Spring has Sprung!

Yes it's that time of year again. Spring had sprung in the south which means one thing, yard work!

Pigeon Forge TN

Last week found me visiting a CVS in Pigeon Forge TN.

During the late 1700s, settlers from the Carolinas followed old Indian trails through the Smoky Mountains along the Pigeon River to what is today, known as Pigeon Forge. Pioneer Isaac Love established an iron forge in 1820 and his son, William, built a tub mill ten years later. The Old Mill, now a National Historic Site, remains operational. The iron forge and the flocks of pigeons that fed along the river banks in the early years gave the town its name.

Located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee, Pigeon Forge is within a day's drive of two-thirds of the nation's population east of the Mississippi River. The resort town is 33 miles southeast of Knoxville, four miles south of Sevierville, six miles north of Gatlinburg and five miles north of the most popular park in the U.S., Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Pigeon Forge is equally famous for its more than 200 factory outlets and specialty stores. Packed with music theaters and family attractions, it is also home to the state's top attractions like Dollywood.

For more visit: http://www.mypigeonforge.com and http://www.dollywood.com

Leaving NYC

Bye, Bye NTC! See you in a few months!

Several months of trips to NYC and Detroit have finally come to an end but LA seems to be in my future!

Flintstone Park

Like most of the area Flintstone Park is in decline. Now surrounded by a chain link fence to either keep something in or out the park is sadly in need of repair! The stately Flintstone house has been long since removed and replaced by a play set!

My sister will shed a tear when she looks at this picture.

Neighbors!

Here's a picture of the Hamborsky and Sarc houses on Ashton Street.

The yard between are two houses was the best camp ground and ice rink two kids could have ever had :-)

S.S. Kresge

Before discount stores popped up all across America, there were the variety stores. For decades, Middle America shopped at these stores for their basic needs – housewares and kitchen items, linens, basic clothing, shoes, school supplies, toys and so on. Many variety stores had snack bars or luncheonettes.

S.S. Kresge Company, based in Detroit and officially founded in 1911 by Sebastian Spering Kresge, was the number three variety chain in the US at the dawn of the sixties, behind F.W. Woolworth and W.T. Grant. At the end of 1960, Kresge had 759 variety stores.

Pictured here was the Rosedale Park S.S. Kresge were I worked after school in the toy department under the supervision of Mrs. Bauer for a $1.50 an hour, lol!

Now a Dollar Deals it sits in the decayed plaza where as children we use to roam.

Cunningham Drug Store

Longtime Rosedale Parkers will recognize this building as a former Cunningham's drug store. Cunningham's was once the leading local drugstore chain in Detroit but it has been supplanted by national retailers and is now out of business.

The ghosts of children drinking vanilla cokes with their sting ray bikes outside in a pile can be seen by many of us if we close our eyes :-(

14551 Ashton St

In 1966 our family immigrated to the US from Canada and moved to the Rosedale Park area of Detroit MI and 14551 Ashton St.

The area was beautiful with shaded tree lined streets, well kept homes and lawns.

In the 1970s, when Coleman Young, the city's first black mayor, took office in the wake of civil rights strife, many whites fled to the suburbs, polarizing the area and seeding bitterness that remains palpable to this day.

As many longtime Detroiters fled the crime and grit the city slowly became a fortress of malfeasance and poverty.
Now Detroit sits on the verge of bankruptcy, beset by political scandal, a declining population, troubled industry, high crime and unemployment rates and one of the worst school systems in the country.

It's sad and deeply depressing to see our area now.

Nashville Folks!

The Parrish klan from Nashville TN visited Woodstock last Sunday/Monday. We had a great family dinner and visit.

Here from L/R is Aubrey, her Dad Eric and Eric's Mom Aunt Carolyn.

Better Than Sex!

Beth made her famous "Better Than Sex" chocolate truffle for our family gathering last Sunday.

She should rename it "Gone in 60 Seconds" as that's how long it lasts, lol!

The Devil Awakens!

Daddy I really didn't mean to eat your leather belt and pants pocket buttons last night!

Besides it was your fault leaving them on the bed after your late flight home in a snow storm from Detroit Thursday evening. I've told you a million times don't leave things laying around that I might find interesting.

I found the belt to be a bit dry and not nearly as tasty as your shoes!

Do you still love me?

Gaget enjoying the day!

Here's Gaget enjoying a family gathering last Sunday at his house. He was the perfect host!

Rhythm of the Waves

Standing watch in the impressive rotunda at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club is the Wheeler Williams' bronze sculpture Rhythm of the Waves.

A native of Chicago, Wheeler WilliamsAmerican, 1897-1972 is known for his allegorical, narrative work including "Tablets to Pioneers" on the Michigan Avenue bridge in Chicago, and "Settlers of the Seaboard" in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.He graduated with honors from Yale University in 1919 and earned a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard in 1922. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with sculptor Albin Polasek and also studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.

Three Santa's!

I swear I don't know what happened! It was 1966 just yesterday!

Now some 42 years later here's from L/R Doug, myself and Steve at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club for dinner a few weeks ago.

I don't think we look that much different, lol!

Prince of Wales School

On a sunny Saturday in January, another of Windsor's treasures was lost. The grade school that I, my mom and aunts and uncles attended Prince of Wales Public School, owned by the University of Windsor since the school closed in the mid-90s, finally met the wrecking ball, amid the tears of a group of former students and onlookers alike. A sad day indeed!

For more visit: http://community.livejournal.com/windsor_visuals/79324.html