My Father was born on this date in 1914, meaning today he would have completed 106
(One Hundred and Six) circles around the sun.
He was 40 when I was born
This was taken on Broughton St in Savannah Ga sometime around 1933.
We have no idea who the lady is. Photographers used to stroll on city streets snapping photos in case someone would pay for a random shot.
Daddy worked hard all his life, being a very intelligent man, he did some very imaginative things.
Master Mechanic (taught himself the mechanics of the internal combustion engine when the [Model T] was new(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_T) when very few had one down here in the economically depressed south. He continued working on cars, was eventually a "Certified Master Mechanic" (he became a master welder as well).
By the time I was born in 1955, these skills were how he made a living and supported us.
Claude Smith was born Aug 7, 1914
I was born days after Daddy's birthday in 1955, so I will pass the 65 yr milestone in two days. It somehow feels weird to say I have outstripped my daddy's age; he died in 1974 about 6 months before his 60th, I will be 65 on Aug 9.
In a large way, I am glad he did not live to see the horrible mess I made of my life, disposing of everything he had built that I now owned.
**Time passes, no matter what we do
Loved ones lost, things occur
out of the blue.
I can moan and complain, saying
"Oh Woe Is Me"
Or I can dwell in the knowledge
That he would be proud of the
Man I've grown up to be.
§
Of this I am convinced;
Had not those bridges been
Burnt,
I would no longer be living,
To share the lessons I have
Learned.
Painful as those were as
Through those hoops I
Jumped,
It really is one of the purposes
For which my heart continues to
Pump
My Grandmother Videla Greene was born Aug 13, in 1889
They ended up with 10 children, 4 girls and 6 boys.
My family, a blended family consisting of Daddy's 2x2 and Mama's 2x2, then my sister and myself together, also had 10, 5 boys and 5 girls.
This was us around 1969
My Brother John Tippins
(mama's Youngest by her first husband)
had HIS youngest son was born on this date in 1968
"Happy Birthday Month"
by
Jerry E Smith
©08/07/2020
All images are family property.
Do not use nor copy without my express permission
These .gifs were created for me by @coquiunlimited; many thanks
What a wonderful stash of family photos and memories! This is wonderful! 😊 And when your birthday rolls around, I do wish you the best!
Thanks @thekittygirl, I am not looking forward to it, but the alternative (not having another birthday) is unacceptable
Haha, I used to do that too.
Happy birthday to him! Those are some fantastic old pictures.
I have a plethora of old family photos, being sort of a 'self appointed' family historian
Thanks for commenting Victor, I really appreciate that @wwwiebe
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Happy birthday to Daddy. He sure sounds like a very intelligent man, one you sure would be proud of. The pictures on this post are so heartwarming 💙.
Thank you @stevenson7.
I have only scratched the surface of my daddy's intellect and abilities.
Now to be sure, he only had an 8th grade formal education (I think that's right) schools didn't go much higher back then unless you were rather wealthy.
But what he lacked in formal 'schooling' he made up for with imagination and initiative, hard work and patience.
He was a 'certified master welder' also. He would do things no one else would even attempt.
when there was a surprise hard freeze, people would have their water pumps to freeze.
Conventional wisdom was that you could NOT WELD cast iron, because once you'd welded that crack, others would appear as the metal around the weld cooled.
He would use two or more acetylene torches; the one he was welding with and the others to heat the metal around the crack, so that when he was done he could allow the whole area to slowly cool. No cracks. He was the only man alive apparently who would weld a crack in a gas tank WITH GASOLINE INSIDE!
He would take a pipe from a running engine exhaust and feed that CO2 and CO INTO the tank.
Gas burns with O2 the exhaust displaced that so there was no explosion.
It was funny when people would scatter while he did that.
I never learned to weld (as a musician) but after daddy died, halfway across the country on our way to our next duty station in California, my friend's car developed a crack, it was getting very expensive to keep gas in the car.
No matter how I explained what daddy did, explained the concept and science behind it, I could not get any yay-who's in Tx to perform that repair.
I did a temporary stop gap repair that slowed the leak using JB Weld, a piece of rubber inner tube and some bracing
Particularly brilliant and daring too. His ingenuity is exemplary. One might as well have passed that as impossible but he went ahead an pulled it off. You speak so fondly of him, I can imagine the special relationship you must have had with him.
I guess its safe to say he passed a special skill down across the line. So affectionate 💙
It was so very complicated between us @stevenson7. I of course loved him dearly, but between 16-18 (when he died) we were at odds and always in conflict.
He was born in 1914 so have no means of dealing with a long haired hippy with flower patches and peace symbols sewed to my pants.
I did drugs and smoked pot and drank Boones Farm Apple wine (I looked way older because I had a mustache from 16 on, so I could by booze) he didn't know about the drugs.
It caused me many years of anguish and self loathing because we never made up with each other when he died.
I like to think I did inherit his intellect and ingenuity, for which I am so very grateful
Wonderful old pictures. Thank you for sharing the history and the pictures.
!tip
Thank you @hope777. I have quite a collection of old family photos
What a stellar post. A wonderful tribute to your father.
You know? My parents lived to see the mess AND the recovery for me. I have no perception if that was better or worse. The hardest amends I had to make was to my father. And trust me here, I had some brutes.
I love the photographs. You probably know that I've been going through some of mine, too. So personal and so reflective.
Those photographers are still around. They live on hard corners on famous motorcycle roads with a sign to their dot com. I've bought a couple, but only when my technique was perfect...
Thanks Jerry. For a thoughtful and loving post.
