Words of a Picture

Some time back I wrote a post about a picture that I came across while looking through some stuff my Dad had stashed away.  I just checked to find that the post is dated from April of 2008.  Most of you will remember reading it...hah. Those of you who don't can refresh your memory about the post here.

Most of you will also remember that a couple years ago I went through the mess of settling both my cousin's and aunt's estates.  During that process 'R' and I traveled to South Carolina to sort through lots of their stuff and make arrangements for the clearing out, repair and sale of their home.  I sent a box, that contained a lot of photos, back home to myself.

In that box was this photo:

Remember?  If not, go back to that link I gave you.

Same photograph is in the photograph.
It gets better.
We have the statue that belonged to my grandparents.  The one that the original photograph was propped up against to be photographed.

So......today I finally did this:

Before the Storm

Generally speaking I've found that a few days before a major storm there is some rather lovely weather.  True this week and we took advantage of it.  Yes, I suppose that the good weather is given as opportunity to do the preparedness thing for the bad weather to follow...we've done a bit of that...but we took the day off on Wednesday to travel to 'the other Cape'.

The four of us loaded ourselves and some cut flowers into the car at 9 a.m. and headed for my dad's grave at the National Cemetery in Bourne.  As expected it was beautiful weather, not expected was the miserable traffic.  'R' makes fun of my complaints about highway traffic around here (I know, I know, it's not like real traffic in CA). Anyway, mid-week-after-morning-rush-hour and it should have been better on the roads.

This trip we would not be staying overnight at my cousin's house.  They already had company from out of state.  So.....the BIG drive there and back and a tour around all in one day trying to get home before too much night driving yet after Boston rush hour......phew.

We arrived at the cemetery before noon and found that they were doing some renovation work just where we needed to get by.  A slight detour brought us back on track with the first stop at my aunt and uncle's grave.  Then back to dad's.  'A' was surprised to find that her penny was still on his stone (well, slightly off the edge) from when she placed it there last year!  She put it back at top center and added another.  I guess it's 'a penny for your thoughts' kind of thing.

After the cemetery we headed along Rte. 6  west and stopped for lunch with my cousin 'D'.  Then on to cousin 'P's house for a quick visit with her and her family (those out-of-state guests).  By this time it was getting to be mid afternoon and we still had more traveling and stops to make.  Onward to New Bedford where we toured around the south end where my mom grew up and where we made another cemetery stop.  Rural cemetery is where another uncle and my grandparents are buried.  More flowers to deliver graveside and then off again!

Our next stop was to waste some time!  Yep, even though it seemed we had been traveling foreverrrrrrrr, it was too early to finish and head home.  It was only 4:15 p.m. and I didn't want to be on the road north until 5:30ish.  Had to miss that late afternoon traffic around Boston and Boston was only an hour away.  So we stopped at the Friendly's in Dartmouth for a drink  (lousy service!) before heading further west on Rte. 6 to check out the remains of Lincoln Park.

One of the spots where we could see through the fence (The Comet in the background)

Lincoln Park was a local amusement park from 1894 to 1987.  You can read a brief history here.  If you search for "Lincoln Park, Dartmouth MA" you'll find a lot more.  Our family spent many happy days at this amusement park from the 1940's through the 1970's and over more recent years have watched as the park closed, fires consumed familiar buildings and vandals left their marks.  We were curious as to how much would remain.  The answer?  Not  much at all except for a portion of the roller coaster.  The Comet, which lost it's BIG hill to collapse under the weight of snow in 2005 (I think).  When the park closed, all the rides were auctioned off.  The carousel was preserved and moved to Battleship Cove Park in Fall River. MA.  Neglect and fires destroyed what remained of the park's ballroom, rollerskating building, concessions, funhouse and arcades.  As much as the desire exists to discover old, hidden treasures within the off-limits grounds, they are just not there.

All that is left of a spot that brought so much joy.

So after a bit of peering through the chainlink fence for photo taking, we drove back east a mile or so to take a look at the house my grandfather built in the 1920's.  Then on to the highway and home, stopping only to get dinner at our local Friendly's.  It was still daylight when we arrived there but dark by the time we left for the final few miles to our door.

