We were married 55 years ago today.
Far Guy got the results of his DNA story.
England, Wales and Northwestern Europe 69 %
Germanic Europe 17 % ( Northwest Germany)
Norway 6 %
France 4 %
Ireland and Scotland 4 %
Northwestern Europe covers a large area: Ireland, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Northern Germany, Luxembourg, Northern France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, South Germany and Switzerland. Some of these peoples were Celtic and some were Vikings.
The Vikings part is a bit interesting. There is a Genetic connection to Far Guy. The Vikings were eating raw fish and sometimes the fish had worms that would make you ill. Over the years their bodies adapted and they developed a mutated gene…that gene is what causes Alpha One Antitrypsin Deficiency. That is the good news/ bad news, you won’t get worms but your liver will not produce a protein to protect your lungs.
Far Guy’s parents. They were both carriers for the bad gene, one was an M (normal) and and S (deficient gene), the other was M (normal) and Z (deficient gene). We do not know which is which. ( If all relatives would take the free test we might be able to figure it out…as of yet few have been tested.) Far Guy is a SZ (deficient), his sister is MM (normal) he got the bad genes and she got the good ones. A child gets one gene from their father and one from their mother…the luck of the draw. I am MM (Normal) so we knew right away that both of our daughters were carriers. Only one of our Grandchildren is a carrier….four escaped and one did not.
Far Side
I found an old Polaroid in one of the photo albums. It is dated January 1988.
This was taken in Far Guy’s parents back yard. The snow banks are as high as the clothesline. Our daughters when they were little loved to play on the huge snow banks. They would run outside as we were getting ready to leave to play in the snow. They would get snow in their boots and then complain they were freezing cold.
Far Guy’s Dad took this photo because it is a Polaroid and his Mom labeled it with the month and the year. They used to hire a local fellow to come in and push the snow around in their yard.
That clothesline was a hub of activity…it was there that Far Guy’s Mom put the harness on him and let him play outside when he was little…until he learned to unhook himself and go play at the neighbors… it was also where Muggy (a Chihuahua) got chained out, if you chain a dog to the clothes line they can run the length of it and bark!
Far Side
In October of 1990 Far Guy’s parents were married 50 years.
The gathering to celebrate their Golden Anniversary was held in what used to be a school/community center and now a vacation home for rent.
The fed each other cake.
And even shared a kiss for the camera.
Here they are with two of their three granddaughters. Trica was 18 years old ( in torquoise) and Jen was 15 years old (pink). Trica was incharge of serving the punch and Jen was incharge of the guest book.
Lunch and cake were served, many relatives, neighbors and old friends attended. It was a good celebration of 50 years.
Last summer my baby brothers best friend stopped by. It was good to see him! At one point he worked for Far Guy’s parents. I asked him if he had any old photos that he could share with us. A few weeks later I got them by email.
This was 1973 or 1974. In 1973 we were stationed in Florida so Far Guys parents had to hire some help.
Far Guy’s Dad ( Marvin) and Niles
Far Guy’s Mom (Evelyn)
Marvin
We were thrilled to see these old photos of the family business. If you want to read more about our Midway Memories Here is a link to the first story in the series.
Far Guy’s parents sold the two digger trailers with 28 machines to Marty Frey in 1977.
They retired. We had a get together for them out at Vacationaire. It was a surprise.
Marvin, Evelyn, Marie and Ernest (Evelyn’s sister and brother in law.)
Uncle Jimmy decorated one of the old digger cabs with silver dollars and a sign.
Evelyn’s brother Uncle Willard at the end of the table.
Far Guy’s parents enjoyed their retirement. We took many summer vacations with them to Canada and to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. They took a Canadian Railroad trip with Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Esther. They went to Alaska. Marvin loved to plan trips and look at his collection of maps, he fished and spoiled his granddaughters. Evelyn sewed, cooked and took care of her aging Mother. Eventually they sold their motorhome and bought a smaller one that just sat in the yard. Marvin loved to travel…Evelyn not so much.