@bigtom13, I am grateful for your praise. Me and daddy had our troubles, as I think every father/son does.
I sincerely hope you can come to grips with your issues and come out the other side smiling.
How cool!Family history follows its own rules, doesn't it?
I always find it fascinating. Lots of awesome old photographs and stories!
Almost Happy Birthday!!
!tip
Thank you Denise, While I was growing up, I did not have 8 half brothers and sisters, I had nine siblings.
It was only after Daddy died from an auto accident (I was the driver) without leaving a will, that I became PAINFULLY aware of the difference between half, step and whole siblings. What had, for me, been a loving close knit family was irreparably sundered by greed for the money, control freaks and resentments that began when Daddy married my Mama. His oldest daughter never accepted her as her mother and therein began the horrible route we eventually went down.
We survived, but nothing was ever the same again @dswigle
For whatever reason, and usually greed is involved, more family's have been split up over a death than anything else. Step, half or full real. It didn't make a difference.
That is one of the most terrible things imo.
Daddy never legally adopted mama's children, who loved him as if he WERE their Father.
Daddy's children by his first marriage (the eldest daughter especially) resented my mama as if she had CHOSEN to displace their mama (who died shortly after my brother Joe was born)
Daddy had 4 children, the last an INFANT who needed a mama, Mama's family had been a farm family, when Mr Loren got sick and eventually died, they had sold all the livestock and even their seed stock (this was around 1946) to pay for his hospital bills.
Daddy swore me to secrecy when he told me that "they were literally in rags when we married"
Thanks again @dswigle
The fact that it is such a terrible thing doesn't make it not happen. You would be very surprised to find that in the most upscale families, this happens also. In that case not so much with the money because they're usually there's a will oh, but it is the personal things that the siblings will almost come to blows over. Which is ridiculous because it's not going to bring anybody back from the dead. I've seen it happen with my own eyes and I cannot believe that civil people behave this way. I'm sorry the way things panned out for you, and I wish it were different. Human can be heartless and cruel. However oh, I do wish you a happy early birthday and a wonderful weekend.
Thank you Denise. I may stay in bed with my head under the covers all day tomorrow.
(That is my birthday, Aug 9, 1955)
Don't you dare! Do with your birthday on August 9th. In my family there are three out of the nine kids that are born in August. Me being one of them. So it's a good month. I insist that you do one fun thing for yourself. Even if it is to due to a diner and have a cup of coffee and just relax and enjoy the scene before you. I have found that sometimes I have to make my own happy and I make it work for me. There are times when that is the best that we can do. But at least it changes our perspective oh, it's only for a moment. So get your keister up tomorrow morning and even if you go for a walk or sit on your porch it will be a different look than under your pillow in the dark. I'm serious!
Really neat stuff, @jerrytsuseer! Looks like you grew up in quite a large family. Your dad sounds like he was a super interesting and handy guy, which I'm sure was really helpful in the Depression era. My dad was too. He would be 96 now.
I liked your poem. I think we need to think of our parents in heaven being proud of us, no matter how much we measured up or didn't. It doesn't serve us well to think of them being disappointed or judgmental of our choices and how we turned out!
Have an awesome birthday!
Aww @jayna, what an awesome comment and observation.
Since I continue to live on a rollercoaster of emotion and depression, I still wonder if I am worthy of their pride, but i am alive.
Thank you for that
I know, and I hope you can let it go and really visualize them just smiling down on you. We carry so much weight and guilt that doesn't serve us. Believe me, I'm saying this from experience. Birt
hday hugs!
Hey! What nice memories with your daddy are in those old pictures. Your family's pretty big, Jerry. Happy birthday in advance! Hugs!
Thank you very much @mballesteros.
Now that Sir, was a cool post!!
Why, thank so very much @scubahead, short but sweet and meaningful!
Happy birthday to daddy and happy birthday in advance to you .
Thank you very much @fredkese 💖
My pleasure
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My father was born in 1909 and died in 2008 at age 99. I doubt I will surpass that great age. He was 47 when I was born in 1956, and my mother was 43. It's rather amazing to think about all the changes our parents saw in their lifetimes. Daddy farmed with horses when he was young, and flew in an airplane when he was old. He, too, only had an 8th grade education, but he read all of his life and knew a great deal in many subjects. I enjoy all the old photos you posted.
Your daddy has mine beat in age, daddy was 41 on Aug 7 1955, I was born 2 days later.
Mama turned 40 the following Feb 1st.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting @scribblingramma
Like me, you probably won a lot of "oldest parents" contests. Ha ha!
Good vintage '55 wishing you a wonderful birthday for the 9th, hope the New Year ahead brings joy and contentment!
Nice family photos to remember good times together.
My Dad was born in 1911, making it to 1994, also happy my parents have not seen the total destruction this world is in, after living through depression, a war, disgusted with apartheid seeing possibility of better future for all, coming to naught!
!tip
Thank you Joan, it was actually not such a good birthday; I am very glad it is over.
Now on to better things, a trip to the ER to get some tests done
OH JOY!
I hope your day went well @joanstewart
Good luck with the tests, I lose it when those come around. When you over 40 they find something wrong....
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Cool picture of your dad strolling down the street! Are those riding boots he is where or a type of military boot?
I enjoy reading family histories to see how people lived in the olden days!
Thanks for sharing!
Yes, daddy liked to 'cut a figure', if you'll notice he is wearing Jodhpurs though to my knowledge he didn't ride horses much. He was turned down for military service because they said he was flat footed
Thanks @porters