Dad's Graduation, 1922

  I have one other special item from Dad's high school years. This is the cover of the program for his graduation ceremony. It says "Class of 1922, Interlaken High School, Commencement Exercises, Monday evening, June 26, 1922, at eight o'clock, Reformed Church."

On the other flap is "Class Officers President: Floyd Wyckoff, Vice-President: Margaret Stearns, Secretary-Treasurer: Marian J. Marsh." and "Class Roll Mary L. Bond, Marian Cole, Julia A. Essom, Alice M. Laycock, Ray F. Leary, Marian J. Marsh, Margaret E. Stearns, Milton J. Wickham, J. Floyd Wyckoff."

The program was folded and slipped into the cover. This is the outside of the program. "Commencement Exercises of Interlaken High School held at the Reformed Church on Monday evening, June twenty-sixth 1922. 'Never Give Up' (class motto), Class Colors: Blue, Pink and Bronze."

The other face says "Principal Gordon B. Springer, Board of Education J.B. Bradley, B.R. Hewlett, T.B. Freestone; Class Officers Floyd Wyckoff, Margaret Stearns, Marian J. Marsh." (That last name is going to be familiar to some readers, and in fact, Dad went to school with her from elementary grades upwards.)

Finally, the actual order of the program.
Music.... Orchestra (one has to wonder how many pieces were in this orchestra in a school of an estimated 50 students, tops)
Invocation.... Rev. Reller D. VanWagenen
Salutatory.... Homemaking a Profession... Mary L. Bond
Vocal Solo.... Mrs. M.B. Morehouse
Physical Education.... Marian Marsh (and she did become a physical education teacher)
English as an Art.... Marian C. Cole
Choosing a Vocation... Julia A. Essom
Piano Duet "To Arms" Ortlepp Op 2.... Marjorie Slaght, Frederica Young
Athletics.... Ray F. Leary (with only 3 boys in this class, probably every boy in the high school was on every team!)
Friendship.... Margaret Stearns
Russia, A Land of Opportunity.... Alice M. Laycock (interesting topic- at the time Russia was a socialist republic, but in December of 1922 the USSR was formed)
Violin Solo "Bolero" Bohm.... Milton J. Wickham
Valedictory.... The Greatest Invention.... J. Floyd Wyckoff
Presentation of Diplomas President of the Board of Education.... Mr. Jay B. Bradley

I did find a photo of the school building at that time. It was across the street from the school I attended, and the builing had been torn down before I was born. It had a short life for a brick building. It was dedicated in 1905, and gone by 1950. The school I attended was dedicated in 1935, so perhaps it was razed not long after that.

I copied all those names because many of them will be familiar to folks local to that area.

In other news: I suddenly have four editing jobs, and I worked on them. I walked to the Post Office, did laundry, and worked on my other project.

See Dad's Football Uniform

Dad's Football Uniform

  I have one other sports set that was my dad's. This is his high school football uniform- most of it anyway. Again, like the baseball uniform from yesterday, this is 98 years old. Here are the pants. Oddly enough, I remember Dad wearing these to work in the garden because the knees were padded. But I guess he didn't wear them out- no holes. Maybe he decided that he didn't want to wear them out.

The mice did not get into this!

There are two surviving pieces of undergarments that went with it. There is a sort of jerkin-like top, and undershorts. Both lace up the front. The pants and undershorts are both made of canvas.

I do not have any kind of jersey that would have had an "I" or other logo on it. And these clothes do not have a manufacturer tag. However... how cool is this? I have the shoes.

You might be interested in seeing the thigh pads. These tie inside the pants. They are quilted cotton, like ancient Chinese armor! It seems to me they don't have enough places where they are secured. I think a player would have had trouble keeping them in place! But maybe they were to be worn inside those brown shorts.

I do not know what position he played. However, he was tall and very thin, so probably not one of the backs!

In other news: It was a beautiful day, and I should have walked. But somehow other things just filled the whole day. I did another tub of cement in the well pit and did some cleaning up. Now the cement just needs to set up for me to finish this fall's jobs down there. The temps in the 40s is not great for that, but hopefully, it will be ok in a few days. I have suddenly been hired for quite a few editing jobs, one of them a rush, so I'm spending quite a bit of time on that. And then there is my other project... having fun... may reveal it soon.

See Dad's Baseball Uniform

Dad's Baseball Uniform

  One of the things I re-homed in this great sorting project of the last few weeks was my father's high school baseball uniform. He graduated in 1922, so this is 98 years old. I was very, very unhappy to discover that the mice had been in it. I carefully washed everything, but it has holes it did not previously have. This is the warm-weather uniform- cotton pants and top. The socks are in rough shape- the mice really used them for the potty room, but I gently washed them multiple times until the water finally came clear.

There are wool pants, and a wool jersey undershirt too. I don't know if there was a wool shirt, or if the undershirt was just worn under the other one.

The uniform included underwear. They are plain cotton with a button fly. The back has a lacing to adjust the waist, taking the place of elastic. Actually, I think that would be comfortable. Elastic itches.

