunks full of beautiful old clothes, hats, jewelery and shoes. We loved visiting her home because she would turn us loose to play with all those wonderful things in those trunks. Luella and Mom would be visiting in the kitchen and Dad and Elmer, her husband, in the living room or outdoors. They all oohed and aahed as we and their daughter, Claudene, paraded our outfits for them. Remember the day we were looking at the old prom and formal dresses your G'ma Schultz had in that closet upstairs ?? I must hunt for the photos of that "dress-up" day !!!

House of Seven Gables

This is a photo taken in the late 70's of the house in South Dakota where my Dad grew up. Stories I remember hearing was the house was built for my grand-parents, Emma Moege and Emil Schultz, before they were married in 1911. Emma came from a quite wealthy family and wanted a house with "seven gables". I should have taken a photo of the back of the house, too. As a kid, through the years, there were several trips from Iowa to see my Dad's family in South Dakota. All those uncles still at home, thought us three kids were the "cat's meow" and kept us quite well entertained !! Although Mom's parents and siblings had moved on to Ohio, she still had aunts, uncles and cousins we would visit while we were there, so there were a few younger second cousins to have some fun with. A trip to South Dakota was always a great "adventure" !!

Glamour Shots ??

I doubt that I could have gotten your Dad to make a special trip to a photographer's studio for professional portraits. Owning my own beauty salon did have its advantages !! A photographer came in and set up for a couple of days -- all the clients were looking their best with a fresh hair style and a little professional help with their make-up if they wanted it. It was time for your Dad to get a hair cut and perm -- here we were in the mid-70's with those curly hairstyles being the "in" thing -- We posed for our photos and I always loved the way they turned out. My only regret is that we did not have one done of the two of us together -- I think we were quite a handsome couple !!!

"Pet" Sheep

I'm not sure if I remember this sheep because of this picture or if I really remember the sheep !! I do remember how her wool felt when I put my hand through it, so I guess I remember her !! Or, was it him ? The sheep didn't have a name that my sister or I could recall. We had a fence around the yard of the house and the sheep was good at keeping the grass mowed down a bit. When I was four, we moved to another farm and the sheep was sold. Questions I never asked and now have no one to ask are, why did we have just one sheep ? Did we get it when it was a baby ? Why did we never have any more ? Did she have a name ? I guess we don't always know what questions we might be interested in knowing the answers to.

Horses for Sale

This old photo of "horses behinds" has always fascinated me. The horses were being readied for a farm sale during the depression when my G'ma and G'pa Hanle were giving up farming in South Dakota and moving to Canton, Ohio. There were jobs there and hope !! Draft horses were used to pull plows, planters and other farm implements. My Dad had four of these type horses before he purchased his first tractor in the early 40's. We kids always wanted a riding pony, but, Dad would never give in to that idea. He had enough of dealing with these animals and had been kicked one too many times !! Consequently, he was short on love for any kind of horse !!

Rod Stewart

Last Saturday night, Rod Stewart was performing at the MGM Grand events arena.. I purchased my ticket the first day they went on sale a couple months ago. The set-up in the arena for this type of show seats around 10,000 people and I saw very few empty seats. Rod is 64 years old and I was in awe of the energy he had -- he had the crowd on their feet, singing and dancing right along with him. It was an amazing evening !! There are several "big name" entertainers that appear in concerts here once in awhile. When I was working, I couldn't make it to the concerts that I would like to have seen, but, now that I am retired, guess what ?? I am going to go to any and all that I have a desire to see !! Some, I may even go when they come back to town the next time !!

Living in Las Vegas

I take so much for granted living in this city that never sleeps !! Grocery stores, pharmacies, Walmart's, bowling alleys, gymnasiums, casinos -- you name it, 24 hours a day, any time of the day or night, any day of the week, you can shop, play, go for a work-out at the gym, do most anything your little heart desires. There is always a big name entertainer to go see or a lesser known entertainer where the price is much less, but, the show will be just as entertaining !! I have loved living in this city from the very first day, although it was one of the hottest days of the year 24 years ago this month. The scene in this photo looks much different today than it did 20 years ago. The "downtown Las Vegas strip" is now covered with a canopy featuring an overhead light show every night and the three block long area has the feeling of a "casino mall". I miss the fabulous casino signs with the glittering neon lights. Progress is wonderful, but, some days I long for some things to be as they used to be !!