Woodman, Woodman, Spare that Tree!

And More...

Dad respected nature and loved new gadgets.

As his belongings were brought out in the open, out from the basement trunks and cigar boxes, I felt, as I often do, his very strong spirit.

He saved cartoons from the early 1900's. He cut them out neatly, flattened them and kept many in small stacks.  In the middle of one of these stacks of cartoons was a small folded paper from a magazine. I removed my blue protective "basement cleaning gloves" and carefully unfolded the paper.

On one side was a small part of an ad from Dillingham Manufacturing Co. Established in 1857, Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  Words "Sturdy, safe, convenient" were printed under a child's pencil scribbling.  On the other side was a poem, that Dad, no doubt enjoyed enough to keep in his neat little stack of cartoons. The Mag must have been Life, because the name "Life" was printed where the author's name is usually printed. So the author was probably one of Life Magazine's editors, not sure. In any case he or she would be delighted with our present digital world and delighted to know that there are so many people concerned about cutting down trees down today.

Here is the poem that was so neatly folded in with Dad's collection:

"Most Magazines are Made of Wood"

See the forest on these hills,
Destined for the paper-mills,
Pause amid these woodland scenes --
Here are future magazines.
There a sturdy giant falls:
That will be the new McCall's.
...
See that pine against the sky?
That is Harper's for July,
See that hemlock in the canyon?
That's the Women's Home Companion.
-- There's a fellow cutting spruce:
Let us ask him, for whose use.
What! It's for the Mercury?
Woodman, woodman, spare that tree!
                                          --- Life

Inauguration Day

Today I enjoyed the Washington DC festivities almost as much as if I was there!  And I WAS there once!  And oh how I loved hearing my mom laugh as she would tell others about my Inauguration experience.

Many years ago in between living in Asia and Brazil, I was home in the USA helping my dad and mom.  1969 was the busiest year my dad ever had.  When the inauguration day arrived that "excitement inner clock" of mine went off at 4:00, 4:00 AM.

Mom and Dad were sleeping and although I wanted to wake them and ask them if they wanted to drive to Washington DC, I knew they were exhausted and opted to write them a note that went something like this: "Mom and Dad, I happened to wake up very early and have decided to drive to DC to join in on the historical inauguration event.  I will phone you later."

I arrived in DC and found a great parking space close to where the parade was forming. Soon after I exited my car, dressed neatly in one of my spiffy hand tailored Hong Kong suits I walked by a few of the floats that were ready to roll. The driver of the Florida float chatted with me and explained that the girl that was to ride with him could not make it.  

Yup, you guessed what he asked me next..."Would you like to ride in the parade?"

Naturally I answered YES!  And soon found myself waving to thousands.

It is such a fun world...and THAT was SUCH a fun day!

Her Visitors, and oh How She Loved Opening Her Doors to Visitors

Around 1961 Lois introduced Frank Byrne to Mary Beth Rudden, who was living with Aunt Elizabeth. Frank had been working in Long Beach, California. Soon after they were married Mom drove cross country from NJ to CA with them.  We often joked that "Mom Mom Wimberg was a special part of their honeymoon"!

What a mom full of awe and what a wonderfully compassionate Byrne Family who we all love!

Recently another photo found was one i took of the kids while i went to help out when Mary Beth was in the hospital and Frank went to stay with her.  Will post that photo later.  The kids were playing with a gift I brought from Mexico '68 for my dad who loved UNUSUAL things.  It was a live bug, decorated with rhinestones. It lived in a little plastic cage and ate balsa wood.  My dad gave it a name, OLEY and took it around town and even to a few bars.  His Christmas Card that year of course included OLEY.  Will find a few pics later or ask Betty, Frank's sister, who I stayed with for about ten days or more during the time I was salvaging these photos after the hurricane!

Mary Beth, Frank and kids at the
Wimberg Homestead!

Her Sweater Salvaged from Sandy

Now, keep in mind, I was compelled to return to NJ to salvage history which might some day enrich the Wimberg Legacy, primarily to honor my mom and dad. But every day that has passed, convinces me that there IS A BOOK IN THIS BASEMENT!  Unlike our Wimberg Websters and their awesome family journals, mom and dad's stories are in the letters, prior to email, and photos, prior to digital.

But hey, there are other "COSAS" in this basement; things, stuff, Wimberg advertisements, treasures, or as the HOBBITS would say, MATHOMS. (spelling?)  Most, with historical value.

As the workmen with Aaron and crew from Chicago would say, "There are some cool old things down here, and you won't be able to find them at Walmart".

