Let's begin with the story of how I got this picture. We can thank Grampa's (Bob Mateske) 90th birthday open house for that. While cleaning out the old garage to make room for the stuff cleaned out of the new garage, Mom (Carol/Tootie Mateske/Dolan) found this picture just lying there in a box of stuff. It made it into the house, then to my scanner, and now to JD's Jottings.
The when and where is easy. The who is a wee bit challenging. It's April 1958. That's obvious. It's at the southwest corner of 286 E. Montello Street, Grampa and Granny's house (Edwin and Clara Schultz) where we now live. That's easy, as is most of the people. Grampa and Gramma Mateske (Ed and Minnie) join the other grandparents and the young Mateske family (Bob, Delores, Bobby and Carol/Tootie). That may George and Viola Duesterheoft on the ends right, and the other guy with arms folded might be a Zuehls.
Okay, what other fun things do I see?
1) Bob Sr. looks distracted, like something's happening in Borkoski's back yard.
2) Delores is looking lovely, the 29 year old Mom.
3) Bobby has a nice, Kodak moment smile.
4) Grampa Schultz is posing as usual sporting a polka-dot shirt.
5) Tootie missed the click of the camera talking to Granny.
6) Grampa Mateske looks short. Must be standing in the flowerbed, not on sidewalk.
7) Gramma Minnie looks nice in her dress with a broach.
8) George Duesterhoef is lookin' good with the swell 1940-50s tie.
I see more. Look at the background.
1) The tall skinny tree in the from across the street. Long gone.
2) The windows - still in place in 2016, but soon to be replaced.
3) The fan trellis with the trumpet vines that still grow up there today.
4) The propane tanks on the wall for the kitchen. They were still in garage in 2015.
5) The fancy old table by the back door. Wonder where that is.
6) And ... my favorite - the little "leave a note" box by door. (Found that in the shed.)
That's what I see. What do you see? Or try this. If this were in color, what colors do you see, like Grampa's polka-dot shirt and the ladies dresses or the tie.
I know - I'm strange. But I like pictures like this and I enjoy looking at them and thinking about them, and .... listening to the voices and what they all might have been saying. Maybe it's just me, but that's fun! There's a lot in a picture.