The Rest

So...his commendation reads as follows:

United States Pacific Fleet

Flagship of the Commander Third Fleet

The Commander THIRD Fleet, United States Pacific Fleet, 

takes pleasure in commending

ALFRED LOUIS BIRCH

CHIEF FIRE CONTROLMAN

UNITED STATES NAVY

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

"For outstanding service in the line of his profession as Chief Fire Controlman in the plotting room of a fast battleship throughout a difficult and especially successful bombardment of vital enemy industrial shore installations in the Japanese Empire on the night of 17-18 July 1945.  By his skill and initiative in the performance of his exacting duties during this bombardment he contributed directly and significantly to the success of his ship in inflicting substantial damage upon the enemy.  His conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

W.F. Halsey

Admiral, U. S. Navy

_____________________________________________________________

Mom and Dad at the mess table, Mom and 'A' at Dad's bunk, Dad at the controls

Now, I don't know if this is the same incident as the bombardment of the Hitachi Industrial area.  What I do know is that on one occasion the USS Alabama suffered a hit that disabled the electrical system for the 12 inch guns.  The command of those guns was my dad's responsibility.  In order to continue firing, he personally maintained the electrical connection...literally...kind of 'grab this wire with the left hand and the other wire with the right hand'...and don't worry about me, don't touch me, and keep on firing guys!


Below is a post war photo taken at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, where my dad earned his degree in electrical engineering through the G. I. Bill.

Typing a letter to my Mom?  (Mom's picture on dad's desk)

The Final Page

                                                                                     

Eight and Nine

New to this?  Scroll down and find "A Letter Home" and start there.
                                                                                                    

                                                                                 

More of the Letter

Well, I couldn't keep you hanging with that stalled vehicle any longer.  Again, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to scroll down and start at the beginning..."A Letter Home".

                                                                                               

Two More Pages

For those of you new to reading this you might wonder about starting in the middle.  Please scroll down.  There are two previous posts to read before this one!

                                                                                     

Pages Three and Four

continued from the last post...

A Letter Home

My mom has been going through old photographs and scrapbooks with the idea of trying to organize all the items.  Unearthed, so to speak, once again, are letters home from my dad from his Navy days.  I have scanned one of the longest...written on rice paper...that was composed while aboard the USS Alabama anchored in Tokyo Bay.  Here are the first two pages of eleven total.  Watch for the rest in the upcoming days.  You will need to click to enlarge the images to read.  Since this is the first attempt at publishing these on the blog, I'm hoping the enlargements will be legible.  If not, I suppose I shall have to transcribe the letter.

Nostalgia in Black, White, and a Gray House

My dad was an electrical engineer and that really showed at Christmas time.  This house is the first I lived in...for my first 3 years.  Dad's Christmas light display won him a plaque award in a decorating contest organized by the Haverhill newspaper.  In addition to all the multicolored lights and the two story foil Christmas tree, Rudolph's nose blinked red and Santa waved at passersby.  Well, Santa continually waved...even at nobody.  In those days the house was painted white.  With the old fashioned BIG bulb strings of lights, it was all brightly lit.  This was the first of many more Christmas displays of future years.

Coolidge Avenue, Haverhill, MA  1957

We moved to the neighboring town of Groveland and the tradition continued.  For several more Christmases, Santa, the reindeer, and the life-sized, three dimensional sleigh filled with foil wrapped gifts adorned our lawn.  After that was the life-sized barn, with all the participants...from Baby Jesus to the Wise Men...also large as life.  Our cat liked to sleep in the hay with Baby Jesus.  I don't think he minded...Jesus that is...the cat just assumed it was her territory.  There was the giant Christmas 'card' that filled the arch of the breezeway and Santa going down the chimney.  Santa in the chimney was a short lived display...only one year.  Dad liked a roaring fire!

Coolidge Avenue, Haverhill, MA 2010

So, that first house in Haverhill is still there and every once in a while we take a drive by.  Things change.  It's been vinyl sided in gray and the garage has been enlarged, driveway widened.  The bones of my folks first house are still there though, kept nice and neat.

