What seems like only yesterday – has been 22 years in the making!
Early family picture before Bode and the twins not walking yet.
The three oldest are on the left with their parents – Maddy – Ella and Sarah – on the right – Taylor and Cassidy- the twins.
Maddy – now 22 – Sarah – now 16 and Ella – now 19
I remember all three – on Christmas day – early – sitting at the top of the stairs – giggling – waiting for their parents to wake up and go down for their stockings!
This picture would have been about that time!
Now today – Ella – Maddy, and Sarah.
Ella and Sarah are tall like their grandma – Sherry who is 5’9″ – both Ella and Sarah are as tall or taller.
Maddy is 5’6″ – like her mom.
Maddy is a senior in college – Ella a Sophomore in College and Sarah is a Sophomore in H.S.
The time has gone by so quick – the little ones are all grown up and now are SISTERS!
By that, I mean confining with one another – all there for each other –
although years separate them – bonding keeps them close.
Sarah Maddy Ella SISTERS
Thank you for reading Papa’s World – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog fitztdf@aol.com
The reason why for the granddaughters – Sherry – grandmother.
From LITTLE ones to YOUNG LADIES – OUR GRANDDAUGHTERS – now grown up!
My very first memory of school – sitting on my grandma’s lap on the front porch –
“Grandma – when can I go to school”? I asked.
We had just watched a neighborhood boy walk past on the other side of the road –
His name was Denny and I later found out he was two years older than me!
So – I am thinking I was about four years old and I can still see him in my mind and me asking her.
The old Eldred school
I attended this old school until the fourth grade!
It was at that time – we merged with Duke Center – Rixford and Eldred to form OTTO-ELDRED.
At this time a brand new elementary school had been built right across the street from the ballpark!
I would not have to walk a mile to school in the mornings!
But – I remember that old school and my teachers and the classrooms.
The very first class was in the front and face the main street and I had Mrs. Shields.
We started off spelling the normal way – sounding out the words –
but soon after – we switched to the new way – MEMORY!
That went on for a couple years but it left me and others I know – very poor spellers.
The Alleghany River
The floodwaters of 1972
Across the main street and the railroad tracks – lays what we called THE FLATS!
And just beyond that the Alleghany River!
It seemed growing up part of life in the Spring were floods!
In 1954 or 1955 or thereabouts –
I was told not to go near the water flooded on the main street – I was maybe 6 years old.
But – I had made a raft and was sailing it on the main street – standing up and poling my way around
in about two feet of floodwater.
Unbeknown to me – a photographer from the local Bradford Era Newspaper – took my picture!
I was caught – standing on my homemade raft – poling my way around the main street –
ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE BRADFORD ERA!
But – I also shared that front page later in life with my dad!
He made a bet on the heavyweight champion of the world fight and picked
FLOYD PATTERSON – the bet – the loser would wheelbarrow the winner down Mainstreet
To Slavin’s Bar – my dad won and made that same newspaper front page being pushed by HERKY!
A WWII bomber pilot who had been shot down and made it to the allies’ lines!
The brand new Eldred Elementary School
This sits right across from the ballpark and tennis courts –
I was the first class in there in the fifth grade – Miss Cawley!
Mr. Harrington was my sixth-grade teacher and Principle!
Many games of RED ROVER RED ROVER please send ???? over!
Was played right there on that circle drive in front of the doors.
Later in life – I walked my youngest son down to those front doors and inside to enroll him in Kindergarten – and standing in the lobby with all those parents he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a bunch of dirt and worms!
He had stopped on our walk and without me knowing – stuffed his pocket with dirt and worms!
THAT I shall always remember!
OTTO – ELDRED H.S.
We were bussed every day from the seventh grade on seven miles to school in Duke Center, Pa.
Three communities combined to have one single H.S. but each community had its own
grade schools and one township grade school.
We had to find our own way home after sports practices if we did not ride the bus.
My good buddy and I – later in H.S. road with his dad to school.
We had a science teacher called CB SAWYER – who had his own music system in his lab.
He would play up to date 45 records of music between classes all day long.
His favorite back then was PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS – “GLAD ALL OVER”
and it was everywhere in the hallways – piped through the loudspeaker system!
OTTO-ELDRED H.S.
I have always said someday I would like to go back and rewalk those halls to that blast of music!
It was across from here I watched a fight between two seniors – and I was one of a hundred people!
I still see it in my mind and they were about three years older than us.
Their names were Ron and Jim!
My senior picture
Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD – livinglifedoingitmyway.blog fitztdf@aol.com
A little over 10 years ago – they came along – so tiny – early – because they determined one was taking all the nutrition.
And – the day they decided this – just happened to be their mother’s birthday!
That is right – mother and daughters now celebrate the same day birthdays!
IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME!
Cassidy and Taylor – they were so small with Taylor weighing some 13 oz. more!
Does not sound like much – but they both weighed some 3 lbs. plus oz. !
Through out life for them – Taylor has always been the bigger of the two.
They were so darn cute – playing hide and seek!
Cassidy is a little spit fire – Taylor more laid back!
They continue to grow this way – my thought is – Cassidy will end up taller than her mother who is 5′ 6″ tall – and Taylor is taking after her MorMor ( Sherry 5’9″) and will be close to 6’0 when all is said and done! She already is over 5′ at ten years old! Look at Cassidy’s socks!
Taylor and Bode with MorMor( Sherry) Bode is going to be tall also as he is only six years old!
Sweetness – Taylor rides horses – Cassidy is the more serious type – she teaches the other two crafts.
Taylor is always ready to help her in schoolwork –
Cassidy the more daring one – you can just tell that by the picture!
Both love their MorMor and both will call her!
The little SPIT FIRE! Cassidy – ” Someday I am going to be big” she says!
She has the biggest heart – always watching over the other two – her and Bode are two peas in a pod!
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