My Iowa Farm Family's most important motor vehicle was a tractor. Pictured here is the all grown up little boy from the 1938 photo giving me a ride on the family's tractor from the same time period. They take great pride in their vintage tractors and are still used today in parades and Tractor Shows. My Uncle is standing next to my Mother, the youngest of the five children in the Family Portrait by Car.
Another Uncle, this one many miles from the Iowa kin. He is one of those long, tall Texas guys who all of his life loved cars and trucks.
He was a fixer of motors and a tool guy with a knack at fixing just about any thing mechanical.
Those mechanical skills served him well from 1942- 1945 as an Aviation Engineer in the US Army.
He did tours in French Haven New Guinea, Luzon Phillipines, and Tokyo, Japan. Was awarded 3 Bronze Stars, World War II Victory Medal, and several other Wartime Medals.
As seen in this photo, he had a special appreciation for older model cars. I don't know if he ever had a brand new car. However, like his brother, my Dad, driving a new car was not affordable and their passel of kids would not fit in a fancy new sports car.
So it was older model big cars they drove. My Dad's favorite...
A Pink Cadillac with a trunk bigger than Dallas...we say that in Texas when it's something really big...and room for his kids, their cousins and the whole neighborhood. That's my cute sister in front of cousins modeling the latest in girls bathing suits in 1962. Lucky for her she was not modeling her underwear and saved from an embarrassing photo to come out of our Mother's Shoebox Album.
He was a fixer of motors and a tool guy with a knack at fixing just about any thing mechanical.
Those mechanical skills served him well from 1942- 1945 as an Aviation Engineer in the US Army.
He did tours in French Haven New Guinea, Luzon Phillipines, and Tokyo, Japan. Was awarded 3 Bronze Stars, World War II Victory Medal, and several other Wartime Medals.
As seen in this photo, he had a special appreciation for older model cars. I don't know if he ever had a brand new car. However, like his brother, my Dad, driving a new car was not affordable and their passel of kids would not fit in a fancy new sports car.
So it was older model big cars they drove. My Dad's favorite...
At least I was wearing clean 'Big Girl' panties.
Terrific vintage cars.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan. I've always loved vintage cars, so it was fun finding these family photos to share.
DeleteSue, those are wonderful family pictures. Yes we have many around our old cars too. But then my Dad loved his cars. I am sure the picture of you was on a hot summer day...a classic.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ann. So nice to hear from you. I just bet you have a treasure trove on family pics with cars. Yes, let's go with that...a hot summer day.
DeleteWe seem to have Iowa and Texas in common. Underwear is fashionable on a hot Texas day!
ReplyDeleteI noticed that too, Kathy. I was born in Iowa, but thanks to my Texas raised father, we got back to Texas asap...he was in the Navy. You know, I think you are right...these days most summer wear pretty much looks like underwear...especially swimsuits. Although, mine covers more now than the big girl panties did back then.
DeleteLove the pic of you. My dad can tell the years by the cars in the background. He liked them - we would just run into the picture. Ha!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love that you shared this post with your Dad. I bet he did know about everyone...even with the family standing in front. Well, except for the half naked little girl...LOL!
DeleteThese are prize winners for sure! Your grandparents and children is a real gem. It conveys so much about the time and the family. Your last photo reminds me of the little girl in the classic advertisement for Coopertone suntan cream.
ReplyDeleteYes, the 1938 photo is a family treasure for sure. LOL...that would have been even more embarrassing...exposing more than what the big girl panties covered.
DeleteThank goodness the undies photo is an old one, not a current one ;)
ReplyDeleteFor sure...these days, I would have been arrested.
DeleteI have embarrassing photos too, but I'm always fully clothed.
ReplyDeleteI should hope so, especially since it's a bit cooler/colder in your neck of the woods. I'm not sure what happened to the cute sundress I should have had on. Likely my Mother was aghast at finding me playing in the dirt in the dress she just made. I know you know about that scenario!
DeleteGreat, fun, pix of family standing by autos and farm equipment! Nice show.
ReplyDeleteThanks, it's been fun finding the photos to match the prompts, and a great way to be able to use them to tell their story. I'm fortunate to have so many...thanks to my mother and great grandmother.
DeleteIt's amazing that mechanically inclined men were (and still are) able to work on so many things with motors...and the whole industry just boomed in the 20th century. Now with all the computer things under the hood, it must mean mechanics have to know some computer language as well!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about mechanics having to keep up with the changes brought about by technology, but I guess that's been going on since the conception of motors...always changing and progressing with the times.
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