Simply Mine

In my last post

I asked you to

share the memory of

the best summer

of your life.

And,

you did……

in oh so many

sweet and heartfelt

ways.

Thank you!

Many of you asked

me to share how

I answered the

same question

when I sent

my response to

Harper Collins,

back in July.

For you I share

the rest of the story.

It’s not glamorous

or adventurous

or romantic.

I’m still not sure

why I chose it….

But, it’s mine.

My answer to:

Do you remember the

best summer of your life?

It was the ‘70’s and my dad had a job

transfer to a small town called St. Helens, Oregon.

I was ten years old and going into the fifth grade.

This was back in the days when a corporate

move meant they took care of everything!

Until our new house was "closed,"

The Company put us up at a motel in St. Helens

called The Village Inn.  It had soda machines

and a swimming pool.  My younger brother

and I thought that we were in heaven! 
 

We had two adjoining rooms and one of them

had a kitchenette, but we usually ate dinner

at the Village Inn's own restaurant.

  

On Sundays, we also ate breakfast out, and

my favorite thing to order was the strawberry

waffle....A gigantic Belgian waffle piled high

with lovely Oregon strawberries

and mounds of whipped cream! 

Going out to eat in those days was  a HUGE treat

and we really felt like we were living it up! 

My folks were 32 and 33 and I can remember them

drinking Boone's Farm wines {they had just come out}

and looking so young and happy. 

The Village Inn allowed pets and we had our two

dogs staying with us ~ and they were happy, too!

When the house was ready and we moved in,

there was a girl my age on one side of us

and a boy my brother's age on the other.  

We were off and running within the first day!

My dad was transferred, again, the next summer,

so it was our one and only in St. Helens.

But, it was the best summer of my life {so far}!

 

Thank you.

For sharing my memories…

And caring enough

to

ask.

I hope your week

is off to a great start!

Stay tuned for a

fun giveaway later in

the week!!!

 

[images: flickr {click for attribution}

except 2 & 7 ~ google images]

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Posted in childhood , memories , summer

Do YOU Remember?

If someone

were to ask you

What was the

best summer of

your life?

Could you unlock 

that memory?

Was it this summer

last summer

ten summers before

or longer....?

Perhaps your best

summer is

yet

to

be?

This summer I

read the delightful

memoir by

Marjorie Hart,

Summer At Tiffany.

Summer At Tiffany

tells the story

of two Iowa sorority

sisters and best friends,

 Marjorie and Marty, 

who jump on a 

 train with dreams

of living and working in

New York City.....

during the WWII summer

of 1945.

M and M

Although they

plan to land jobs

at one of the big

department stores,

through a twist of events,

 they are hired by

Tiffany and Company

as pages and

become the first

women ~ ever ~

to work on the

sales floor at this

venerable retail

establishment.

They have adventures...

From night clubs

to the Automat ~

celebrity sightings

at Tiffany to

dating dashing

midshipman....

Celebrating V-J

Day in Times Square

to the sheer magic

of being young

and single and

full of energy in

the Big Apple.

Marjorie Hart 1945

At the very 

very end of the book,

 after the

epilogue and interview,

Harper Collins

{the publisher}

asks readers to

 to share memories

of the best summer

of their lives via e-mail.

So.....

I did.

Imagine my

surprise when

the author,

Marjorie Hart

herself, wrote me

back.  Little old me!

She liked my story

and wanted to send

me a signed copy 

of this lovely book.

And.....

she did.

The uber-talented

Marjorie Hart wrote

SAT over a period

of ten years, taking

writing breaks along

the way.  Originally

written for her
grandchildren, the story
 was discovered by an

editor in 2005 and

 published in 2007.

Marjorie today

But, writing was not

Ms. Hart's first love ~

it was music.  An accomplished 
cellist, she played professionally

with operas, symphonies and

 classic musicians of the 1950's,

like Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole,
Liberace and Sammy Davis Jr.

As a young mother of

four, she earned her masters in 
music in 1965 from San Diego State 

University, joining the music faculty.
Marjorie retired on her
birthday in 1993 as professor 
emerita after serving 15
years as the Department of 
Fine Arts chairperson.

Although retired from

professional cello performing

in 2004 she still plays

 three to four times a week 
with several string quartets.