A Little This, A Little That

Because so much is going on all at the same time that I can't think of just one thing to write about.  With the arrival of THE holiday season, key work diminishes...although there is still some...and tuning work increases.  This year seems heavier in that regard.  The only problem is that I seem to be getting the dregs of tuning jobs, that quite possibly, the semi-retiring(?) other island tech doesn't want.  Maybe, maybe not.  And not all of it is lousy.  It's just that the ratio seems tipped that way this month.

I've started reading a new old book.  It's been in this family for 60 years, give or take a few.  I've just never read it.  The title you wonder?  Queen of the Flat Tops, written in 1942 by Stanley Johnston, a journalist aboard the USS Lexington from her exit from Pearl Harbor just days prior to the attack, to her sinking on May 8, 1942 in the Coral Sea Battle.  My dad served aboard the 'Lex'.  His battle station was sky forward.  He was one of the last of her crew to jump into the Coral Sea.  But that's a story for another time.

It's gotten quite cold here and our Rockport ponds are starting to ice over.  'A' and I continue to walk, several times each week, to Mill Pond to feed the multitude of ducks.  Our feeding trip a couple days ago was quite humorous.  Ducks don't ice skate very well!

Ducks on Ice

I'm still involved in trying to straighten out the matter mentioned (or rather not mentioned) several days ago.  Things have settled for a couple weeks.  Long term solutions haven't been addressed or decided or even deemed doable.  It'll take time to work through it all.

So for now I'm working through each day with a list of 'have to do today'.  If I finish the list each day, I feel good.  If I've accomplished a bit more than was even on the list, I'm happy.  I'm trying to set aside at least an hour each day that I can label as fun. 

Sometimes that's as easy as Ducks On Ice.

On Walks

We've been walking a lot.  Not only in Rockport, but also in Mattapoisett near my cousin's house.  We took some time off...or should I say I took some time off - mom being retired and 'A' on vacation.  On Friday morning we went to the Bourne National Cemetery to visit my dad's grave.  A surprise awaited.  Wind turbines at the cemetery!  Well, no one to complain about noise or view or anything!



As we normally do when travelling to the cemetery, we stayed with my cousin in Mattapoisett for the night.  'A' and I went walking there and saw a beautiful double rainbow over Mattapoisett harbor.  It made the complete arc beginning behind a hill to the northwest and ending in the water to the southeast.


As we walked down the 'Neck' there were more surprises.  This time a painted horse.


And a pretty sunset behind the scrub pines.

Cheerful

is what I'm trying to remain.  Most days I do okay with it.  Sometimes not so good.  I'm working out some details on life things that are too involved to report on here. 

Anyway, the other night when we were going through the old photos, I came across a favorite.

Al's yellow Harley

Now that's a cheerful bunch of people.  The photo is labeled Picnic at Summit Grove.  Family and friends having a good time...my dad taking everyone for a ride around the block on his motorcycle.  It seems it was my great aunt Alice's turn.  She could be quite the cut-up.

Of course this picture was taken a few years before I was around, but I still remember many of those simpler, happy days and I miss them.

Seeing As It Is Still August...

I feel okay posting this.

Dad's envelope art, 1945

Mom and I were going through old photos and whatnot this evening and I came across the drawing above.  This drawing was done by my dad and decorated the envelope of the first uncensored letter that he sent home to his parents.  The postmark is September 2, 1945.  In the letter he relates the jubilant atmosphere aboard ship with both radio and jukebox blaring simultaneously, the rumors of the voyage back to the states, and the anticipation of going ashore in Japan the next morning after 66 consecutive days at sea with no anchorage.  He also mentioned that the bugler was so ecstatic that when he played reveille that morning, he put a little swing into it and was immediately thrown into the brig!  My dad was an original crew member of the USS Alabama, thus a plank owner.  He served on the Alabama as Chief Fire Controlman.

As a kid, I was always in awe of the little envelope drawing.  Kinda still am.

February 5, 1922 - July 8, 2007

I miss you so much, Dad.Dad and me.Dad on the boat he built.Dad on 'his' ship.

