Maria Clews
   My great grandmother.  When I got a copy of this photo it was horribly scratched and pitted.  Joe taught me how to digitally restore photos and it took me hours to get this photo cleaned up.  Working on it I concentrated hard on small areas and didn't see the whole photo until the last view and when I saw her face completed, I gasped.  I see myself in that face, especially the eyes.  I'd love to know her real story.  I've been told she was deported to Australia because she was an unwed mother and that she never married, but I've seen conflict to that story.  One day I'll find out more and add to this.

Mabel Rixon and her sister
   Finally found this photo with a great pile of other photos and am so delighted to see it again.  My grandmother and her sister as teenagers.  Notice the purse and the watch on the wrist.  I couldn't help thinking the first time I saw them, "their in style today"  How fun to see the past and realize the life those two must have had.

I should look up the date of this one.  William Charles Bell & Mable Rixon Wedding photo.  The flowers in the bouquet are what catch my attention, an amazing display.  That photo must have been expensive for it's day, but well worth it. 

Mable Rixon Bell
    I was told this was taken before she was married.  Glorious hat.  Aunt Gwen told me in her later life she had to have one of her ovaries taken, she thought maybe cancer.  But the doctor's told her that she would never be able to have girl babys because the ovary they took only produced girls.  Imagine their surpise when she had two more daughter. Audry and Marie.
Oh, there's more

William Charles & Mable Rixon Bell
  My Grandparents from Australia.  I was cleaning the old office into the new office and found this old photos,  There's a few more, and I'll add them later and I get them scan, cleaned up and ready. (Thanks Joe for teaching me how to hide scratches in photos).  Maybe as I'll clean more, I'll find more of their story.  Don't know if I can gather all the bits & pieces I heard to make a co-adhesive story. He was a milk man at one time. She died of cancer. Aunt Gwen once told me "Oh who knows what killed her, it was 1948 and out-back Australia.  I have a photo of the family in front of their house that want on pilings because when it rains in Australia, it REALLY rains..  The photo show the house 5 or 6 feet off the ground, but mother said she remembered opening at trap door in the floor to get a bucket of water.  Thank goodness for the edit mode. 

Larson Loonie Byne

Del McCorey sings this, but I live it.

I’D LOVE TO DO SOME LIVING

Well, it was quite a party; it was really getting started,

But I thought it smart to say my adios.

As good as I was feeling then, I knew the time was closing in

When I would hear that lonesome whistle blow

I’d love join with everybody howling at the moon,

But Monday morning rolls around; I’m singing a different tune.

I’d love to do some living but my life gets in the way,

For a little bit of heaven there would sure be hell to pay

And I’d spend all tomorrow feeling yesterday. Hey,

I’d love to do some living but my life gets in the way

Well it wasn’t all that long ago, when I’d have been the last to go

But now you know that I’m the first to pay.

Tell me when did all the thrills turned into a stack of bill waiting on someone to get ‘em paid.

A pair of shoes, the rent is due, a car that needs new brakes

Living now, means, tell me how much of one you can make

Chorus

Sweet temptations got me at this fork here in the road.

My survival’s down, if I stay or if I go.

I’d love to do some living but my life gets in the way,

For a little bit of heaven there would sure be hell to pay

And I’d spend all tomorrow feeling yesterday.

Hey, I’d love to do some living but my life gets in the way.

 

This day nearly took my breath away.
Some 20 years ago Patsy & Gene (George) Sawhill became almost family.  I was teaching Patsy sewing and she invited me and my family to the Sawhill ranch, about 15 minutes south of Boulder.  It became our "get out of Dodge" place.  We've camped out there, roasted marshmallows and tennis shoes at the pond.  The kids rode horse, chased chickens and consider her, just one of us.  Last May we lost Gene after 2 years of accidents and broken back and several visits with my dulcimer to the nursing home he was in.  We were fortunate enough to be able to attend his funeral at the  Valmont Pioneer Cemetery.   You'd never know it was there if you didn't know someone in the area.  I was very saddened to see how badly kept the cemetery was and could not help but feel there was graves buried under the debris and overgrown bushes.   It took until today, and with a bunch of help, Josh Mount, from the ward, gathered up some people and tools and we all went up to the cemetery and for his Eagle Project, did a WHOLE bunch of cleaning.   Weeds, galore, dead trees, and we took down one of the three VERY overgrown lilac bushes. 

I stared at that stone several time, the R was not very clear in the morning light, thinking "this can't be" "I don't know any other Sharps in Colorado"  HELP.  I can find nothing on this man...so far, except his marker stone.  The Lord works in very mysterious way.
We were able to get several fallen headstones back up and found 6 more headstones that were buried in bushes and debris, but this takes the cake.
We got more we can do up there, anyone know a Scout needing an Eagle project?
But the Sharp marker will get better treatment!  Patsy and I intend on setting up things on that area, so they won't get buried again, and I now have a wonderful place that really needs the extra soil that I need to get out my backyard.  But I'm still "gobsmacked"  Will be for awhile, I can tell.