Everything was made by Treman, King & Co. of Ithaca, New York. Athletic Outfitters. They were still in business in the 1930s, and I found one article that said the building eventually became Montgomery Wards. The building is a big square half block in downtown Ithaca, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

And you can see the "I" on the front of the shirt for Interlaken, the hometown. It seems subtle, but maybe that was the style at the time. Or, there was a different piece of fabric for the "I" that has completely disappeared and the color difference is showing the original color of the uniform. We have no pictures to give us a clue.

Dad was a big baseball fan. In fact, he played in the minor leagues in the late 1920s. For a Rochester, NY team. I am not sure of the team name. He played 3rd base, and the story is that he was told he'd never make it in the majors because he was too lightweight. He was six feet tall and weighed 135 pounds.

You've seen it before, but this is a picture of Dad, Ray F. Leary, from about the time he would have been wearing the uniform, although this might be from his college years. Still- fairly close.

In other news: I did a lot, but you'd never know it. I didn't get to sleep last night till 4 am, so the morning was a waste. But I did do some editing for other people, wrote a pathetic 254 words- but at least it was progress, did the next to the last tub of cement for this year in the well pit (I was hoping to finish, but although it was above 40 degrees, the cement doesn't set up very fast), and I did a lot on the big project I've been hinting at. Not ready to 'fess up yet, though. You'll have to wait. Paid some bills, made phone calls, blah, blah...

See A Few More Family Goodies

Buster Gives Thanks

  The local squirrel had a reason to give thanks today. I've named this one Buster. It's not the same one I was picturing in March because this one has a better-looking tail. Generally, we are not feeding the wildlife because the squirrels are total pigs. However, in my sorting of so much stuff, I came across a jar of sunflower seeds. Better to give them to the squirrel than tempt the mice who have been chewing on the plastic lid.

What a windfall for Buster! He's been checking the deck quite regularly and finding nothing. Now... it's a bonanza!

In other news: I wrote a chapter. I walked 3 miles- set a goal to try for 4 mph. Almost made it. First two miles were 15 minutes each. The last one was 16 minutes, so not far off the mark. And, I've been spending quite a bit of time on something else of interest. I MIGHT tell you in a day or two. And, I hunted for yet another thing I can't find.

See Rain, Cold, Slow

Thanksgiving Threesome

  Joshua came over to eat with us today. We were going to go out because it's so hard to fix things that all of us will/can eat. But the restaurants are shut down again, so we managed to come up with a menu that I like all of, and Omer and Josh like most of. We had lemon-rosemary chicken (on the stove), rice, buttenut squash, salad, and the pies.

Because of the aforementioned house Tetris, there is no place available to eat. So we set up an extra little table. Worked fine!

After the food settled a bit, I went on a walk. Just a road walk, but I decided to challenge myself. I was doing a 7-mile loop, and I wanted to see how fast I could do it. Kept a 4 mph pace for the first two miles (my casual pace is 3 mph), but I couldn't quite keep that up. My overall pace was 3.74 mph. Not too shabby. And, it's never a race on a real hike. But I figure if I push myself when it's easy, then I'm in better shape for when it's not.

The sky was mostly gray, with a temperature of 43 when I left the house. Light breeze. Nice walking weather. No spectacular pictures. I was concentrating on walking fast. There were rays coming from the spot of light in this cloud, but the camera didn't catch them.

In other news: There is no other news. I cooked and cleaned up and played my game.

See Dinnerpieme

Dinnerpieme

  What do you do when there are only 2 people, but you want pie? You have pie for dinner, and then there is still plenty for tomorrow too.

Are they good? Meh... I had a can of pumpkin, so the pumpkin filling wasn't made entirely from scratch. I had 2 bags of apples I needed to use, but they weren't good pie apples, so the apple pie is too sweet. I really like Northern Spies for apple pie, but maybe that is an eastern variety. I've only found them in Michigan once. But I do make good crust.

In other news: I cleaned up the house a bit. That and pies took up the whole day. No walking occurred. No writing occurred. Josh is coming over to eat with us tomorrow. There you have it.

My microscope camera toy replacement came, but it doesn't work right either, so I returned it. Not giving that model another chance. The next better one is a whole lot more money, so it's probably not happening.

See Pi(e) is a Relationship

Mom's Steamer Trunk

  The big sorting project I've been mentioning... This item is at the center of it. This is my mother's steamer trunk. I believe it was purchased for her when she went to college at Temple University in 1927 or 1928.

If you are familiar with this kind of trunk, you won't be too impressed. I don't think this is a particularly fancy one, but it is fairy nice, and everything still works. On the left are various kinds of hangers, and a flat case at the bottom that clips in for travel, or is removable.

The trunk was made by the Hartmann company and has a patented "Cushion Top." Perhaps you can tell that this area is padded. This supposedly protected the hanging clothes. It folds down flat when you want to close the trunk.

On the other side are four drawers. The top one has a lock, and when you remove the drawer, you rotate that bar I've raised, and it locks or unlocks the other drawers.