As the days got cold in November and one chore would lead to five more chores, I removed my shirt for one of those mathoms, MOM MOM'S OLD SWEATER!

There I am with my NEW-OLD SWEATER that has

pockets and incredibly great karma from Marion Wimberg!

(photo by Laura)

And...

There's my shirt (that I wore for five days straight) as I soaked photos in cold water , gingerly pulled them apart and listened to Hawaiian music. : )

There's a woven Tongan fan, (mathoms like THAT love salt water and will survive any storm),

Am wearing my blue protective gloves, (Tried several other gloves beforehand but couldn't perform detail work on photos so tips of fingers were getting tiny cuts and blisters. Thank you Don.)

There's that baby light in the background (...remember that?)

And of course, as in almost EVERY basement, the boiler and water heater! (Wouldn't it be great if someone designed functional items like that to be so beautiful they could all be placed upstairs in the
middle of the living spaces...ya know, like the fire place used to be! Then SANDY or any hurricane

that passed through wouldn't damage half as many!)

Above are the glorious pipes that I have come to love...sort of!

Her Love, Her Only, Her Everything

For richer or poorer...

In sickness or health,

And More...Her World in Seventy Four

There we are...one day of adventure was balanced with

 one day of rest for her while I had fun scouting and

planning the next day.

A few of these pics are with my old neighbors and friends who I had great fun reuniting with and Mom had great fun meeting for the first time.  The picnic is with Ferriel Choksi, one of my Hong Kong housemates from 1968. A few others are in Bali-Indonesia, Katmandu-Nepal, and Kabul-Afghanistan. There is The Besharet Family in Tehran, Iran and Trudy Thanner and family from Bayerischzell's Cafe Thanner where we were welcomed at the Stamtisch. Now THAT is a big deal. I HAD to take her to meet my Olympic MaMa Graf who I am sitting with in her cozy kitchen!  

Will do proper captions later maybe...or, once again, hahh, maybe not! (Haven't finished one quarter of the work that needs to be done before I head for Hawai'i to be with my Marion for Christmas...maybe!)

Mom Mom Brings Laughter Around the World!

Scrapbook from 1974

California, New Zealand, Sydney, Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, Calcutta, New Delhi, Katmandu, Afghanistan,Tehran, Istanbul, Lebanon, Germany...

Gilbert Brown was my boss in 1970.  He was the headmaster of Escola Americana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (Leblon, to be exact).  I was preparing to sign a contract to teach another year and hesitated to place my signature on the contract he handed me as I sat across from from him and his very large desk. He knew something was wrong and I told him I was concerned about my parents in New Jersey.  He took time to listen and then picked up his phone to call the USA. Yikes! The international phone calls from Brazil during that time were extremely expensive but he said, "Don't rush, take your time to find out more about their health." I heard the ringing tone, held my breath and both of them picked up at the same time but in different locations in the house. I heard their voices together for the first time and found myself saying "Am headed home," (which was one of Dr Brown's three options) and their tone of voice became joyful and heard my Dad say very softly, "Thank God".  Soon after I returned, during the next six months, my Dad's final six months of his earthly life, I had many conversations.  He really never mandated much of me at this stage of his life, but he did make me promise to take Mom around the world.  Because, by then, the world was sort of home to me, I'm sure I answered something like this..."No problem Dad".

Later...

Me -
"Mom, I promised Dad that I would take you around the world, maybe this is a good time to go."
Mom -
"How should we do it?"
Me -
"Well if Dad was here he would want your to go first class, maybe for a about a month, or we could go for longer if we roughed half the time and go for 3 months, or we could rough it all the time and go for 6 months."
Mom -
"Oh, let's rough it and go for six months!"

(hehe, yup, that' my Hungarian Mum!)

So here's a few pics from that trip:

Mom Mom Wimberg
and Carole in Nepal.

That was not just a photo op!
That was our only transportation from
the helicopter landing area to the famous
TIGER TOPS! 

Mom just loved the people of the Middle East
and was in awe of the ancient ruins. (Well she
was in awe with most of this wonderful world!)

She wanted to milk a cow! Okay Mom, your
famous words, "JUST DO IT" and so she DID!

These pages of her scrap book had water inside
the plastic, yup, ergo...
took photos of the wet photos, right through
the shiny, too glossy, old plastic that was a bit
discolored.  Hey, whatever works...remember
dudes, we are not looking for perfection here,
just preservation of a SUPER DUPER MOM.

I should go proof but don't feel like it so might post more tomorrow

on this scrapbook.