I've gone back through some posts by clicking on the 'label' dad (at the end of this entry) I found this from the last Father's Day I had with my Dad. I've decided to edit this post which had previously ended with the photo and caption above to include this:

Here's what it says on the card for my dad. I think this is the best card I have ever purchased.

Dad -
The loving gifts you've given me as a father have shaped my life and made me the person I am...

Your strong sense of values, of fairness, of right and wrong are all part of me...

My outlook on life...
my sense of humor...
my interests and talents...
I can see you in them all.

It makes me happy and proud to know that the qualities in you I love and admire so much are a part of me.

You are always with me, Dad...

in my thoughts, in my heart, in the very fabric of my life...

you are always with me.

Happy Father's Day - Anonymous

Barefoot

Gee, two posts today!

As I dragged myself out of bed this morning to yet another cold and blustery day, I couldn't help but think how much I miss going barefoot - every day. Which brought to mind a little poem that my dad used to say. And while now it seemed at arbitrary moments, I'm sure at those times it was appropriate.

So as I stood in front of my dresser this morning, I looked down at my soon to be socked feet and thought, "Barefoot girl with shoes on..." But what was the rest? I don't think he ever recited the rest. Well, the wonders of the Internet and Google later, I bring you...

The Dying Fisherman's Song

'Twas midnight on the ocean,
Not a streetcar was in sight,
The sun was shining brightly
For it had rained all that night.

'Twas a summer's day in winter
The rain was snowing fast,
As a barefoot girl with shoes on,
Stood sitting on the grass.

'Twas evening and the rising sun
Was setting in the west;
And all the fishes in the trees
Were cuddled in their nests.

The rain was pouring down,
The sun was shining bright,
And everything that you could see
Was hidden out of sight.

The organ peeled potatoes,
Lard was rendered by the choir;
When the sexton rang the dishrag
Someone set the church on fire.

"Holy smokes!" the teacher shouted,
As he madly tore his hair.
Now his head resembles heaven,
For there is no parting there.
-- Author Unknown

Sorting and Stuff

I was trying to sort through the mass of papers and whatnot that have accumulated near my computer. Photos, articles, diagrams, email addresses, notes about things to check out someday when I have time and never seem to. Check out or have time. I think this is about the fourth time this particular batch of stuff has been sorted, then stacked without getting semi-permanently filed or stored. At least I threw away a pile of stuff. It would help if I had a real office rather than a corner!

I did take the time to scan and enlarge a postcard that I have been hanging on to for years. It's a picture of Rockport harbor and it looked to have the Minoan in the foreground. That's the reason I've been hanging on to it. I think I even moved it with me from Florida. Anyway, today I discovered that it isn't the Minoan.

I also found two photos of my dad and me installing my living room window. It's the last BIG project that we worked on together.I miss having a project 'buddy'.

I did find the photos I took of the last lot of ivory necklaces for the year. One really nice one is missing. A co-worker at Tuck's bought it the other day, before the photo session!

I went to that tuning today armed with my new #1 tuning tip. I expected it would feel sooo much better on the small pins than my #2 had. Not really, maybe a little, I don't know. I think the pins have become rather rounded off at the top. At least the majority of them. This piano is a 4 foot or less Murdoch grand built in London. Early 20th century, I'm guessing. It needs more help than it will ever receive. Before I even started I had to tighten the lyre bolts. Screech, squeak, squeak, screech as I prepped for tuning. Started tuning without the sound effects but then they started once again. Hmmmmmm, checked the leg bolts. ALL of them were VERY loose! Yikes! Tightened those in a hurry. Tuned, did some minor adjusting to the old Herrburger Brooks action (no reps.) and called it as good as it gets. Came back home and worked on keys.

Saturday should be mostly a fun day. We're going to cruise around checking out some holiday fairs. You never know what I may want to participate in next year.

Sunday, of course, I'll be manning (or womanning) Tuck's Candy Factory by myself AND it's supposed to snow. (I'll take my camera to town with me) Gee, do you think it will be a busy day? Monday and Tuesday (snow again maybe) I'm at the Main St. store.

Then there's still all the sorting that needs to be done. It never ends.

