Old photos, antique stores and stories
This is a really different post than I do most of the time and I think you're really going to enjoy this one. This post, I'll be mixing the past, reality and fiction together to make one creative post. How? Well, one by being a good, creative writer and two, you'll have to read on to find out. *wink, wink.*
I keep going to Nanton Alberta (I suggest you goggle this cute town), for their really cute thrift store called Dressed up and for the antique stores. Never have a seen such a small town so full of antique shops. One of them, just down the street from Dressed up is my favourite, I try to go in every time I'm in Nanton.
I went into this cute little antique shop yesterday and found a small zip lock bag with some very old photographs of people. Yeah, I know it's a bit strange to buy photographs of strangers but, it caught my attention and gave me an idea, this idea for this very blog post.
These photographs are from the 1930s and 1940s. They're all black and white and they are very interesting photographs. I don't know who the people are in them when they were taken, why they were taken but, soon as I saw them I knew I had to buy them.
Each one of these old photographs once meant something to someone, they tell a story of a time once when and I thought that because I don't know the people or stories behind them I'd write my own short stories for each photograph and give each person a name.
This is Matthew John Bryant. He was 17 years old when he joined the Canadian forces. Matthew had this photograph taken for his beloved girlfriend Jennifer before he went to war in world war two in 1939. He wanted to make sure she had a picture of him to remember him while he was gone and to look at every time she was sad, missing him and writing him letters.
Matthew was hardly out of high school when he joined the forces, thinking it would be a privilege to serve his country. He'd always wanted to be a hero, just like his idol, Superman. Matthew knew he'd never have the superpowers Superman had but, he knew that he could still help save the world and be a hero to someone if he'd become a soldier. Matthew wasn't thinking of the dangers that were ahead of him, he was thinking about saving the world and being a hero to his girlfriend and others who needed him.
Matthew played football in school, he was the star quarterback. He was a hero to his teammates, school and the small town he lived in. He loved feeling adored and being called a hero; that's what started his process of joining the military. He didn't want to work in his father's corner store all his life even though he respected his father for owning the corner store. His father was a well known and respected man in their town. He wanted to well know and respected as well. He wanted to have the approval of his father and be able to come home, propose to his girlfriend, have a family of his own and live happily ever after.
Jennifer was worried that she'd never see Matthew again once he left for the war. She knew the dangers that were in store for Matthew though, she didn't voice them to him as not to scare him before he left. She was afraid if she told him her thoughts that it would scare him and distract him from what he had to do, getting him killed.
When Matthew gave Jennifer the photograph he told her that it was a promise it wouldn't be the last she saw of him, that he'd come back to her a stronger, better man.
She whispered in his ear as she held him tight, "You don't need to come back a better man, you're already perfect to me."
Sadly, that was the last Jennifer saw of Matthew. He was killed in world war two just three months after being deployed, She was devastated, heartbroken and shattered. She kept the photograph with her everywhere she went until she passed away at just 37 years old. She passed away from a terrible car accident while she was driving out to her and Matthew's favourite spot on a hilltop. A drunk driver hit her head on killing her almost instantly.
As tragic as their story is, Jennifer was happy that she'd be able to be with Matthew again on the other side.
The three sisters.
These are the three Sallinger sisters of Vulcan county. The sister on the left is Marie Sallinger. She was 21 years old at the time of the photo and ready to head off to college in Toronto Ontario Canada.
She'd always done very well in school was a straight-A student. She didn't date, she wasn't a cheerleader, she didn't play sports but, she did join the debate team and student council. The only thing she concentrated on was school and being able to go to school in Toronto to become a doctor. Her parents were very proud of her.
Marie had earned every cent she needed to go to college by working as a seamstress. She was amazing at making clothes that were ahead of their time and being very stylish. People had told her she should go to school for fashion design but she had her heart set on being a doctor.
The sister in the middle was Beb Sallinger. She was 19 years old at the time of the photo. She was the apple of their father's eye. She was daddie's favourite girl and she knew it. She was very spoiled and a bit stuck up. Their family was upper-middle class, just hardly below being rich. She always had the best shoes, clothes, handbags and hats. Her father spoiled her and she loved it. She knew no other way to act or be treated.
Beb was very popular in school. She was the head cheerleader, she loved being the center of attention and being adored. She wasn't used to having to do things for herself like her older sister. Her father never made her work a day in her life. Anything she wanted, daddy gave it to her.
Beb was also headed off to college but not for something as established as being a doctor. She wanted to be a photographer. She loved photographing everyone and everything. Her bedroom was full of different cameras and loads of film and developed photos she'd taken. She had stacks of photos because she ran out of space on her wall to hang them.
Her father told her that if she wanted to go to college for photography he'd pay for the entire thing.
She and her sisters didn't always get along well because of how spoiled she was by their father. He never paid as much attention to her other two sisters. She felt bad but loved the attention at the same time.
Bye-bye Bradly.
This is a photo of a young man named Bradly aka Brad and his family. He had two sisters and a brother. His dad was a lawyer, mom was a stay at home mom her entire adult life.
