Jaci Dawn

I was looking for something else when I unearthed more old photos.

The only time I remember my dad having hair on his face: he had to grow a goatee for the 1964 Nevada State Centennial. Love the stove-pipe hat! Mom wrote on the back, “What a motley-looking crew! Terry already left for the parade.” She sewed our costumes and I remember thinking she was the Belle of the Ball in that blue dress. She was kind enough to not dress Denny and I exactly alike, even though she used the fame fabric for our dresses.

There’s nothing written on this photo but I am very certain it was of a young Sylvia Cusick before she married into the Wilcox family. It’s a poignant photo.

Gramps (“Fritz”) with his wife (Sylvia) and his mother (Irene Kimmey Wilcox). Mary & Jack in the foreground. Probably 1929.

I love the ornate cardboard frames old professional photos came in. Too bad I had to cut them off of the photos I scanned – otherwise the photos would be miniscule.

This photo is so funny! Mary and Jack Wilcox, circa 1929. Why did the photographer tint the little boy’s clothes pink? Do you suppose my dad was really dressed in pink? There wasn’t any real gender-specific color scheme in the early 1900’s, so it is possible that his outfit was pink. He’s obviously a little boy. And look at those ears! My dad’s big old ears were apparent at a very young age. He was so pudgy.

My favorite. My mom  (1932-1995) and My dad (1928-2011) as a very young couple. Terry has an impish look on his face already.

I will be leaving for Ely sometime this week. It’s a long old drive across Oregon and Idaho and then south on US 93. I’m taking Chrystal with me and Harvey. My dad won’t be at the house in Ely so he can’t say, “No Goddammed Dogs.” My dad actually liked dogs. He liked cats and horses, too. What he didn’t like was the inevitable heartbreak of losing one.

Don & Murphy will be holding down the fort here. I know Don would like to come be my support but sometimes it just isn’t possible. I watched my parents go through this with their parents: my mom rode the bus to Spokane by herself when her dad died. My dad spent two weeks in Idaho by himself when his dad died. the thing is: you know your spouse is there, waiting for you when you get home.

And this weekend, my parents are back together. Mom’s been waiting for Dad for almost 16 years.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! He’s home!