Marjorie and family after her retirement birthday concert

Widowed in 1981, Marjorie

married again in 1986.

With her second husband,

Peter, she is a grandmother to

nine and step-grandmother

to five.  

Did I mention that she

has a MySpace page?

Did I mention that 

she is

86?!

Which means she

had her first book published

at age 83 : )

The July day I 

found my own copy
in the mailbox,

wrapped and addressed

by Marjorie herself,

I nearly floated back

into the house.

Inside, this is

what she'd written.....

To Suzanne:  Treasure all of your summers!

So,

do you remember

the best summer

of your life?

It would be

such a gift

if you'd share

it

with

me.

[images: 1, 8 google

2-7, 9-11,12-14 my space

13, 16 flickr {click for attribution}

15 P&H]

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Posted in books , memories , music , summer

Autumn Whispers

The summer days are fading, as they must

From endless hours to short and fleeting light

The bird's once bright, immortal tune, now cries

A melancholy aura to the dusk

The children fiercely climb, and dream, and race

Before their wild and unchained days depart

And yet beneath the zeal lies a half heart

For there isn't time, there's only enough space

The sun seems low, a hazy orange sphere

Now reminiscing sweetly of the days

When endlessly before you summer lay

And as in the deep, crimson dusk you stir

Your soul joins with the birds in wistful brood

Crying for lost summer days, for childhood

 "THE END OF SUMMER"

by Shannon Georgia Schaubroeck


It was still
dark when I
awoke this
morning to
take Gracie out....
Which portends, to
me, more than
anything else,
that summer 
is closing the
door
and saying
good-bye.




{Thank you
all for your
strong, warrior-like
and loving
comments about
the poor dogs
that I was able
to assist last weekend.
I'm sure
hoping that I
can hang up
my super-hero
dog-saving cape,
for a while.
You are ALL the
best and inspire
me in ways you
can never
imagine.}


I'm linking up to
Kathleen at Faded Charm
for White Wednesday.


all images:  Privet & Holly
{and affilliates!}

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Posted in summer

Davenports and Greengrocers

Isn't summer the most

old-fashioned of all our

seasons?  Despite the

many advances that seem

to constantly bombard

our world, summertime pleasures,

at their essence, have changed

very little over the past

decades.

Perhaps that is the reason

that summer beckons

the kid in us, as we revel

in simple delights....

root beer floats

bare feet

sprinklers

blowing bubbles

lemonade stands

rocking in porch swings 

{or rockers or tire swings}

catching fireflies

drive-in restaurants

drive-in movies

flashlight tag

baseball games

convertibles

bicycling

sparklers

swimming for hours

icy-cold libraries 

tomato sandwiches

corn on the cob

berries and cherries,

melons and butter beans 

fishing poles
ferris wheels

Simpler days don't seem

like a thing of the past

in the summertime. If

I close my eyes, I can

hear the slap of a screen door,

the smell of fresh-cut grass

and shrieks of laughter 

across newly shorn lawns.

Summer also reminds me

of precious time spent with

my grandparents.....in the

garden or at the beach or

sitting doing crafts at their

kitchen table....

And with my own kids,

visiting the zoo and reading

tons of books, painting outside 
and having impromptu 
picnics at the park.

Simple stuff.  

Good stuff.

Sweet stuff.

Summer stuff!

The other day I heard the

word davenport, which

made me smile, as it's an

old-fashioned term that 

seems to fit right in with

summer nostalgia.  I

can picture my grandpa

having a snooze on the

davenport after his lunch.

My glamorous GiGi

called sofas divans, another

word from way back when.

Via

This daydreaming of lazy

summer days and grandparents,

davenports and divans led

me to consider other old-timey 

words that I associate with summer.....

greengrocers

clothes pins

dungarees

sneakers

breezeway

front stoop

coulee

rec room

Via

I love that none of these words

or memories are remotely technical.

Instead, they rely on fresh air, fresh

food, fresh places and fresh faces!

What are some of your favorite

summer words or memories?

I'll pour the lemonade; you pour out
 your sweet thoughts.  I'll even move

over and share the davenport, so

bring it on : ) !!

xx 

Suzanne

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Posted in memories , summer , words