Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Year in Review, The End of the 40s and The Unseen Photos

The 40's Letters
Dear Readers,

We have come to the end of a decade!  For this I am grateful, and looking forward to organizing and posting the letters of the next era--one which will start off in a very ordinary way, but which also will bring great adventure for the family.  Look for the first post of the 50s in a few days.

At the end of 1949, Time magazine identified Churchill as the Man of the Half-Century.  What else warranted coverage for the Year in Review?  Take a look at the images that represent significant events of the year.



The USSR's atomic explosion

Sadly, race riots leading to the continued segregation of city recreational facilities.
The Berlin Airlift

Stepped up production of automobiles
The Polio Scare
And in theater, B's all time favorite, Kiss Me Kate.
In the movies, Paramount's $3,000,000. Samson and Delilah
A prediction that cities will soon have "motormats"-- with conveyor belts moving food from the kitchen to the car!
And Martin and Lewis finally hit the big time making people laugh.
The 40s were a time of much fun and hard work for B & Bonnie--at least 8 moves, completion of undergraduate and graduate educations, a variety of jobs, the birth of a child and finally, a move closer to family.  The 50s will find them moving into their own home where they will stay for nearly 60 years.

I hope you've not only enjoyed, but learned a bit from the 40s, and I hope you will enjoy the upcoming journey into the 50s as Bonnie continues her steadfast nesting, entertaining and taking care of family. 

And now, enjoy a brief slide show of B's photographs from the 40s which, with the exception of a 2 or 3, have never been posted.  You may recognize many of them from Bonnie's comments in the letters:  The Richards' restored farmhouse, Bonnie and Jody Hess at the ice pond, Sully & Bea on the day they all explored Connecticut State Parks, the trips to Hyde Park, Mt. Vernon and Washington, D.C. in 1947, their church in New Haven, a snowy day at Yale, etc.   There are even a couple of slides of Niagara Falls, where B & Bonnie went for their honeymoon--the one event for which there seems to be no letter!

Use the link to see B's photos, 40s in Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIPNS6n3gWU
Thanks for reading!

B's slide of the New Haven Harbor Lighthouse, 1943

4 comments:

  1. There is something so powerfully beautiful about seeing so many of the letters all housed together. It really drives home just what a treasure and a blessing it is that you have this priceless piece of family history.

    I've thoroughly adored looking at the 1940s through the eyes of these letters, and can hardly wait to launch into (my all-time favourite decade) the fabulous 50s.

    Wishing you a wonderfully lovely week ahead, dear Ann!
    ♥ Jessica

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  2. Gosh, Jessica, thank you so much! I don't know how you do what you do PLUS visit others' blogs!

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  3. Hi Ann! I just watched this YouTube video of the 1940's -- those photos are wonderful! Such a great way to see the fashions, home furnishings, cars, and entertainment of the time. B was an excellent photographer. Thank you again, so much, for sharing these. I am a bit slow at getting through them all, because I do savor them, but am working my way through each letter. Love them!
    lynne

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  4. Hi Lynne! Happy New Year! It sounds like you are making progress if you're finishing the 40s:-) Thanks so much for writing!

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