Austin reunion of Mother's family 1959

Left to right: Patsy Atwood Reese, Ann Atwood, Ruth Ricketts with Anne Flavia on her lap, and Donald Ricketts.  these were Mother's parents at the home of mother's sister Elna Hanks in Austin.

There are 4 generations of first daughters in the top photo.  Later on when Anne Flavia had a daughter Margaret Ellen Harrison, the five generations picture was made. By then Donald Ricketts has passed away.

Goose Island in south Texas, 1972

Ann and Bill (Thurston) Atwood loved their cabover camper and often took Anne, Bill and Margaret camping.  This trip was to Goose Island, near Rockport, Texas where there is a bird sanctuary and breeding grounds for the Whooping Cranes that migrate from Canada every year.

Ever since they were first married and lived in south Texas Ann and Bill loved the Gulf coast and hardly ever went anywhere else for a vacation for many years.

1967 The Reese family together

In 1967 the Reese family gathered for a photo in the living room of their home in Dallas, at 6665 Lakewood Blvd. These are grandparents, aunt and uncles of Anne, Bill and Margaret Reese.

In back are Marian Lu Reese, Marian and Tom F. Reese

Front are Tommy Reese, John Reese, and Hayne Reese.

Camping in the Adirondacks, fall 1960

In the fall of 1960 when Bill was about 3 months old we went camping just after Labor Day when the summer rush was over in most parks.  Anne in particular had a wonderful time.  Happy memories for all 3 of us.

 

The five generations of first daughters

My granddaughter Margaret Ellen Harrison was born on February 13 in 1980.  Her mother, Anne, worked in my shop until the day before the birth.  Margaret was a very sweet baby and I called her
"my Valentine baby."

My grandmother Ruth Ricketts was still around, and when Margaret was about 2 weeks old we family women (who are all first daughters) got together for a 5 generations photo.

My long braids, 1979

This picture was made at Anne Flavia's first wedding.  She married Larry Harrison in our back yard at 6633 Campana.  I think the year was 1979. 

 I still have on of my long braids that were cut off later that year.

Anne continued to work in the shop with me for a good while.  We enjoyed working together, at that time my shop was on 8th avenue in south Fort Worth.

Peter Cottontail at school, 1953

When Anne Flavia was in kindergarten in Buffalo, NY, she was chosen to represent her class in the local paper.  The story was about the Easter bunny that the kindergartners made themselves.

The big snowman when I was 5 years old

This is in the pasture at the Atwood Hatchery that belonged to Aunt Laura and Uncle Ed in Comanche.  The woman on the right of the snowman is my mom Anna Louise.  Bill and I are sitting on the home-made sled that Daddy made for the occasion.  I am sure he took this picture.

On the left you can see one of the chicken houses at the Atwood Hatchery where the hens laid eggs.

There is more about this special winter day on this blog at

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3801104567582240677#editor/target=post;postID=4242736856078910379

An invitation to a ball, 1891

Margaret "Mama" Atwood was invited with her sister Amanda to a Knights of Pythias ball on Tuesday December 15, 1891.  It was likely in Conroe, Texas where the Smith family lived at that time.

This invitation was in Mama Atwood's possession when she passed away at the age of 94.

 Mama kept all of her keepsakes in a cedar chest behind her platform rocker in the house where she lived when I was a child in Comanche.  Once in a while she would let me look through her keepsakes. I treasure those memories of her.

Mandy Smith, Margaret Smith, Mary Stovall Smith, their mother

My year at Texas State College for Women 1956-57

The year I was a college student at Texas State College for Women was 1956-57.  I invited an Aggie from Comanche to be my date.  His name was Gayle McNutt.  I think the dance was in Denton but it might have been in Dallas.

A&M and TSCW were brother and sister schools because they were "land grant colleges".  The United States granted land to every state for a college for women and a college for men.  I was able to attend TSCW for a semester for $297.00. That included a dorm room and meals, books and tuition. I had a job at the alumni office which paid for my pocket money.

Note to Mamie from Mama Atwood on the train 1927

August 28, 1927

Dearest Mamie,

I am feeling fine.  It is absolutely impossible to get in the observation car; it is so crowded.

I shall get in there early in the morning and camp out there hereafter.

I am feeling fine and I hope you are too.  Will write again tomorrow,  Love  Mother 

My skinny self, 1970's

In the 1970's I was still thin.  In the first photo here I look a lot like Margaret Reese did later on.
This was me with Anne in our kitchen at 6633 Campana.

The lower 2 photos were made at the Atwood's in Mineral Wells.  One is while my hair was quite long, the other after it was cut in 1978.

Our house on the De Leon highway ca. 1945

I think we owned this house.  It had a dirt yard, as you can see.  It was about 5 or 6 miles north of Comanche on Highway 16 towards DeLeon.  You can't see here but it had at least a quarter acre of blackberry bushes.  And an amazing pear tree way down in back by the creek.

