Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Hiking in Plastic Coats?

This was the photo I had. Simple. Where we see Kirk in the lead, being followed by Todd and then Dick up a path in the mountains near Aspen. I thought it was a striking photo even though I didn’t understand why Kirk and Todd would be hiking in plastic coats. Surely they’d be too hot and uncomfortable to want to hike in them. Both boys are wearing jeans and Muller Elementary shirts, with plastic coats over them. Since the photo is centered on the individuals, you see Kirk’s smile and Todd’s concentration, with Dick’s presence in the background. There is emotion to this photo.

To me, it looks like this could almost be anywhere. From a field in Oklahoma to the Flint Hills that surround Manhattan. So when Cris told me this was taken outside of Aspen, Colorado, I could kind of see it.

But then Cris sent me this…

The differences are so striking. While Kirk, Todd and Dick are still the focal point, in this photo you see the expanse of the mountain and the feeling that there is a scale to the environment. You see the rugged beauty in the Aspen Wilderness. This photo shows the journey that they are walking. The expanse of the mountains and the height of the trees. It reminds me that our world is far bigger than we might first think. And when we set out on that trail that great things can happen when step beyond what we know and put on plastic coats 🙂

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Anderson’s 1970s Style

Outdoor photos are some of my favorites. You don’t have to try to arrange a big group in a small space, and nature is always a good backdrop. Here we have the Anderson family commemorating what appears to be a casual summer get-together.

The first person I notice is Howard. His shirt makes him the focal point of the photo for me, perhaps because of the print. With his mother-in-law, Hazel Katz, standing next to him, also in a printed shirt. Everyone else is in solid colored clothing, so now I’m going back and forth from right to left. First to Sherigay and Dick Anderson, to Nancy and her husband, Gary Conover. I love how Sherigay is looking at Dick. You can see the love she has for him captured in her expression. I love how Nancy is holding a dog, making sure it’s included in this photo.

Then I look at the children with the oldest flanking the youngest. From left to right we have Kirk Anderson (holding a dog) Cary Conover, Chad Conover, Cris Anderson and Todd Anderson. And I know instantly that this photo is from the 1970’s.

Summertime in the 1970s was different for me than any other time. Long days that seemed to stretch forever and lasted until we would collapse once the sun went down, falling to sleep almost before our heads hit the pillow. Summer time meant being outside, either cooking meals because we didn’t want to heat up our houses or doing chores, and eating popsicles that seemed to melt faster than we could eat them. Life seemed to happen slower in the summer, the laughter was louder, and we wanted to capture and savor every moment. It’s proof that the best memories are never staged, just lived out.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Julius’ Steady Hands

The photograph captures a quiet moment — Julius Anderson seated in his chair, holding his grandsons Phil and Dick close. The room is simple, the light soft, yet the atmosphere created in this photo reflects depth that was naturally found.

Julius’s hands, worn from years of work, cradle the babies with a gentleness that is supportive. His hands rest on his grandchildren in a way that makes them settle into him, trusting in his hold and his lap. The contrast between his work-worn hands and the lighter tones of the boy’s clothing emphasizes his strength while highlighting the softness and newness of the boy’s clothing. The tone is one of age meeting youth.

Date of photo estimated to be Summer of 1941

Phil, on the left, leans into his grandfather’s arm, content and curious; Dick, on the right, sits upright, eyes bright. Between them, Julius’s expression completes the photo. There’s no strain, no distraction. Just a quiet, almost contemplative calm. It’s as if he understands the privilege it is to hold your grandchildren in your arms. The feeling that you are holding the future in your hands.

The background is soft, with muted grays and just blends seamlessly into the photo. The desk or table behind him, scattered with papers, hints at the ordinary day this might have been. Yet in the stillness of the photo, time seems to pause — three lives, framed in a moment where time seems to pause just long enough for us to see the beauty of the connection.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Dick & Nancy

Sometimes, when we get a new sibling, it’s like your birthday and Christmas all rolled into one. I bet that’s what Dick thought when Nancy was born. Suddenly, he had a new best friend, and what friends they were. Dick looks to have his hands full, trying to ensure Nancy’s safety where they were seated for this photograph. I’m unsure if the family still lived in Climax at this time or they had moved.

But aren’t they cute. All Dressed up for a brisk winter day. Nancy looks to be about 6 months old. With tights and a warm outfit and cap, Nancy looks to be ready to spend time outside. Dick in his warm gear and rolled up pants, looks like he’s already been playing outside for awhile, just waiting for Nancy to get out there.

