In 1953, Mom went to New York City. This is one of her pictures. She was 24 years old.
In 1966, I went to New York City. This is one of my pictures. I was 9 years old.
This week, 2013, Andrea went to New York City. This is one of her pictures. She’s 21 years old.
Wonderful market, renovated 3 years ago according to one of the clerks. Great deli counter, and the special that Saturday was Pulled BBQ Pork with cole slaw. Beer on tap, wine by the glass!
The Balch Hotel looks like it was remodeled several years ago. They are open Tuesday through Saturday. Bathroom across the hall.
The picture above is from the Tractor Pull. We only watched the first round, where the contestants take turns pulling a sledge loaded with kids. This fellow and his wife told us how he and his brother tend their acreage, running back and forth on their tractors like a square dance.
The view of Mt. Hood was spectacular.
We were asked by a neighbor lady about our interest in the church, and I explained my connection. She stopped and reported that the church had burned down several times, possibly after being struck by lightning. We asked when that was, and she was pretty sure it was several decades ago. According to the plaque above, it was rebuilt in 1947! The corner stone says it was built in 1894-1901.
First off, we were surprised at how busy the center of town seemed to be, but what do we know about small farming towns on a Summer Saturday. We eventually discovered we arrived just in time for the 43rd Threshing Bee!
I don’t think this is the same Post Office as in 1953, where Dad had Box 16. Dad told me that in one of the families that took him under their wing, the husband was a mail carrier with a rural route. Dad got to ride with him on occasion and learned the roads around the countryside. The mail boxes along the highway were so far from some of the farmhouses, the carrier would climb the telephone pole, clip on his phone handset, and call the people to let them know he’d just left a package in their box.
In 1953 / 54, Dad took a year out of Seminary and served the Methodist Church in Dufur, Oregon. For those of you unfamiliar with the more remote parts of Oregon, Dufur is about 15 miles south of The Dalles, due east of Mt. Hood. During this year, Dad courted Mom (or possibly the other way around, knowing Mom), she wrote to him almost twice a week from October to May, and they got engaged at Christmas time, getting married in Portland in August.
Despite her mild protests, Jane and I drove into Dufur last Saturday, and were pleasantly surprised! Over the next several days, I’ll share what we found.
For those of you who don’t follow my Photo Blog, you can check there this week for some additional photos from our Trip to Dufur! Click here to see those, starting with a view of Mt. Hood from Dufur.
A Family's Album 