Nana and Grandpa Boyce my sister just sent this and the next two to me, I had never even seen them.. they made me cry
Dad, Aunt Mickie and friend
Henry, Mickie, Sophie and Dad
I enjoyed playing with my hula hoop, although I never really mastered the thing, but I did like the game ball and jax and I had some pretty marbles, but never knew quite what to do with them. Even back then it seems I had a desire for making jewelry, as I would think to myself, if I could only get a hole in those marbles they could be strung and make a nice necklace. I did like to jump rope and play hopscotch, but I only ever did that in Tarrytown, as the roads in the country weren't paved, and i had no one to jump rope with but myself at the lake! I loved playing Old Maid with Nana and Go Fish when I was younger and I would walk down to the end of the lane and we would sit out on the patio and have milk and cookies or kool aid and play cards together.
One time I went up to a barn at the end of our lane and went inside. It was dark even though the day outside was sunny and I could smell the aroma of soured hay. I ventured further in to the barn and all of a sudden out of the darkness came a flurry of wings in my direction. I jumped like a rabbit trying to see what was coming at me and realized they were bats!!! It scared me half to death and I ran all the way home and told my mother. She was in a panic telling me that if bats ever got caught in my hair they would make a nest! Yikes!! I obviously NEVER went back to that barn again. Who knew that years later we would end up having bats in the attic of a house we lived in, what a dramatic time getting them out, We also would refurbish barns to live in years later. A labor of love our whole family was part of.
Our barns in Pough- keepsie NY before recon- struction
From dilapidated old barns to a home! Lots of work and love. Mark pictured here was so instrumental in the completion of this place. All the children spent many many hours and years accomplishing this what a some times seemed never ending task.
But, back to Peach Lake.....
Grandpa Boyce and Me
Nana, Dad and Me
My Grandparents on my Father’s side had a bungalow at the end of the canal with a large porch. Nana was an amazing woman who had come to the United States from Sweden on a boat as a young girl by herself, and lived with Elsie and Ackey, who were either relatives or friends, I don’t know, but they were like family. They lived near the Connecticut shore, and Elsie had done catering. I so enjoyed our visits there as they had a pretty flower arbor in the backyard with the most fragrant roses on trellises, and a swing I just loved being on. When the adults were inside, I had the whole garden to myself to daydream and swing. I have loved swings my whole life, and when I became older we had one in our house. It was the place I would go to find solace and to talk with the Lord. Ackey was a bird watcher and so they had somehow gotten some neat birds to come to their garden. They had hummingbirds and some other colorful birds. I was allowed to use Ackey’s binoculars in the backyard and observing the hummingbird’s close-up drinking out of the bird feeder they had set up. It was a delight to me.
I also loved going to the shore with them. One time we had a picnic there and I saw a woman who was pregnant and I asked my father why her stomach was so big, and he told me it was because she had eaten too many watermelon seeds. After that encounter, I was sure to spit out all my seeds when having watermelon! Another time we had a picnic at a covered area and I wanted to go walk out at low tide with my father on the beach. My mother suggested I wear my little rubber shoes, but Dad said I would be okay. Well, we had not bargained for the tiny biting crabs that come out at low tide. And, I got bitten to pieces. My father had to carry me back crying and telling him I would never go to the water again without my rubber slippers!
One time when we were visiting, Elsie taught my mother how to make fancy carrot curls and flower radishes. My mother loved to cook and to make things look so special. My Grandmother had learned how to do fine catering from them. “Nana”, as we called her was an excellent cook and she had a gift of being able to prepare for crowds of people. She made it look so simple, a trait I believe I got from her. My sister too, as she would have the whole family for Christmas almost every year and made it look so simple. She worked full time as a teacher, and raised my two nephews and she was the one along with my mother who kept the family ties together. Thank you Gwen for doing that. You are loved! Now it's been passed down to the children.
Christ -mas at Tom and Gwen's
Bart, Aunt Joyce with Uncle Chuck & me in back ground at Tom and Gwen's
At Tom and Gwen's
Christ- mas in Pough- keepsie
At Grandpa and Grandma Nickels, Cousin Bruce, Gwen and Me
Carmen's for Christ- mas, cousin Donna, Bobbie, Greg and Gary
Happy first birthday Chip with Fred, and Tommy, I am pregnant with Todd
Uncle Tom with Chip Easter vacation in Florida
Grandpa and Grandma Trexler
Bobbie and Greg's wedding
Gwen, Tom, Tommy in forefront, Chip on someone's lap, and Greg with me
Bobbie and me Christ- mas Day
With Carmen, Bart's sister and Mark on our wedding day
at Carmen's, Bart's sister
July 4th weekend Tarry- town Hudson River Beach North Tarry- town with Dad and Mom's friends (like family) and Chip on my lap
July4th parade in Tarry- town with Nani, Popa (Fred's parents, Gwen, Tommy with me in fore- front
Trexler Family Reunion Lancaster, PA Willow Valley Resort with Brittany and me
Trexler Family Reunion at Hershey PA
Friends
and Birthday parties with Bethany!