Brad's father was a very stern man, not taking any shit from anyone. He wasn't overly loving and didn't show any affection to his family. He was even worse at work. He was a wonderful lawyer because of his coldness.
His mother was just as cold if not colder than her husband. She didn't speak a whole lot and didn't know how to be anything other than a housewife and stay at home mom. His mom would do all the housework, cook, do all of the household shopping and bill paying and would even make all the clothes and bedding that she and her family had. They didn't need her to do this as their family was very well off but, she did it for the love of designing and creating.
Brad's two sisters were twins yet they were polar opposites. His one sister Lacy was really kind, soft-spoken, shy and did very well in school. His other sister, Stacy was a bit on the mean side, she loved to have all eyes on her and she was loud, outgoing, hyper and a tad bossy. She didn't do as well in school as her twin.
Brad's younger brother, Michael aka Mike was a funny, joker. He would always make everyone around him laugh, feel good and when he left a room, people instantly missed him.
Brad was completely different from all three of his siblings. He was strong, quiet, independent, loyal and hard-working. Anything he put his mind to he was able to accomplish.
Brad was sitting with his family for this photo to give them a photo of them all together before he headed off to war in world war two.
Brad had left the following day to head to the military. He came back six years later a completely different person. He was anxious, moody, secluded, he didn't want to make people laugh any more and he was nervous around loud, sharp sounds. He had PTSD but back then in the 1940s that wasn't a known illness yet.
This was Shirley Waldorf. She was a very upper-class young lady. Her family was very wealthy and very well known in their community.
Shirly was headed off on a date in this photo with her long term boyfriend, Daniel. They'd been dating exclusively for four years.
Daniel was taking Shirley to dinner and a movie. One of their favourite kind of dates. Shirley was very intelligent. She was in college to be a nurse. She'd always wanted to be a nurse for as long as she could remember.
When this photo was taken she was unaware that Daniel would be proposing to her at dinner that night. Of course, when he did ask she said yes.
They married two years later, had a baby a year after that and Shirly ended up being a stay at home mother rather than becoming a nurse. Once she had become pregnant, she threw all her aspirations to the side to be the very best and attentive mother she could be.
The bomber girls.
These three beautiful young ladies were part of the bomber girls in the early 1940s. They went to work when their men went off to war. They wanted to do their part in helping with the war any way that they could. Women were not allowed in the war back then and wearing pants was also unusual for women in their time. They needed to wear pants the so they had better movement, be able to run and avoid burns.
These women were very proud to be working while their men were away in the war. It was very unusual for women to work such jobs and wear pants out in public.
I keep going to Nanton Alberta (I suggest you goggle this cute town), for their really cute thrift store called Dressed up and for the antique stores. Never have a seen such a small town so full of antique shops. One of them, just down the street from Dressed up is my favourite, I try to go in every time I'm in Nanton.
I went into this cute little antique shop yesterday and found a small zip lock bag with some very old photographs of people. Yeah, I know it's a bit strange to buy photographs of strangers but, it caught my attention and gave me an idea, this idea for this very blog post.
These photographs are from the 1930s and 1940s. They're all black and white and they are very interesting photographs. I don't know who the people are in them when they were taken, why they were taken but, soon as I saw them I knew I had to buy them.
Each one of these old photographs once meant something to someone, they tell a story of a time once when and I thought that because I don't know the people or stories behind them I'd write my own short stories for each photograph and give each person a name.
This is Matthew John Bryant. He was 17 years old when he joined the Canadian forces. Matthew had this photograph taken for his beloved girlfriend Jennifer before he went to war in world war two in 1939. He wanted to make sure she had a picture of him to remember him while he was gone and to look at every time she was sad, missing him and writing him letters.
Matthew was hardly out of high school when he joined the forces, thinking it would be a privilege to serve his country. He'd always wanted to be a hero, just like his idol, Superman. Matthew knew he'd never have the superpowers Superman had but, he knew that he could still help save the world and be a hero to someone if he'd become a soldier. Matthew wasn't thinking of the dangers that were ahead of him, he was thinking about saving the world and being a hero to his girlfriend and others who needed him.
Matthew played football in school, he was the star quarterback. He was a hero to his teammates, school and the small town he lived in. He loved feeling adored and being called a hero; that's what started his process of joining the military. He didn't want to work in his father's corner store all his life even though he respected his father for owning the corner store. His father was a well known and respected man in their town. He wanted to well know and respected as well. He wanted to have the approval of his father and be able to come home, propose to his girlfriend, have a family of his own and live happily ever after.
Jennifer was worried that she'd never see Matthew again once he left for the war. She knew the dangers that were in store for Matthew though, she didn't voice them to him as not to scare him before he left. She was afraid if she told him her thoughts that it would scare him and distract him from what he had to do, getting him killed.
When Matthew gave Jennifer the photograph he told her that it was a promise it wouldn't be the last she saw of him, that he'd come back to her a stronger, better man.