Temple University is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of Mom's stickers is still on the outside of the trunk. I don't know too much about Mom's college years. She belonged to the sorority Alpha-Sigma-Alpha. She was on the swim team. Her major was Home Economics.

The trunk was not being stored in a good place. Now it will be in a better location. And my goal was to fill it with things that need protection too. I found some things that will go in it. Others await another adventure in box searching to locate.

I often describe my life as one of those square flat puzzles with 16 spaces and 15 blocks that you slide around to create a picture or sequence of numbers, but you only have one open square to work with. I've now learned a new name for this- "garage Tetris." This is my world. But I've organized one tiny piece of it this week.

In other news: I took a walk with Cathy in very wet snow. The pictures aren't great. It was really sloppy, but at least we walked for an hour. I did a whole list of errands, had bell choir practice, and then an online meeting. No writing occured. But I'm whipped.

See A Veteran's Day Story

Five Flat Farm Miles

  Drove 1.5 miles so I could walk a road loop that was at least different from my usual. Nothing spectacular. But it was nice and quiet, and I did walk 5 miles. The rows of corn stubble make great patterns.

Farms look like they are hunkered down and waiting for the snow.

The best find was two of these Golden Harvest Crabapple trees. They are garden varieties, but two trees seem to have gone wild- growing near the edge of the road. They are edible, but they are often left as ornamentals because the fruits persist into the winter lending a spot of bright color. Each fruit is a little over an inch in diameter.

In other news: I wrote chapter 13 in Dead Mule Swamp Singer. And I continued to try to find the box of things I'm looking for. Still no luck. I am giving up tomorrow. It will turn up somewhere I'm not expecting it. Probably right after I put away the other things I want to collect with it.

See Farm Country

Another Loop at Ludington State Park

  I did another 6-mile loop at Ludington State Park today. There are lots of options, but we walked from the first parking area along the Big Sauble River to Hamlin Dam which creates the huge impoundment known as Hamlin Lake.

When I say "we," that would be my friend Loren, and furball Koa. Loren describes Koa as a battery pack that is infinitely rechargable! This picture is taken at the Hexagon shelter in the middle of the park.

We did duplicate a tiny bit of my hike the other day, by going north on the Island Trail. I thought you might like to see that lone tree on an island in different light.

Then we turned west on the Lost Lake Trail. This climbs quickly to the dunes above both Hamlin and Lost Lakes. If you look between the trees you will see a footbrige out there over the water. That is the Island Trail where we had just been. The bridge is humped so paddlers can go beneath it. And this is the connection of Lost Lake to Hamlin.

For the rest of our hike, we were in the woods between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan. We took the Lost Lake Trail to a small piece of the Ridge Trail, then to the Logging Trail where we turned north and walked around the upper loop of that trail. Then we returned to our cars via the south end of the Logging Trail. Here's a typical picture within the woods. There are also a number of small wetlands between the dunes.

I had to stop just south of the park after we finished to catch a couple of pix of the big lake- Lake Michigan. It was a little early for sunset, but the color was starting to develop.

When I turned to look slightly north, there was a big freighter out on the horizon!

You know I can't take a walk without looking for patterns. This one is my favorite because it was unexpected.

You can get interesting pictures of these old jetties almost any day, but that doesn't make them less appealing, just more expected.

Awesome hike- it got a little warmer than predicted- I would say low 40s. Very nice for hiking. We did see quite a few other people, but once we got on the wooded trails we had them all to ourselves. Not surprisingly, as most people prefer the trails that go along water.

Ludington State Park: Sauble River Trail, Island Trail, Lost Lake Trail, Ridge Trail, Logging Trail. Total distance 6.2 miles.

In other news: Not much- I worked on that big sorting project I keep mentioning. I couldn't find yet another thing that I want to collect with some other things. It's really annoying. I guess you could say progress was made, but I had to make more messes to accomplish it. No writing. A tiny bit of editing.

See My Favorite Ludington SP Loop

Ludington State Park- Details

  There were so many neat scenes from yesterday that I have to share a few more. Mostly details- you know I love patterns. This one is sand blown across a decaying log- I'm guessing hemlock from the red color.

I'll alternate patterns with more realistic views. There are several backwaters along Hamlin Lake where the surface is almost always really placid.

Pen and ink crosshatching? An effective illustration technique whether done by a human hand or the grasses, water and sun.

Speaking of grass- it will grow just about anywhere it can find the tiniest toehold.

And it softens the rotting logs and rises in sunbursts late in the day.

The reeds were singing with runs of melody and counterpoint, ties and slurs.

Driftwood with moss? Or the skull of some ancient horned beastie?

And, as a parting shot... an extremely trite photo. Nevertheless, I caught that gull in just the right position, so I'm sharing it anyway. Winging it's way into the sunset.

In other news: I wrote 717 words today and finished chapter 12. It seems like there should be more words, given how long I spent on it, but there it is. I took a 4-mile road walk. I started reading another book I'm editing. That's about it!

See My Favorite Ludington SP Loop