I’ve often wondered why so many of our family photos of this time or earlier are taken outside. Perhaps it has to do with lighting. So I did a little investigating. Flash bulbs for cameras were not Invented until the 1930s. Flash bulbs were only usable once and cost about 10 cents per bulb. However, when purchased in a pack could be pricy. And there was no guarantee that even with a bulb, your photo would develop well. So ones best bet was to go outside to have your photo taken.

Brother and Sister, together as friends, ready to face whatever life sends. Joy and laughter or tears and strife, holding hands tightly as we dance through life. Suzie Huitt

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Christmas 1971

Christmas can be the absolute best time or the most stressful. Before I had children, I did not appreciate how carefree my Christmases were. And then, after the children came, the time to get presents bought and wrapped seemed to compete with just our everyday schedules. Time was a commodity that some days was scarce. Now, with a house free of children, we are back to a more carefree Christmas attitude. We can place ornaments on the tree wherever we want. If we don’t want the Holiday music on, we don’t play it, and if I want to watch every version of A Christmas Carol, I do! Here we have the Anderson – Conover – Katz family, who are experiencing each of these Christmas feelings.

Lets start with Hazel. She sits by the tree and holds Yo Yo June’s toy poodle. According to Cris Yoyo was Hazel’s favorite. Sitting in front of Hazel is Todd, patiently waiting to open presents. Aunt Nancy Conover and oldest son Chad are behind Todd. Chad looks to be as much of a handful as the dogs. Gary is standing behind Nancy, but none of the Anderson boys can remember the name of the dog that Gary is holding. So if someone knows it, I’d be happy to include them.

Next to Nancy and Gary is Howard and June. June is holding Jigger, their other dog. Howard told Cris that he was named after the small device you could use to hold the gas pump lever down to keep gas flowing into the gas tank. This was called a jigger, and Jigger the puppy could fit in his pocket just like the gas device. Sitting next to June is Kirk, who looks ready to open presents, although maybe not as patiently as Todd. Sitting on his mom’s lap is Cris – I figure he’s about two and a half in this photo. And Sherigay looks like she’s ready for Christmas to begin. King the German Shepard is sitting next to Dick. All the dogs look ready to get out of the way of the opening of presents.

As I went through this photo and looked at each face, I thought about all the good times at June and Howards house on Christmas Eve. I’ve heard it said if I knew that this would be the last time we’d be together, I’d have stayed longer and appreciated it more. May those who are no longer with us have a Heavenly Merry Christmas, and may we have a holiday season filled with cherished old memories and wonderful new ones.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Duck, Dick and Nancy

Thanksgiving is a time most of us have turkey, but here we have Dick with a duck. It just makes me smile to see. Dick is sitting so nicely. I imagine he was trying to get the duck to allow him to pet it. And Nancy, like a good little sister, is right there with him. I love how you can see Audie’s face in his shadow on the building. At first, I overlooked it, but it’s turned into my favorite part about this photo.

There’s no date or writing to accompany this photo. I imagine it was taken at Audie and Hazel’s -piece romper coat with a lodge in Manhattan, Kansas. And from the looks of Nancy and Dick, I imagine that it was taken around 1946 or 1947. Dick is all bundled up with a warm coat and cap. Nancy is all prepared for cold weather in a one-piece romper coat and scarf on her head. I wish we knew if this was a pet duck Hazel and Audie had or if they were grooming it for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving originates from the Native American philosophy of giving without expecting anything in return. The Wampanoag people and the English colonists, known as Pilgrims, shared a harvest feast to celebrate the harvest. The feast included wild turkeys, ducks, geese, fish, corn, green vegetables, and dried fruits.  So we could have many things for Thanksgiving, but most of us will have turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner.

There are so many things I am thankful for this year, but at the very top of the list are all of you. Thank you for taking the time to engage with my blog posts on this website or social media. Your support and feedback are what inspire and motivate me to keep writing. Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with the warmth and happiness of the season

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Confirmation

I’ve never not known the Holy Spirit. I remember looking at my children’s bible when I was a child. While I couldn’t read yet, the pictures drew me in. I loved the one of John baptizing Jesus. I wanted to know what it was like to get baptized. While it’s a blessing indeed to have lived with God’s promise my whole life, it wasn’t until I was older that I realized that’s what my confirmation did. In the Lutheran church, you spend two to three years working with a Pastor being taught the doctrine of the Lutheran church and why we believe getting confirmed prepares someone to live out their faith in the church. It also marks our passage from childhood to adulthood. Once confirmed, you are now considered an adult in the eyes of the church.

