I'm always so sad.....

Yes, I am so sad when I see "old" family pictures and correspondence sitting in a box at the local 2nd hand store. There are piles and piles of this kind of stuff at every antique store I've ever been to.



And check out the "guaranteed forever" promise on the cover of this little booklet of photos. As a scrapbooker, makes me wonder how things like this booklet full of photos survive. We are all so concerned about ACID FREE and LIGNIN FREE products these days and yet these are still beautiful black and whites - GUARANTEED FOREVER!






Maybe it's because I'm such a "saver" or maybe it's because I have very, very little historical family memorabilia. True, I have tons of my immediate family photos and I have EVERY SINGLE love note and card Phillip has every written me, but I'm talking about the proverbial steamer trunk or cedar hope chest full of generational documents.



I am so sad that somewhere out there, there is someone or someones, that these photos and photo albums that are now in my possession belong to. How amazing would it be to have a complete stranger find such objects of affection and find the means to return such a treasure to the appropriate relatives? Just the thought of that is, well, it's just euphoric!!!

About 10 years ago, I found an early Sunset (before it was a magazine? - I seem to recall it was from like the 1930's or 1903 or something) photo travel guide. The address label, although yellowed through the years, was still attached. Guess what? The address was the same one of the house a friend had JUST purchased! The very same address in the very same town. I was SO excited. I immediately called my friend and shared this wonderful news! I'm not sure if she kept the magazine or not, but I know I would have. I may have even framed it and hung it on the wall, but that's just me.



My latest find was in a stack of postcards at one of our local thrift stores. A few months back, Phillip and I were in L.A. on business and went to Pasadena to visit a friend. While sitting in traffic, as you always do on the L.A. freeways, I noticed a mountain - more like a hill? and it was named Eagle Rock for the eagle-shaped rock formation on it. I was mildly fascinated but thought no further about it. That was until I found this postcard. It is postmarked March 3, 1913 and has a postmark stamp that reads - World's Panama Pacific Exposition In San Francisco 1915.





It is addressed in pencil to a Mr. W.T. Downs Detroit, Michigan 773 Greenwood Avenue

The body of the greeting and the return address is written upside-down:

Hello Bill,

How is everything around the City. Lots of work here but no wages don't think I'll stay here only till April don't know yet where I'll go Geo. 723 W-7th St Los Angeles Cal.

See what I mean? What happened to George? Where did he go? What type of work was he looking for? Was he married? Alone?

I want to go to 723 W-7th St Los Angeles. Just drive by and see. Is there a house there? Or is it a high-rise office building? Was it a house in 1913? Or a boarding house, maybe?

I never liked history in school, but I'm finding it more fascinating as I grow up...I'm just loving this stuff!!!