Good friend Carol
my babygirl Willette and Joe
super high school friends Chris and Roger
The Vail's being honored at our church Hrt2Hrt
Tom and Gwen's Christ- mas
My friend Lynne wearing necklace Joe made
Reeeeeg and Vanessa from Cali- fornia
Jer Deloach, Chuck and Leigh and Sharon Harper at JoAnn and Jerry's
sweet Karen from Alaska
Lynne with Angela
my precious Sandy she says we've known each other since "dirt"!
my Miss Maryanne at a weekend getaway in Pigeon Forge, TN with JoAnn too!!
Joe and Rick at the Parrott's
My new friend Lynne who purchased Chanel
Tony and Lynne wearing the Bismuth necklace Joe made
Joe and Beth praying for Rochelle
Busch Gardens
Clear- water Beach
Joe flirting with Minnie!
In the Smokies
with Gidget in Iowa with Joe
In Gatlin- burg at Fudge Shop
July 4th parade in Musca- tine, Iowa
Joe and Reggie in Kansas
Joe and Me in Kansas
JoAnn meeting Joe and Gidget and me in Kansas .. we went to IHOP too!
in our cabin in Branson, Missouri
In Iowa in our favorite Chinese restaurant
Patti's settl= ement Ken- tucky
with Caroline Joe's sister and John her husband in Iowa
with Jessica and Scott
Rose and Jessica
my Joe
Joe leading orphans in a dance to the Lord in India
plotting the course at shell factory in Fort Myers
at Gaylord's Nash- ville, TN
at JoAnn's with Chanel
with Chip family cruise
In Iowa
My Kate, Michelle and bff JoAnn
my dear friend Regis with son Bubba
my sweet Heather
With my Bethany and Jude
My Kate and My JoAnn
sweet Sally and Me in Arizona
me with my dear Sandy
missing my friends Maryann, Caroline, JoAnn
Diamond's "coming out" party! with Mama Rochelle!
Tina's surprise birthday at my home in SC
My daughter Keri with Jeshua and Zach
my best friend forever Connie
my Godchild Heather and Joe
sweet Kate and Sally
my mooofassa sonshine gal!
The winners!!
Jeshua and Todd
Fred and Todd with a BIG fish!!
Master Filet er!
Joe with his brother Charles
Jaimie and Me
Jaimie and Me
precious Michelle
Outside Charles- ton House of Prayer with JoAnn
Sandy and JoAnn
Keri, Kate and Gidget
Karen, Bobbie and Maryann
Bobbie and Greg Trexler grad- uation with Carmen and Donna
at Catskill Game Farm with one of my favorite people in the world Elaine Cooney, who had been my babysitter.. she had six children.. shown with Susan, Maureen and Frankie and me. ..
William- sburg, Va with Chip
Judi and Keri at Christmas
Mark on fishing trip weekend with Bart and Frank Mal- grande
with Gwen, Susan, Maureen, Shannon and me
Todd, Keri and Chip at Sylvan Lake
Lake Ticon- deroga with the children
Drea's Christening at Jupiter Bch, FL Todd, CJ, Amber, Chip, Tommy, Bart, me, Jay and of course, Drea!
Maree and Jack from NZ dear inter- net friend and her husband
at Todd's with Mom giving away her treasures from her sold condo
Family get togethers
Impro- mptu weekend get together at Inner Harbor, Maryland with Keri, Marty and Jeshua and Zach
Friends like family Beth and Jessica Vail and Gidget #1
my precious Julie
My Beth and Jessica
my Julie and Kate at JoAnn's
My Karen, Cheryl and JoAnn
with my Steve Vail
Good friends
with my Jocelyn
friends with my Willette and JoAnn at MaryAnne's
with my Jax and Chris in Colorado
Tony and Lynne Barletta such a dear couple
My precious friend from NZ Maree
Kuzia's Donna, Mark and Elijah good friends
friends of Bart out to dinner just before his death
The Stoep- pler's good friends
Birthday with Bart, Jerry and Joann and other friends
Me with my childhood friend Annette
My family in sorrow at Bart's memorial service.. thanks Bob for taking this one
Rhode Island light house on way to Misquam- icut with Chip and Todd
At Hershey with my children
With our church Heart To Heart Family
Brandon, Drea, Zach and Me
Out to dinner to meet Joe's daughter and her friends
Jeshua and Zach Pumpkin Patchin'
Bart and Rhiannon
Suzanne, Gwen, Mom and Todd at Cheese- cake Factory West Palm Beach, FL
Out to dinner Chip, precious Brandon, Gwen and Me in picture .. thanks Bob for taking this one!
