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,