1977

Down on the farm

Playing on the back of the neighbor's truck. Gran's garage is in the background.



Cheeeeeese

Second grade: My teacher was Mr. Gordon, who also owned a candy vending business. When we scored 100% on our tests, he would give us candy bars.

:) Cute

My darling future husband. I just told him the other day, "I wish I'd known about you when I was growing up."

Add caption

This picture makes me cry (what doesn't?). I so miss that place and those days. Dad, BC, Ernie and I on a freshly-cut log. I can still hear the chainsaw and smell the sawdust.

The Shadow Knows

Grandma and Lonnie, up at his place in Ridgefield, and some unknown shadow taking their picture (my favorite part).

Alice Murriel Johnson Keen, 1892-1978

Grandma Keen

Taken at Grandma Dot's house. 

When I was little my family visited her in Walla Walla, and she was adorable.  She had so much love, for her family and everything she did.  Grandma had a beautiful flower garden, and the day I remember being with her, we were in her garden, and she showed me the "honesty" plant - little flat round translucent paper blossoms with seeds inside.  She told me a story about Mother Nature coming along and putting the seeds there.  She gave me a box full of seeds to take home. 

Christmas 1976

CAUGHT

Here we are celebrating Christmas up at Neenaw and Gran's. Gran looks like a jungle cat peeking behind that plant. Mom (prego with Jeremy) and Ernie are on the right, along with someone's hands - maybe Grandma Keithler?

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime

Ernie on the left, me in the middle, B.C.'s back and arm on the right.  I love the old-fashioned ornaments on the tree.

Brookings House

This was the year we (I say "we" like I actually helped) built that wonderful house in Brookings.

Daylight basement all framed, Subflooring started, B.C. on top

Mom's caption for this one.

Foundation

Framing the basement

Framing the main floor

BC looks on

 I still miss living in this house and Brookings something fierce.  Every once in a while I check to see if the house is up for sale (like we could afford it now). 

First Grade

Mrs. Wilson was my teacher at Kalmiopsis Elementary.  She took us to her house once and let us ride her horses.

1975

Kindergarten

Yes, those are Sesame Street overalls. I started school at Kalmiopsis Elementary in Brookings. If we put pigtails on Carter, this is how he'd look. He's very Smithy.



Here comes the sun

Me and Kitty Minnie, in front of our home in Brookings (before we moved it to build the house).

Painting time

BC and me with our watercolors at the kitchen table. This was after we moved the trailer to build the house.

Cake zombies

One of many wedding pictures where I am caught photobombing a wedding/eyeballing the heck out of the wedding cake (BC is behind me). Julie Ettinger's wedding in Brookings (Bonnie, her mother, was a family friend from Brookings ward).

Halloween

Howdy!

In our pre-house house (can I say "double wide" here?) in Brookings.  This is the door to my room.  Notice the lovely green striped couch in the living room and the "Natalie's Room" plaque on the door and the tree outside the window.  LOVE. 

Always with the coat on

I don't know who or what I was, or where we went to trick-or-treat. But there was candy, so I'm sure it was great.

1974

So happy someone took this pic.

One little corner of Neenaw & Gran's home in Brookings. I loved this place and miss it terribly. It's one of the first places I remember ever being.



The sun!  It burns!

Out on Neenaw and Gran's front steps.

Gran, Dad, BC and me

On a fateful trip to the beach one day... I remember getting wet and cold this trip. Like someone threw us in, or something. Then I remember going home and getting warm in my bunk bed in our teensy trailer down the hill from Neenaw & Gran's - I had the bottom and B.C. had the top. B.C. is wearing his "baker's man" hat.

BC and me on the Big Wheel 

Ruby Valentine Fox Smith, 1893-1977

Great Grandma Smith

Grandma Smith at Uncle Raymond's house, January 1974. I met Grandma once and don't remember much about it, but we have home movies of us sitting on Neenaw and Gran's couch. She had diabetes and Dad gave her her insulin shots when she visited us in Brookings.

Notice the picture of her two sweet little boys behind her.

Brookings Summer

My grandparents and parents moved from Eugene to Brookings this year.

Feeding our pet baby raccoon, "Doonis"