And while I'm thinking of it...

To Do List for Winter 2009...
-finish chapel organ to sell when economy gets better
-finish my player piano
-finish the flooring for my mom (just a small closet left to Pergo)
-create back stock of necklaces for next year's sales
-build a display backdrop
I'm sure there's more but that's a start.

Cemetery Days

On Friday we headed down to Cape Cod. We wanted to go to the cemetery in Bourne, to my aunt and my dad's graves, and to visit with my 92 year old uncle. We always stay at my cousin's house in Mattapoisett (remember the mascot squirrel that had 'fried' itself on the power lines above their driveway?).

We left Rockport at about 9:15 in the morning, stopping to fill up the car's gas tank and to buy flowers for the graves before leaving the island. We had a relatively easy drive down with little traffic and made it to the Bourne Bridge in less than two hours. The Bourne Bridge is one of the nightmares of the drive, for me. It bugs me to actually be the driver on high bridges when there is no breakdown lane. Sort of a claustrophobic kind of thing, I guess. Anyway, it was a dull, misty day with some fog creeping in now and then. Not a breeze and in the low 60's F. As we turned in to the main drive of the National Cemetery we were greeted with a reminder that this is Veteran's Day weekend. Veteran's Day (or Remembrance Day in Canada) is on Tuesday but the National Cemetery is having a special program on Sunday. Even though all the flags were limp with moisture and no wind, the drive in was still impressive. You really need to click on the photo below to get the full impact of all the flags.We went first up to my aunt's grave and clipped the grass all around her stone and put a bouquet of flowers in one of the metal stake-able vases that the cemetery provides. Then we drove back to my dad's grave and did the same. When we finished we parked near the entrance and took the picture of the flag lined boulevard.

Then we headed back towards the bridge and on to Rte. 6 to eat at a Friendly's. We got to my cousin's in the mid afternoon and visited for awhile (one of my other cousins stopped by, as well) and then we went to visit my uncle. After our visit with him, we drove out to Acushnet to find the cemetery where my great grandparents are buried. By the time we got there it was dark. We drove around in the cemetery but could find the markers.

Off we headed just around the corner in Acushnet to a little restaurant that has been in business since 1937. All sorts of good food and scrumptious desserts. Then back to the cousin's for the night.

This morning we got up early for breakfast and packed up our overnight stuff. By 9 a.m. we were on the road again. This time to the Rural Cemetery in New Bedford where my maternal grandparents and another uncle are buried. First though we did a drive-by of the house where my aunt and uncle used to live and a stop at the Sunrise Bakery to buy meat pies to bring home. At the Rural Cemetery we staked flowers at the graves. From there we got back on the highway and headed home. 'A' had to be at work this afternoon.

February 5, 1922 - July 8, 2007

I miss you, Dad.

Hello, Hello, Is Anyone There?

A lot of things have combined to create this post. The first is a feeling that I'm living in some weird, warped isolation from the business world. I've had three calls for key work in the past week. One set arrived. No payment and missing instructions. I called and left a message about the instructions three days ago. Nothing. Supposedly the check is on it's way. I'll just wait for that as I'll be able to figure the job based on the amount of payment. Did some keys over three weeks ago and the guy forgot to enclose the check. I called to remind him that return shipping would be free with prepayment. Yep, he says, check will be sent right away. I've sent the keys back, finished, with a bill. Nothing. I sent a second bill and added in the shipping costs. Nothing.

So, today's picture was chosen while I was looking through some old photographs over the weekend. I'm calling it the first cell phone. I've included (copied) the 'letter' that my dad wrote to his father that was written on the back of the photograph. My dad is the guy with the polka dot tie, third from the right. Pop - This photo is of the first Emergency Radio Equipment of it's type ever built. The units in this photo were used to establish telephone communication between President Eisenhower and the Nations telephone facilities. The part I'm happy about, Pop, is that after I engineered it - it functioned satisfactorily on the first trial. Al

All that so that Eisenhower could go on his usual fishing trips at a location with no phone lines! Talk about government's wasteful spending.

So put THAT phone in your pocket and go!