The diggers that Marty bought were used for a few years ( he raised the price to a quarter) then he sold them off one by one. One of Marty’s daughters (Jackie I think) married into the Buxton family in Austin Minnesota. One digger cabinet was donated and is on exhibit in Owatonna Minnesota in their small museum on the fairgrounds.
We were able to purchase one digger from the Buxton family for $600.
Far Guy worked many hours to restore it to its former glory.
Restored
A few winters ago photos were collected and the digger stories and history were gathered together. Far Guy made two scrapbooks, one to accompany each digger we have, so the history will never be lost. Eventually both of our girls will have a digger as a reminder that a long time ago their relatives made their living one dime at a time.
Far Guy says that he is sad to see this Wednesday feature about carnival life, the Erie Diggers and his family come to an end. He has itchy feet…sawdust in his blood…and loves to walk a midway and let all the old memories, sights and smells flood back….I think it makes him feel young again.
Trica playing the diggers. We would hold her up so she could turn the crank until she got tired and we did too then we would put her on the babysitter (Merry Go Round).
This week whislt looking for something else I found some old World War II Ration Books. I thought they were interesting and wondered what they were for. I did a little research that made me thankful for food in the pantry and in the freezer.
When times are tough, Americans have proved that they can do without.
Book Number One was known as the “sugar book.” Sugar was the first thing to be rationed in May of 1942. You were allowed 12 ounces per week per person. ( 1 1/2 cups) Most cookie recipes call for more sugar than that.
In the sugar book were also coupons for coffee and one for one pair of shoes.
In this book that Far Guy’s Dad saved were three coupons left all for coffee. Stamps 19-28 were for one pound of coffee a week, Number 17 was for one pair of shoes good from June 16 –Oct 31 1943. The rest were sugar coupons.
There was a local tire board, if you needed a tire you had to go ask to purchase one. Gasoline was rationed, you were allowed 3 or 4 gallons a week. Car sales were stopped, then typewriters and bicycles…factories went into War Production. The war effort needed typewriters because that was their way of communication.
In 1942 and 1943 things would get worse, many more items were rationed, coal and heating fuel, nylons, cooking oils, meat and all canned or bottled foods. Babies were allowed milk products but they had to have a ration booklet.
You had to apply for a ration booklet and it would be mailed to you. The newspapers published times and date of which coupons were good and when. You had to keep all the coupons in the booklet until paying for items…no lose coupons were allowed. The Office of Price Administration had many rules.
These stamps are from Ration Book Three. These booklets were issued in September of 1943. There were eight pages of stamps, four for meat and four for clothing. The clothing stamps never went into effect but they could be used for shoes. These were point stamps and they were decorated with Guns, Tanks, Aircraft Carriers and Planes.
You were encouraged to have a Victory Garden, do home canning and not to waste even one ounce of food. There could be no lasting peace in a hungry world.
“If you don’t need it don’t buy it.”
You could take your waste kitchen fats and grease to a butcher shop and they would pay you 4 cents a pound. It was recycled into explosives! If you wanted toothpaste you had to turn in your old metal tube. The National speed limit during the war years was 35 mph, it saved on gas and tires. Every piece of scrap metal and scrap rubber was recycled.
Rationing came about because asking people to use less didn’t work. Hoarding and price gouging were avoided and every person got their fair share.
The fair share was not much 48 points a month would get you two cans of pineapple or four cans of spinach.
Women that were home canners could apply for extra sugar.
I know that farmers fared better than most people, they could have larger gardens, and raise their own meat..and with some luck a goat or a milk cow and of course chickens for eggs.
Rationing ended in 1946.
Far Guys Dad had a custom built camper built sometime before 1966.
It was a 1964 GMC chassis and it was custom built in Park Rapids Minnesota.