My precious girls CJ, Jamie, and Keri
Mini reunion with Joe's family in Iowa
Treas- ured moments Joe, Chip, Jamie and Me
My babies all grown up Chip, Todd and Mark
Mark, Chip, Todd and friend
"NOOOOOOOO Drea.. not ALLLLLLL the gifts are for YOU.. these are for Paige"!!!
Christ- mas at Todd's
Christ- mas time with Chip and Jamie
Christ- mas at Todd's Bob, Gwen, Jackie and Tommy
Happy me with Logan and Drea!
In Iowa with Joe's Family .. his sister Caroline and brother in law John
Todd and CJ's with Tommy
Awwww I made this years ago.. so glad CJ and Todd now have it ..
Me and my honey Joe at Todd's for Christ- mas
Christ- mas time 2010 at Bob and Gwen's for dinner with Joe my sweetie
at Todd's Chris- tmas 2010
Out to dinner Easter- time 2003 in FL just before Cruise with my Mom
Chip and Todd with Bart
Colin and me out to dinner what a cool kid!
Mom and Todd
Chip and Brandon at our hotel at Easter 2003
Family times together CJ and Drea
Paige.. what a cutie!
Julie girls night out!
Fred face painting Drea
Fred and Julie
New Life.. CJ, Julie, Paige and Drea
Jeshua, Zach, Paige, CJ and Drea at Seaworld
Paige's Birthday
Keri playing peek -aboo with Drea
Easter Sunrise with Joe and Brandon
Family times at Fred and Julie's great fun for all!
Kids jusst gotta have fun
Family and friends at Fred and Julie's
Joe Gidget and Me at our own service with Chip and Jamie Easter Sunday Morn
Chip and Jamie at Concert
Together for Dad's funeral
At Tommy and Jackie's for Chris- tmas
out to dinner with Court- land, Stephie, Kaylin and Shaina with Grandma Boyce SC
Stephie and Shaina
Tommy, Fred and Todd fishing
Baby Showers
Christmas at Keri's
Birthday Parties
Easter Sunday
Family fun in Florida
Jamie and Me
Easter Mardis Gras with Rose and friends
at Universal Studios Easter
Thanks- giving 2010 at Todd and CJ's .. Chip and Tommy . . Colin and Todd in background
Bob leading Thanks-
giving prayer at Todd's
Todd carving the Turkey with a story! LOL
Todd wanted to do some- thing special for Thanks-giving by having a fresh killed turkey. He ordered it, and when he went to pick it up the bird was still alive.. they just sold them, but not killed and dressed, so he had to take this live turkey to his friends house and leave it there roaming free until he could drive home. When they picked up the bird, was a flurry and had pooped every- where. Yikes!! I guess it was quite a mess for Todd's friend to have to clean up and Todd still had the gruesome task of having to kill this bird. His sister and brother came to help and I guess they got the job done.. poor Todd.. he so wanted to make things special.. what trauma.. huh? I must admit, I didn't have any of that turkey.. I tried, but it just wouldn't go down.. Todd has a heart of gold.
Bart used to pick out some- thing special for each one of the children after all the gifts were opened it was so neat and the children loved it.. Todd has his own special trad- ition. He has picked out a special stuffed bear each Christ- mas for Paige and Snow- globes for Drea. They can play with them while the tree is up and then they go up to the attic to be brought down Christ- mas Eve year after year. Paige has an adorable collec- tion of bears. .what a unique and thought- ful idea!
My house Thanks- giving with Chip's family
Peanut at my home in Pough- keepsie
Family together in good times and bad times .. that is what it is all about..
Good times to rem-
ember
Peach Lake Memories is a 15 Chapter book with vignettes about my childhood memories. It is copyrighted. Please ask for permission before using any information in my book. Thank you .. donnatrex@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment