Thursday, August 20, 2009

Festival of Postcards -- Water!

My husband is a third-generation Florida native, and I have lived here for 55 of my 62 years. We are, therefore, surrounded by water. Here are some postcards from the collection of my husband's grandfather, showing water in Florida, in Ohio, and one I have added to the collection, from across the globe in the Mediterranean.

First, St. Petersburg, Florida, where my husband and I lived in the early 1970s and where our younger daughter was born. My husband was stationed here when he was in the Coast Guard. His grandfather spent time in Tampa, not far from St. Pete, and married a girl from Lakeland, just east of the area.



Mirror Lake
St. Petersburg, Florida
circa 1935

Unfortunately, most post cards, especially the older ones, do not come with dates on them, so I am estimating -- probably with wild inaccuracy! -- the dates of these postcards. The next one, showing a scene on the St. Johns River, is another one without a date. Most of the post card collection consists in those which my husband's grandfather bought to collect. He did have a few had been sent to him by others, but not all of those have dates, either.

This scene on the St. Johns, which flows north from near Sanford through Jacksonville to the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport, is from Blue Springs. My husband's family often visited Blue Springs and camped there. Usually, they went in their 17-foot outboard runabout.




Blue Springs
The St. Johns River
circa 1955

Next is a scene of a bridge over the Scioto River at Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio. My husband's grandfather was born in Pike County, Ohio, just south of Ross County, and spent time in an orphanage near Chillicothe.




Bridge over the Scioto River
Chillicothe, Ohio
circa 1940

Finally, the scene below is of Palermo, Sicily, with the Tyrhennian Sea in the background. The postcard was sent to me in the 1970s by Manuela, a penpal from Rome. Manuela came to visit us and stayed about a week, making us some real Italian pizza while she was there. It was delicious!



Water, one of the most basic substances there is, plays a large part in many families' lives. Either there is too little of it, as during the drought and fire season of 1998, when nearly all of Florida was on fire, or there is too much of it, as in flooding experienced by a sorority sister of mine who lives near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Sometimes it comes in the form of a natural disaster, such as a flood or hurricane, neither of which is any fun. Sometimes it is a source of recreation, such as swimming, boating, fishing, or water-skiing. What are your family's stories about water?


1 comment:

Evelyn Yvonne Theriault said...

Hello Karen!
I can't remember if I already dropped you a line about the next Festival of Postcards (Quadrupeds - October 2009). In case I didn't, here's the Call for Submissions:
http://wp.me/pp92w-4Xm
Have a good day
Evelyn in Montreal