That is Far Guy’s sister in the photo. The camper pulled the big joint and the car a black 1963 Imperial pulled the small joint.
The camper was cozy and could sleep six people. It had a shower/toilet…after you showered you had to wipe down the walls. The sink was just outside the bathroom. The kitchen also had a sink, stove and a refrigerator that ran on electricity or propane. In the spot above the cab was a full size mattress with extra room at the foot of the bed, that spot filled with pillows made a great spot for two little girls to sleep on in later years on family vacations.
Far Guy’s Dad standing in the doorway, the photo was taken from the edge of the loft.
Far Guy’s Mom her hair in rollers and in her nightgown sitting at the table that folded down into a bed. I think Far Guy’s sister is hiding in the bathroom area. Note two lights, the round one with the chain was battery operated. The radio on the table was on most all the time. There was a small television…when there was good reception with rabitt ears Far Guy’s Mom would go inside everyday at 2PM to watch General Hospital.
Both of the color photos are from Bonnie and Wayne. Most likely Uncle Jim took these photos.
The very best thing about the camper, it had air conditioning and on hot summer nights we really appreciated the cool air!
The diggers required some maintainence. Sometimes one would go all funky and drag the shovel back dragging along the prizes. Sometimes a chain would break. We had an out of order sign but it was rarely used. There was also one extra machine ( cab and mechanism) that was kept under the counter just in case. My Father In Law and Far Guy were the fixers of the machines. When you are making money ten cents at a time you wanted all of the machines to work. Especially if you had a “tip.” A tip is when all your machines are being played at once. Being that busy for an extended period of time was a good thing. It was fun being busy! People would tap their dime or quarter on the top of the machine, you would grab the dime or make change and turn the machine on. There was a lever that turned the machine on. You could usually hear it click and then it was ready to play. Prizes were scooped up and then brought back to the chute, sometimes they would get hung up and need assistance…the glass tabletop lighters we tried to catch them before they were dropped into the chute. No sense in breaking a lighter and cleaning up a mess.
During slow times we would get out of the trailer and play the machines ourselves…I got pretty good at it!
Far Guy writes:
This photo shows how the machines were set up in the trailers. In the photo above you can see the aluminum trim on the diggers. Dads main intent was to cover the hole in front where the coin slot was. Connie usually worked with Dad in the big joint. Mom and I usually worked the little joint. There was a reason for that! Dad and I talked to the customers all the time, we kept things interesting, joked with the people and would call attention to players when they scooped up a prize. It didn’t make much sense to put two talkers in one joint. When Connie and I worked together I didn’t pay as much attention to the customers.
Far Side writes: During the winter at the house in Park Rapids, all the digger mechanisms would come into the basement and get cleaned with kerosene. Fairgrounds are dusty places. One by one they were inspected. The work bench in the basement was busy during the winter. In later years, a machine was purchased at a Antique Shop in Duluth Minnesota. I believe it was $250. (We heard one was there and went to look at it several times before his Dad bought it.) It was that machine that remained in the basement until they sold their home. (Far Guy’s Mom did not want a digger in her living room.) We have had it in our living room since about 1990 it was a gift for Far Guy’s birthday…and then it was upstairs in this house and now that machine belongs to our daughter Jennifer, she has it in her dining room. Far Guy fixes it on occassion and has showed them how to adjust it. It was that machine that Jennifer played when she was little. I will share part of a poem she wrote:
A stool I’d sit
For hours
Turning a crank
Playing an ancient machine
Prizes never gained Jennifer
You could get prizes out but they had to be returned to the machine! That was always the rule, you could play for free but what you won went back in the machine. A hard rule for some kids to follow, we have had to replace a few rabbits feet over the years.
This is an old newspaper photo from Algona Iowa. It shows how the prizes were laid out in the machines. See that light bulb? That was one thing you had to watch out for when replacing prizes!
