Picture Thursday - Who the #$!@* is this?

Hello, friends and blogees.

As I mentioned on the acrochallenge blog, I've been doing a little something with pictures. I want to see if I can work something up for my folks for Christmas. May work, may not, worth a try. Anyway, I stole a couple handfuls of pictures from their house earlier in the week.

Now, as I also mentioned in that same blog, my family, well, my mom, really, has picture after picture of people that, well, we don't know who in the hell they are. Mom might, but I bet if I gave her a test (and that might be a fun Christmas activity) she'd get no more than 75%.

Part of this project I'm working on will also include current pictures and video of our family. I broke down and told my sister my idea, and asked when they'd all be home at the same time so I could get some photos. Tuesday was the night, so I headed over there, camera and Flip in tow. I got pictures and video of her, Brian, and Tay. Tay had plans, of course, which included going out to the movies to see some Dave Matthews 3-D concert film. He left wearing his plastic horn-rimmed 3-D glasses (from "Up"), and he looked adorable, of course.

I then produced from my cameras-toting bag the handfuls of pictures I'd stolen from my parents, took my sister into their den, and spread them out on the pool table. I held up a picture. "Who is this?" I asked. She looked. "Shit, I don't know." I said, "This is our mother's photo collection in a nutshell."

We then spent about a half-hour laughing till we cried over these photos. It went like this. I'd hold up a photo and say, "Who the fuck is this?" And we'd laugh and try to figure out. Doesn't sound like much, but it was a goldmine of fun.

I mean, really. Like - who the fuck is this?

























We didn't have the slightest idea. I decided it was a baby picture of Little Debbie, she of the cakes and pies.

And who the fuck is this?

























Couldn't tell you. I simply call her The Battle Axe, but she either works in a clothing store or is a coat-check girl. She also looks like someone got mad that she lost their coat, and they kicked her in the shin.

Hey, who the fuck is this?





















Again, no idea, but he's kind of cute. He could be in a rock band today. All the back of the photo says is "1975."

And who the fuck is this?

























We toyed with the idea that this could be my cousin Murray (now there's a story I could blog for days about), but the face isn't right. We ended up naming him Sad Hippie Boy, and the reason I included this picture - well, besides the great shirt - was that not only did Mom have the 5 x 7 of SHB, but a smaller version as well. Just in case she wanted to carry Sad Hippie Boy in her wallet, and she may well have for a while.

Who the fuck is this?

























Well, this is a cheat. My sister didn't know, but I did. This is Carol, married to my uncle for a while. It took me a while to realize these were her kids with her, they were younger than when I knew them, but man, look at the hair on Aunt Carol. That is some go to hell hair. Sad fact about this picture? I spent five minutes taking the red-eye out of one of her kids.

By the way, there is a most interesting thing about that picture. It actually has, on the back, pre-printed blue ink lines where the picture taker can write in the subject, date, event, etc. That is the greatest idea. Sadly, it was not taken advantage of.

All right. Who the fuck is this?

























Got me. Or us. Neither of us had a clue. Looks like it was taken in a photo booth, possibly. I like the glasses. Is she a relative? Friend? We couldn't even connect her to the most distant of family.

Who the fuck is this?
























It's some kids, that's for damn sure. This one really puzzled us, because it matches the genders and numbers of my Uncle Carl's kids. He had six kids, one boy. But his kids are all Mexican-looking (Aunt Maria is from Mexico), so that doesn't work. He may also not have had them all by 62, when the photo was taken. They look happy, though, so that's good enough for me.

And who the fuck is this?

























It's...it's.... Oh, hell, I don't know who the fuck it is. Nice couple. A little Joad-ish for my tastes, especially if you look at the background. I'm guessing this is Mom's side of the family, though I don't know why. It looks a little too citified for Dad's people.

And finally, I held up this one and said, "Who the fuck is this?"

























Well, that one got my sister, but she said with a quickness that will make me admire her forever, "I don't know, but I think it might be the big man that greets you when you enter the Texas State Fair." (Look up the Texas State Fair online - you'll see the guy.)

OK, there was definitely no "who the fuck is this" for the next picture, but it gave us minutes of belly laughs.





















My folks sometime in the 70s. We said they looked like they were in Jonestown, and we were very happy they got out before the kool-aid was passed around.

And finally, I must include some other pictures I found, if you'll indulge.

I've posted pictures (I think - I must have) of my Mamaw Bowles. I do know I've said here before that my two grandmothers were as different as night and day, and they loved each other like sisters. Mamaw Bowles was the country girl and Mamaw Grasso was the city girl. Well, she was raised in the coalfields, but went off to Washington DC and worked in dress shops for years.

I found several pictures of Mamaw Grasso that wowed me, well, wowed me just like I used to be wowed when I'd go to visit her in the Big City and we'd go to museums and coffee shops and.... God, I miss my grandmothers. What fantastic women they were.

This was Mamaw G the day she married Angie. The hothead.

























Check out this ensemble! I mean, it's worthy of being a Barbie outfit.

























Even hanging around the house, Mamaw G was a fashion plate!

























Looking beautiful again, but the photographer seems more interested in the ivy.

























Resplendant in red!


























Beautiful. She was something else. My link to the outside world.

I'm going back to the folks' house tomorrow night, and stealing some more photos, just because I'm enjoying looking. Hopefully I'll grab some of Dad's family. Mamaw Bowles needs her due, too.

By the way, knowing my family's photo collection, it's entirely possible you may know someone in these photos. Hell, you may be someone in these photos. If you are, please let me know. And if I give Mom the test, I'll update you.

Betland's Olympic Update:
* Still haven't finished shopping. I've stopped caring. Is that wrong?