This week’s Foto Friday Fun includes 9 images chosen by readers picking a number out of my photo archives. I thought I’d change it up a bit last week when asking for a number between 1954, when I was born, to 2013. So many of these take me back a ways. Guess I was feeling rather nostalgic.
Arija chose #1983, “the year of the Ash Wednesday wild fire and the loss of all we had achieved in 25 years of marriage.” She’s not looking for sympathy and neither am I when you see images of my home town after the result of the Yarnell Hill Fire. But this number represents a happier time, when I opened my first store in Tonasket, Washington in September of 1983. I wanted a consignment shop to sell arts and crafts made by local residents. There was a lot of talent but unfortunately not a lot of sales.
Erin chose #1981, “the year of my marriage.” This was the year after my marriage and still lived in Illinois. I’d been creating with stained glass for a short time and often set up at local craft fairs.
Diane chose 2013 for the birth of a new neighbor. This birth of a new day mesmerized me seeing the constant change of wave and splash while enjoying coffee on the porch of my chalet at Storms River Mouth Tsitsikamma National Park in South Africa.
Cheryl chose #1987, “the year I was 35 and the favorite year of my life so far. I was young, adventurous, and somewhat daring!” In 1987 I dared to take a watercolor class through Wenatchee Community College. I’ve tried to learn to paint several times and am very good at mixing mud. I know color, just not paint mixing. This is one of my favorite paintings from a class where the prof, who had traveled all over the world, put one of his slides from somewhere first upside down and out of focus for our first attempt at painting blocks of color. Then he set it right and focused for just a touch of detail.
Bibi chose #1965, “the year I fell in love for the first time.” I actually owned this 1965 Mustang in high school as I was only in 6th grade in 1965. My high school mascot was the Mustang horse. This car went through several art projects where we painted on it with poster paints and drove it in home coming parade.
Dell also picked #2013, “because my daughter just had her 57th birthday and we spent it in Carmel, Ca.” I’ll bet she saw some beautiful sunsets there like I’ve watched many times through my Imax windows in Yarnell.
Barb chose #1962, “my graduation from high school back in the Stone Age.” Guess that puts me in the Bronze Age as I was only in the 3rd grade then. Wonder if you’ll be able to find me.
Sherry chose #1954, “because I’m really glad you were born.” Thank you. So here I am, only three hours old.
Firefly chose #1975, his birth year. I’d been out of high school a few years by then and had this studio photo taken with my dog Denver as a gift for my parents.
My pick for this week from the first time I saw lions in the wild at Kruger National Park. A sign of strength and courage, something I’m feeling the need for lately.
Thank you for playing along with Foto Friday Fun. It’s been a real trip to dig through my archives and pull the stories from my memories. For next week leave a number between 2000 and 3000 in a comment and maybe see your chosen image next week.
Which one is your favorite from this week?
Remember to check out the Geogypsy Facebook page for more photos.
Thanks for the memories of Storms River Mouth Tsitsikamma. I have been there several times but the best memories are the ones when I camped with my Mum and we fell in love with Storm’s River.
Next week I will have to go with 2 porsche models as a pair so it will be 2 356. Returning to my favourite model.
I too have been captured by Tsitsikamma and will definitely return on the next visit. Have you down for 2356.
I love seeing the pictures of your past. They made me wonder what pictures I would choose for each decade of my past. Number 2046 please.
It’s always fun to look back into the photo archives. I wonder too what you would choose. Have you down for 2046.
A nice mix of memories and scenery. I also love the lion picture. We’re off to a game reserve for a night next week some time and taking the KidZ. It would be their first proper game reserve experience and can’t wait to find the lions on the game drive for them to see.
Mmmmm, a number between 2000 and 3000. Lets see…… 2695. I asked my colleague to give me a random number for this one.
The kids are going to Love this experience. Have you down for 2695.
What a great trip down memory lane. I’ll go with 2012 because it was the year we both retired from the workforce and began fulltiming in our motorhome.
Thanks Erin. Retirement is always good to celebrate. Have you down for 2012.
Second row, third from left? I’m surprised no one else is even trying! It’s very difficult.
Right row John, but I’m the first one. Thought it might be a little difficult. No number this week?
Remember that song: memories are made of these—well this is a great posting and i didn’t find you in the class picture.
I’ll pick 2911 when i met Bob. MB
I do remember that song. I am in the second row first photo. Have you down for 2911.
I would have never picked that child as you Gaelyn! We’ve all changed a bit. I’m picking 2999 – just because.
Yes, we change, and that is good. Have you down for 2999, just because. 😉
What a lovely selection of memories Gaelyn.
Thanks for the ’65 Mustang. I remember seeing my very first one when they came out…bright red….and later my ‘love’ had a black one, but we weren’t seeing each other any more then. I wouldn’t have cared if he had kept his old car…
Next week….hmmm… How about 2005, the year I began and completed chemo? Not a happy period, but I’m still here, so I can’t complain.
You never cease to amaze me. And I’m still curious about the “love.”
Have you down for 2005.
Thank you Gaelyn, great little store you opened but I like your watercolour best of this series although the historical and lion photos ran a close second.
Sorry I did not comment before but when I first saw the post I was too exhausted to think. and mainly too devastated at your fire post that followed. Fire fighting management seems to be the same the world over. We too have had many major fires with loss of life where initially the fire was neglected until it was too big to handle. Often they don’t call in air support for fear of losing their authority. It is all so petty.
Guess I’m too late for a request but look forward to next week.
I think some fire fighting protocols need to be looked at and possibly changed.
Next week for sure.
Gaelyn,
My brother found the 3rd grade Madison school photo on your website and told me about it.You are first person on the left side of the 2nd row next to Achala, who’s family was from India. I believe we called you Gail back then. I’m Steve Taylor, in the row beneath you next to the words Madison School. Dick McClenahan is above me and Debbie Piolet is to my right. I remember that I liked most everyone in the class. Miss Petruso would read stories to us sometimes as I recall.