Far Guy’s Dad was born in August. August 13 to be exact. He also died in August just 15 days after his birthday. He was eighty years old when he died. The funeral was the last day of August in 1994. He would have been 101 years old this year. The summer of 1994 was not an easy summer…two weddings and a funeral that summer. One of those summers that you never want to do over again.
Lets go back to August 13 1991 when Far Guy’s Dad was 77 years old.
Far Guy with his parents August 13, 1991. I took the photograph. The occasion was a birthday dinner out at The Y. That was his Dads thing to do. Go out for supper to celebrate…no one had to cook or clean up and if he could order fried potatoes he would!
We have a place called “The Y” on the edge of Park Rapids, they serve great steaks. The Y is still in business…Tim died last June, I never knew his real name was Archie…he was kinda retired and now his wife and son are in charge. Tim’s Dad served up steaks before Tim…so it has been a multi generational business. They will close up for the winter sometime in October…I am certain it has not been an easy year for their family. We haven’t been there since May for a steak…usually we both order Timothy’s Special… a sirloin…Far Guy gets mushrooms and I don’t. We probably ordered the same thing back in 1991. I am certain I did because once I find something I like…I am a repeat customer.
Far Guys parents look real good in this photo and Far Guy has some a little hair.
Trica was 5 years old and Jennifer was 1 1/2. These photos were taken in Park Rapids at Far Guy’s parents after church. I cannot remember if we had Easter Dinner there or out at my parents resort.
Back then I don’t think there was a sunrise service but 8 AM was early enough to go to church with two kids.
My Dad (age 50), my Mom (age 47) holding Jennifer, Jody my other baby brother(age 17), Trica and Julie Ann my sister ( age 11).
Obviously Jennifer did not want to have her photo taken, Julie Ann’s hair was messed up and the sun was blinding Trica.
In 1977 Easter Sunday was April 10th. My baby brother was away at school in Tulsa OK so that is why he isn’t in the photo.
Far Guy’s Mom and Dad ( both age 65) with Trica and her Easter basket.
Those big beautiful pines are long gone, ripped out when the new five lane highway came through town. Trica’s Easter Basket was probably hidden underneath the trees that Easter Sunday 38 years ago.
We had a house full of company. These are all polaroid photos taken with Marvin’s camera.
Jennifer (10) Janice (Far Guy’s sister), Trica (13), Bethany(3), Marvin and Evelyn (Far Guy’s parents they both would have been 71 that year) This is at our home in North Moorhead. That rocking chair and footstool were handed down to us by Far Guy’s Grandmother Tracie. It has since been upholstered and is upstairs. I still have that 1940’s coffee table but it is in the garage awaiting a new home. I still have the same crèche and nativity set. The tree looks like a real one!
Now Far Guy and Ronald have joined the girls.
Poor Ronald, we gave him and Janice our waterbed to sleep in….they didn’t sleep a wink.
This was the only year that I recall that Far Guy’s family came to our home for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
Now I finally got in the photo! I cooked a lovely meal…got out the China and the special goblets. Far Guy used to collect coffee cups…and I used to collect Depression Glass…you can see cups and plates on the plate rail. I served supper after Christmas Eve service at Our Redeemer in Moorhead Minnesota…one of the best church homes we ever had.
Christmas 1985 was a sad Christmas for us. My Dad had just been diagnosed with Bladder Cancer and we were not certain if he would live or die. He is a Cancer Survivor for 29 years now…going on 30. Christmas Day in the afternoon we packed up and went to my parents home at the lake.
I feel very sorry for anyone going through a health crisis during the Christmas Holidays. I recall the carolers all dressed in their finery singing up and down the hospital halls just before Christmas that year. I wondered at the time…how can they sing such joyful songs…it all seemed so foreign to me…my emotions were raw….and I was a tad angry. Of course Christmas is a time for hope and joy…and in retrospect I should have been more hopeful and joyful too because no matter what our Savior was born.
