"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.
That myth is more potent than history.
That dreams are more powerful than facts.
That hope always triumphs over experience.
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death."
~ Robert Fulghum

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Forgot Family Foto Friday

I got so caught up in The Royal Wedding ... which then brought back memories of visiting all those historical sites.  We, my family, lived in England in the early 1960's ... my sisters and I would go touring England every weekend with the AYA (American Youth Association) from the base.  I loved the trips to London ... Buckingham Palace, the Crown Jewels, Changing of the Guard, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Piccadilly Square.  It was those trips I attribute to my love of literature and history ... my majors in college.   Ahh, memories.

Back to The Royal Wedding ... my photos this week (a day late) are weddings in my family.  No, none of me!

Nadine and Larry Hidalgo - July 3, 1951

Larry, Cindy and Jim Holmgreen, Nadine - April 7, 1973

J and Sue Holmgreen - October 17, 2007

I wish I had pictures of my grandparents' weddings, but in all the photos I have there are not any wedding pics.  So, these are my Royal Wedding pictures!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Family Foto Friday

Every Friday I am going to share my family with you ... photos from the past from my dad's family and my mom's family.  My dad is of Canary Island/ French descent and my mom is of English/Scotch/Irish descent - I am a blend of that - maybe that accounts for my squirrel/shiny things disorder, hmm.


Standing L to R:  Caliste, Arnold
Sitting L to R:  Lucy, Hypolite*, Cecile

Taken 1900 at Harding Studio in Franklin, Louisiana, this is my grandfather, Hypolite (Papa Hipp) Hidalgo with his older siblings.  When I was given this picture and told Papa was the one sitting in the middle I was sure someone was mistaken because that was a little girl.  After looking at other pictures from that same time period I see all little boys wore little dresses at that age.  Papa was two years old in this photo and was the fifth of ten children. 

Papa was from a "sugar" family and some of my earliest memories are visiting my grandparents at their house at the McCall Sugar Refinery where Papa was the Engineer.  McCall's would do the first process of the cane and then ship it to the refineries who processed for sugar companies like Domino's, Imperial and C and H.  McCall's was closed in the 1990's when the sugar industry in Louisiana consolidated sugar processing.



Cane Farm - Mission, TX - 1908
Standing L to R:  Hypolite (Papa), Lionel,
Cecile, Lucy, Arnold and 2 workers
Sitting L to R: Louise and Arthur (Pa Red)
L to R in front of Louise and Arthur:  Florence,
Albert (twin), Paul and Allen (twin) 
Columbia Plantation, Louisiana - 1944
L to R:  Hypolite (Papa), Arthur (Pa Red)
(refurbished photo)
 
Larry (Daddy) 1946

In 1908 "sugar" took the Hidalgo family to Mission, Texas ... "sugar" took them back to south Louisiana about a year later.  Look closely at the workers in the picture - the man on the right with his arms crossed - I wonder if that could be a relative of Lyle Lovett.

Hope everybody has as very Hoppy Easter!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

"Used To"

I know I have not posted anything in a while, but I honestly feel I did not have anything interesting to share that was post worthy.  Something happened on April 1 and it was not an April Fool's joke.  There were two Facebook posts that really hit home to my now limited independence.  The first post - goes back to 1972 and Kilgore College - I was dancing ... something that I loved to do! 

The second was just a feed - friends exchanging posts - work friends from over 10 years ago that do not work together now, but stay in contact.  They met for drinks to catch up.  No big deal, but I would normally have been able to jump in my car to join them (well, if they asked).

I cried.  Not because I felt sorry for myself, I cried for all the things I used to do.  I cried for all those I used to help when I had "good ideas" or shopped on-line for spring planting, bird feeders or new desks.  I cried because Marcia has to help me do the most basic of tasks everyday.  I cried because my mom has to help me get in and out of the car just so we can go shopping ... because I want to ... and I should be helping mom and dad.  I cried and wondered why this happened to me.  I cried ... and then I was done. 

UPS delivers more packages and I smile!