These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Wild, Wild West

A long time ago, my grandmother told me that her mother, my great-grandmother, was an interesting part of our family history. There was a period of a few years when she just disappeared. She had gone West to be a school teacher in New Mexico, and after a couple years, she simply stopped writing the family. No one ever knew where she was or what she was doing When she returned, she never shared those details. Ever. Gramma said, however, that when asked about it, there was a twinkle in Great-grandmother's eye that made everyone wonder. Gramma used to say I looked just like her mother, and she wondered about a bit of a wild streak in me. Fortunately it didn't surface, so although I look like Great-grandmother, I have not "lost years" in my life.

Imagine my total surprise just a few days ago when I stopped in a store, just browsing, and I found some pictures of my great grandmother hanging on the wall! I was completely blown away! Gee, she was pretty, much more than I. Anyway, I recognized her immediately from the few family pictures of her and because of our resemblance to one another.

Now imagine my further surprise to have a glimpse into the shady past that she kept hidden! Whoa! I talked the store owner into making copies of them for me. I think it was only because of the resemblance that she believed I was related to the lady in the pictures on her wall.


Here Great-grandmother is with a rifle and a bank bag from the Bank of Ruidoso! Oh, my gawd!! The smile is unnerving, under the circumstances.















The next one gives a clue about her hard side. Sheesh, she looks downright mean, doesn't she?
















This smirk makes me wonder, too. I wonder if this might have been the beginning the "twinkle" that Gramma saw.

















There was a huge one on the wall showing Great-Grandmother with another lady, both looking pretty wicked. What got me about this photo is that the other woman looks unbelievably like Jackie, the mother of my stepchildren! Eerie, for sure!








To make matters even worse, there was this one with a younger guy who look a whole lot like Allan. By this time I was getting pretty spooked. I couldn't imagine how this could happen. Three people drawn together in the mid-1800's with such resemblance to my present family.







The shocks still weren't over, however. I rounded a corner and found that someone had taken those old photos and apparently manipulated them with a computer software of some sort, and had added color. Now I'm freaked because with colorization, the photos are even closer in resemblance. Just look at these . . .






















































But the final oddity was a silly cartoon that someone had composed. Can you believe this?






















That does it. I'm outta here. I'm going back to that store and see what else I can find out. Later.

9 comments:

  1. Wow this is weird. Kind of like a Walker Texas Ranger episode where he flips back & forth between the present/past.

    I was kind of afraid to come here today and read....

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  2. patti - I've been called weird before, but . . . ;-) I worked on this post specifically to change the tone. I miss the girl, but I can't wallow, especially when she is no longer having to struggle. Bittersweet.

    st - :-)) Yeah, that's it!!

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  3. How bizzare! I can only imagine how weird that must be!

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  4. You guys look great! *ahem* I mean THEY look great!! ;)

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  5. old lady - I can't tell youhow strange the experience was!

    catherine - Yeah, yeah, THEY do look good, don't they? I wish I had the pizzaz of my great-grandmother!

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  6. Love the pictures. I can't believe how much you and Jackie look alike. You look like you could be sisters.

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  7. caroline - Wow, that's the first time anyone every said that! I've been told that the second wife and I resembled each other, too. 'Spose there is a trend there?!? ;-)

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  8. Love how there's a pic of the guy who must be John Wayne's great grand-daddy in the background! LOL

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  9. sassy - LOL! I didn't notice that! Good eye, girl! Yep, musta been Ephriam Jackson Wayne up there behind the bar!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!