She whispered in his ear as she held him tight, "You don't need to come back a better man, you're already perfect to me."
Sadly, that was the last Jennifer saw of Matthew. He was killed in world war two just three months after being deployed, She was devastated, heartbroken and shattered. She kept the photograph with her everywhere she went until she passed away at just 37 years old. She passed away from a terrible car accident while she was driving out to her and Matthew's favourite spot on a hilltop. A drunk driver hit her head on killing her almost instantly.
As tragic as their story is, Jennifer was happy that she'd be able to be with Matthew again on the other side.
The three sisters.
These are the three Sallinger sisters of Vulcan county. The sister on the left is Marie Sallinger. She was 21 years old at the time of the photo and ready to head off to college in Toronto Ontario Canada.
She'd always done very well in school was a straight-A student. She didn't date, she wasn't a cheerleader, she didn't play sports but, she did join the debate team and student council. The only thing she concentrated on was school and being able to go to school in Toronto to become a doctor. Her parents were very proud of her.
Marie had earned every cent she needed to go to college by working as a seamstress. She was amazing at making clothes that were ahead of their time and being very stylish. People had told her she should go to school for fashion design but she had her heart set on being a doctor.
The sister in the middle was Beb Sallinger. She was 19 years old at the time of the photo. She was the apple of their father's eye. She was daddie's favourite girl and she knew it. She was very spoiled and a bit stuck up. Their family was upper-middle class, just hardly below being rich. She always had the best shoes, clothes, handbags and hats. Her father spoiled her and she loved it. She knew no other way to act or be treated.
Beb was very popular in school. She was the head cheerleader, she loved being the center of attention and being adored. She wasn't used to having to do things for herself like her older sister. Her father never made her work a day in her life. Anything she wanted, daddy gave it to her.
Beb was also headed off to college but not for something as established as being a doctor. She wanted to be a photographer. She loved photographing everyone and everything. Her bedroom was full of different cameras and loads of film and developed photos she'd taken. She had stacks of photos because she ran out of space on her wall to hang them.
Her father told her that if she wanted to go to college for photography he'd pay for the entire thing.
She and her sisters didn't always get along well because of how spoiled she was by their father. He never paid as much attention to her other two sisters. She felt bad but loved the attention at the same time.
Bye-bye Bradly.
This is a photo of a young man named Bradly aka Brad and his family. He had two sisters and a brother. His dad was a lawyer, mom was a stay at home mom her entire adult life.
Brad's father was a very stern man, not taking any shit from anyone. He wasn't overly loving and didn't show any affection to his family. He was even worse at work. He was a wonderful lawyer because of his coldness.
His mother was just as cold if not colder than her husband. She didn't speak a whole lot and didn't know how to be anything other than a housewife and stay at home mom. His mom would do all the housework, cook, do all of the household shopping and bill paying and would even make all the clothes and bedding that she and her family had. They didn't need her to do this as their family was very well off but, she did it for the love of designing and creating.
Brad's two sisters were twins yet they were polar opposites. His one sister Lacy was really kind, soft-spoken, shy and did very well in school. His other sister, Stacy was a bit on the mean side, she loved to have all eyes on her and she was loud, outgoing, hyper and a tad bossy. She didn't do as well in school as her twin.
Brad's younger brother, Michael aka Mike was a funny, joker. He would always make everyone around him laugh, feel good and when he left a room, people instantly missed him.
Brad was completely different from all three of his siblings. He was strong, quiet, independent, loyal and hard-working. Anything he put his mind to he was able to accomplish.
Brad was sitting with his family for this photo to give them a photo of them all together before he headed off to war in world war two.
Brad had left the following day to head to the military. He came back six years later a completely different person. He was anxious, moody, secluded, he didn't want to make people laugh any more and he was nervous around loud, sharp sounds. He had PTSD but back then in the 1940s that wasn't a known illness yet.
This was Shirley Waldorf. She was a very upper-class young lady. Her family was very wealthy and very well known in their community.
Shirly was headed off on a date in this photo with her long term boyfriend, Daniel. They'd been dating exclusively for four years.
Daniel was taking Shirley to dinner and a movie. One of their favourite kind of dates. Shirley was very intelligent. She was in college to be a nurse. She'd always wanted to be a nurse for as long as she could remember.
When this photo was taken she was unaware that Daniel would be proposing to her at dinner that night. Of course, when he did ask she said yes.
They married two years later, had a baby a year after that and Shirly ended up being a stay at home mother rather than becoming a nurse. Once she had become pregnant, she threw all her aspirations to the side to be the very best and attentive mother she could be.
The bomber girls.
These three beautiful young ladies were part of the bomber girls in the early 1940s. They went to work when their men went off to war. They wanted to do their part in helping with the war any way that they could. Women were not allowed in the war back then and wearing pants was also unusual for women in their time. They needed to wear pants the so they had better movement, be able to run and avoid burns.
These women were very proud to be working while their men were away in the war. It was very unusual for women to work such jobs and wear pants out in public.
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