Mother tried to raise hogs while we were here.  They got out and ruined her garden.  She was so mad she sold the sow and 13 little ones to the first person that came along.

I can't remember if we had indoor plumbing or not.  That might be the outhouse in the back of the third photo.  I do remember using an outhouse when I was a little kid somewhere.  Bill was very young, about 3.  One day mother set the back yard on fire while she was trying to burn trash.  The neighbors came over and tried to help put the grass fire out; it was a hot dry summer.  But Bill was in the house sleeping and missed all the excitement.

Thurston's gift to his granddaughter Margaret Reese

when Margaret Reese went to medical school at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, my dad gave her a vintage Mustang and she really enjoyed it for a while.  Sometimes I think Thurston enjoyed it more than Margaret did.  I think it was about a "65 but aficianados will probably recognize the model.

The Three Atwood Brothers

Thurston and his brother Frank "Watt" Atwood made a trip in the 1980's to Everett, Washington near Seattle.  They went to visit their older brother Edward, who had moved there around 1976.  I believe they enjoyed their time together; it was the last time all 3 brothers were together in their lives.

The Atwood clan 1928 Thurston standing right

Edward

Frank "Watt"

Thurston never stopped clowning around with his brothers.  His favorite nickname for Watt was "the swamp rat."

Margaret Ellen grows up

Margaret always knew how to smile and get what she wanted.  She won awards all through school and was always charming.  She worked hard when she was in high school. She worked at the Sonic as a skating car hop; she worked in a dentist's office on Saturdays and she worked at the PIzza Hut sometimes until late at night.  For a while she worked at a dime store on Saturdays and after school.

She never let anything interfere with her good grades.  She started talking to a counselor at the high school about how to get scholarships and grants to pay for  college.  And it worked.  She was the recipient of an Edmonds Foundation grant for undergraduate school.  She had a VW bug for her car and she worked on it herself.

Ann Atwood's peach ice cream

Every summer at the Atwood's mother would mash up ripe peaches and mix them with her home made custard ice cream.  I can still hear the sound of the ice cream freezer turning and you can see how much Margaret and Bill enjoyed themselves.  there are more pictures of the ice cream parties at the Atwood's which I will post here when I find them.

Margaret's high school graduation 1980

Margaret graduated from Southwest High School in 1980 with honors.  She was offered a scholarship to Mississippi Women's University but chose Texas University for her pre-med degree. 

Margaret and Hunter

Here are some shots of Margaret with our friend Hunter Tapscott.  He often came to our house at 6633 Campana and cooked for us during the kids' teen years.  The torte in the lower picture was one of his creations.  It had seven layers and was decorated with almonds.  He also made a similar confection when Margaret graduated medical school.  I think it involved raspberries and Grand Marnier.

Bill Atwood, my brother the musician

Until 1976 my brother, Bill Atwood was living in San Francisco working as a professional trumpet player.  He played and recorded with many famous artists, such as Chuck Berry, Boz Skaggs, Van Morrison, and even with Elvis on tour one season.

Bill and his wife Teretha had two dauughters, Audrey and Leigh Ann.  Bill is holding them  in front of their Daly City house beside their Buick Skylark.









We visited Bill and Teretha in Daly City in 1973. This is Bill and my daughter Margaret sitting at Bill's dinner table.













In front of my shop on Dorothy Lane in the 1980's….Bill Atwood and Bill Reese.

Somebody's Birthday

I am not sure whose birthday it was, but we were at my mother's house in Mineral Wells; I can tell by the sofa fabric.  The party hats are terrific!!

Sorry Anne was looking down, but she had fun I am sure, and looked beautiful as usual.

My happy Dad, Thurston Atwood in his 60's

Thurston in the front yard at their home in Mineral Wells, Texas.  He enjoyed his 60's very much.  He didn't stay retired for long; the company he helped found, S-Tec, wanted him back part time and he went.

Daddy liked to refinish and restore horns from Ford Model A's.  He would go to swap meets for car people and set up a display with his horns.  It seems that Ford used five different horns during the years Model A''s were being manufactured.

Daddy had a sample of each one, and a battery hooked up so he could play the "Ah-OO-Gah" sound and attract people to his table.

Many people brought old beat-up horns to him to restore.  He would fix them and mail them back.
Model A competitions required all original parts to qualify for judging.

Anne Flavia in her teen years

Anne Flavia grew up to be a beautiful young woman.   Hunter Tapscott was always a close friend of hers.

The two of them liked to "hang out" at our house with Bill and Margaret and whoever came over.  One time they came home giggling.

  The water tower on Altamesa in southwest Fort Worth sprouted a slogan in red paint:

FREE YOURSELF FROM THE CRIMSON DAWN