Here we have Dick and his family on his confirmation day at St. Pauls Lutheran Church. June looks so proud and stylish as always. I know she had a Lutheran background as I’ve found records of Hazel’s family attending the Swedish Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Nancy seems sad that it’s not her confirmation day and Howard too looks ready for Dick to be confirmed. I’m unsure of the date as there was no information on the photos. Depending on the synod of Lutheran Church would depend on what age you were when you got confirmed. To me, Dick looks like he’s about 13 here. I was confirmed in June the year I graduated from junior high. It’s a rite that Dick seems pleased to take on. He looks comfortable and relaxed, to confirm his faith in Jesus Christ.

I remember Dick saying that when he was confirmed, it was before St. Pauls moved to their current location in Waco. And that photo definitely doesn’t look like the current St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, so where was it? Luckily I have the part of Ancestry.com in which you can access newspapers. I figured if the church moved, surely it would have been in the Eagle. Sure enough, I found not only the location of where it was moving to, but where it had been. The church used to be on the corner of 8th Street and Market. I was able to locate a newspaper article from March 31, 1956, which reported that St. Pauls was undertaking a building project and moving. The groundbreaking occurred on January 8, 1956, and the new building was to be completed in November 1956.

Former St. Paul’s Lutheran Church – Wichita, KS

The former St. Pauls is now a homeless Shelter for Men

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

JC Penny’s Photoshoot

Lately my social media feeds have been full of people who are going to JC Pennys to get their photos done. Their results aren’t as classy as the Anderson-Beldens achieved. I don’t know a date of when this gem was taken but I’m thinking very late 1980’s or early 1990’s. If someone knows please let me know!

At the focal point are Fran and Dick. Looking every bit the professionals that they were. Very put together and looking good. Behind them I feel the photo is two seperate groups. Those in suits and professional clothes and those dressed in casual clothes. It seems so evenly split too.

Leading what I call the suit group behind Dick are Kirk and Christy. Kirk’s rocking that Tom Selleck moustache. Behind Kirk also in a suit is Brent. Are those matching ties guys? Heading up the casual group is Deanna who I think is all in denim. She appears to have a tan so I’m thinking that perhaps this was taken during the summer. Next to Dee and also sporting the casual look is Wade in a white shirt and our last causal individual is Cris in a black shirt in the back row.

Did you know that JC Penny’s still has Portrait Studios? They do! I am challenging the Anderson and Belden siblings to go have a retro photoshoot done in honor of this photo and their parents. I would love to get us all together for a photo shoot, but don’t think we’d all be able to fit in the small JC Penny Portrait Stuidos but it would sure be fun to try!

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Dick & Fran

I miss these faces and thought it would be nice to honor them today. This year has been interesting without them. When we lost Dick, we still had the love and support from Fran. Now, we are navigating through life without both of them. Those milestones we thought they’d be there for have an air of sadness at times as we remember their absences. They would not want us to be sad for them but instead, enjoy the stories that cause laughter and hold tight to the stories that may cause tears.

Don’t they look fabulous in this photo? I don’t know what year this has been taken, but I think it might have been taken at June and Howards. My assumption is solely based on the background of the pine trees. This is a candid photograph of just the two of them standing next to each other, enjoying the day and their time together.

Had they both lived this year, they would have been married for 41 years! And while their time with us has ended, we have their remembered teachings and guidance, along with the support of a blended family full of brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and friends. We miss you, Dick and Fran!

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Cooking up Fun!

One of the funnest things to do when you’re a kid is to try new things. We all need to start somewhere, and it looks as if Nancy and Dick are having fun learning how to cook. Nancy has that bowl held tight, and just in case, so does Dick. Like all good brothers, he’s there to help her and ensure their bakery item gets made to the best of their ability. 

I love Nancy’s hair. She’s such a cutie. And Dick with his Levi’and long-sleeved shirt which would look normal today as it did then. I love how he has keys attached to his belt loop. That must be an Anderson genetic trait as his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons wear their keys this way. 

I like the wallpaper pattern in the kitchen and find myself wondering whose kitchen this was. Were they having fun at home or with Audie and Hazel? No matter whose kitchen it might be, I am glad we have this cooking gem to cherish and enjoy.