Happy Birthday, 1949-style

I was digging through some boxes today and came across a birthday card sent to my grandmother from her aunt in 1949!


Only 3 cents postage!  The postmark is from Klamath Falls, Oreg, November 7, 1949.  My grandfather was stationed at MCRD Paris Island at the time.



It's a pop-up card, which doesn't really translate too well when squished flat on a scanner.

A few assorted old photos

My grandfather in uniform.  I can't see any rank insignia, so he's probably a Private, which would have been 1946 or 47, I think.  This photo was probably taken in South Carolina (he went through boot camp at MCRD Paris Island), North Carolina (after boot camp he was stationed at Camp Lejeune), or Florida (his mother lived in Jacksonville).  I tried Googleing the Gardner Hotel Supply Co, but couldn't find anything relevant.


Camels!  I also tried doing a Google Image search to see if I could find this ad, but it was like searching for a cigarette butt in a haystack.



Judging by the Nerf Indoor Golf set that I'd received for Christmas, this was probably from 1986.  No wonder I'm good at putting, even though I suck at everything else in golf.



A photo I took of Yosemite Valley, some time around December 1986 or January 1987.  I'm amazed that I managed to find this picture, I thought it was lost long ago.  Not a bad shot considering the weather, and the fact that I was only 13 at the time.

This photo was probably taken from Tunnel View on Wawona Road.  You can see El Capitan on the left and Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall on the right; it's winter, so the falls are barely a trickle.  Half Dome would be just to the left behind Sentinel Dome in the center but is completely obscured by fog.  Yosemite Falls isn't visible from this vantage point.

My Great-Great-Grandmother's glasses!

I'd seen these before, but it was only today that I figured out what their significance was.  These originally belonged to my Grandfather's Grandmother, Leila Grubbs!  I have a photo of her wearing them!



The frames are 1/10 12K gold filled with mother of pearl nose pieces.  The manufacturer's mark is LoC, though I can't figure out what company that is supposed to be, possibly Liberty Optical Company.


This was folded up inside the case.  Love the 5 digit phone number.

Dr. Stephen P. Hill was apparently a member of the Florida State Board of Optometry from at least 1923 until 1933.

A letter from my Great-Great-Aunt Jean to my Grandmother, March 29, 1960

Pretty banal, really.  This letter was sent 11 years after the birthday card in an earlier post, yet the postage had only gone up a single penny.  My grandparents had that same post office box until 2006!  The return address is General Delivery, Atlanta, Texas.