Month: September 2024

A Birthday Outing

It was my birthday…and a trip down memory lane.  Jim did a facebook post with lots of photos from the 40 years he’s had me in his viewfinder, and we visited places that triggered even earlier memories.  

We headed out the door with no particular plans in mind except maybe to visit a new-to-us antique mall, Planter’s Walk in Locust Grove.  Before we even went inside, I saw a garden sculpture that sparked the day of reminiscing.  And as we walked through the vendors’ booths, more and more memories surfaced.

The phrase “seeing your life flash by” is usually reserved for one’s final moments. But walking through this antique mall brought that phrase to mind. I’ll share the specifics with photos.

A little girl pulling up the hem of her dress reminded me of my sister. 

In this and many other photos, Jane was showing off her chubby little legs. She was teased a bit about this pose in years to come.

I had skates similar to this when I was a child.  We lived on a dirt road, so my skating was done on a concrete floor of the front porch, 10’ x 15’, I’d guess.  It was a big surface to me though.

Corning Ware cookware was a big part of my kitchen life in the 1970’s.

My mother had a set of these glasses.  I can still taste the orange juice when I see these small ones.

A butter mold exactly like the one my mother used.  (I have hers.)

The tag on this one said “folding milking stool”.  I don’t know if that’s its true purpose, but I had one as a child…just like it.

And here s a view of it folded.
Here I am sitting on my stool feeding my baby doll. Yes, those are barkcloth curtains in our living room. 1957 or so, I’d guess.
Clocks…lots of clocks were displayed here and there in this antique mall.  The WestBend with dark face is like one that sat on my Daddy’s bedside table and woke them every morning.  Well, it was set for that purpose, but Daddy usually woke before the bell rang.

Masks like I wore in fencing class in college.  Yep.  Fencing.  I made an A.

My mother had a jewelry box exactly like this.

I usually see an item or two in an antique store that prompts memories, but I don’t recall ever seeing as many as on this day!

And, then, if that wasn’t enough nostalgia for a day, we went to the grounds where I attended camp as a child and as a teen. Now known as the Georgia FFA/FCCLA Center, I visited for several days several times in the years between 1960 and 2000.  First as a camper (4-H in elementary school, FHA in high school) then attending state meetings of GALA (Georgia Association of Library Assistants) in high school, and finally with a group of educators working on curriculum in the 1990’s.  Another trip there could be in my future.  Quilters sometimes have retreats there….

The new dining hall building has a timeline of the camp over the years. This section is devoted to the first admission of women. My sister Jane would have attended FHA camp there in the early 1950’s.

There are changes that have taken place over the years, but a lot of the buildings and grounds are still familiar to me.  Especially the dining hall.  Wow.  As I walked inside, I could hear the shuffling of feet as hungry kids lined up for delicious food.  I could also remember the hush as a leader offered a blessing before the meal.  A new larger dining room exists now, but this one has been kept as it was, furniture and all.  It’s now sometimes used as a meeting space, but I bet others with memories as long as mine recognized how important it might be to revisit.

The original dining hall complete with original furniture. I’ve eaten many meals here.
Here I am in 1968 with a fellow GALA member. That organization was nerdy before nerd was a word, I guess. But I fit that description and reveled in going to meet with other like-minded teens in this glorious outdoor setting.

The campground has grown and changed over the years, as have I.  It can now house up to 1200 people with abundant opportunities for attendees to grow and change, too.  To revisit a place that was such an impactful part of my growing up was powerful!

This is the cabin I stayed in during my visit with math and science colleagues in the 1990’s. Different memories, but fond ones nevertheless.

The antique mall we visited was Planters Walk in Locust Grove.  More information is here: http://www.planterswalkantiquemall.com/

The website for the Georgia FFA/FCCLA Center is here: http://www.georgiaffacamp.org/