Dottie Dierkes (the pretty one on left)
Joy in back
Aunt Laura under blanket. Laura Williams long's mother (Clara) was grandpa Riley Parson's sister.
Tom, 14, with the bright pants his Dad bought and shamed him into wearing. The hands are forward for balance since there is a 2 1/2 gallon jug of water on his back. Dad was CERTAIN we would run out of water on the trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The BARREL of water made it wall the way down and most of the way back up without ever using any. The boys did trade the load of water around a little, but Bill, 11, was too small to carry it much.
Just because Bill his holding the only canteen of water the boys needed, he didn't carry it all that much either. For some reason, he just could not understand why Tom and Rick were so slow.
Some looking at this picture think Rick, 13, looks like Ronald Reagan. The similarity stops at the end of this picture.
The fella going into the camper is NOT David, -6 (that's right, not born for 6 more years). This would be DAD. -- I think. Looks sort of under weight...
The boys spent the night at Phantom Ranch at the bottom on the Grand Canyon. The temperatures drop at night and there is no where to sleep except for one smallish picnic table. The boys fought over the table all night. Cold, miserable, and making memories.
Almost all the way back up the Grand Canyon the next day the boys came to a water fountain. They stopped and emptied the water BARREL right there.
Tom did wear the pants one more time. He wore them to Montgomery Wards where his Dad worked.
An older gentleman stopped Tom on the escalator and asked if he were looking to be shot.
Dad came down and was quite embarrassed to be associated with a boy with those loud pants. That was the last time those pants were ever worn again.
Picture is of Garnett (Garney) and Olivia Parsons McClintic, Great Aunt Margaret Costello Parsons from the Costello Ranch in Mineral Wells, TX, and Sylvia Williams Harrison (standing behind the couch) who lived in Hannibal, Missouri. Sylvia is the sister of Laura Williams Long.
Great Aunt Margaret Costello Parsons was raised on a ranch in the Mineral Wells, Texas area. Part of their land was sold to create Possum Kingdom Lake. Kate knows the story better than I but there is a great story that goes with the sale of the land for this lake. Great Aunt Margaret was the second wife of Great Uncle Clarence Parsons. Both mates had died before the uncle and aunt met and married. Great Uncle Clarence was my grandfather’s brother. They had similar personalities. Sylvia’s mother was a sister to Great Uncle Clarence and my grandfather, Riley Parsons. Her name was Clara. The picture was taken in the home of Garney and Olivia at 120 Park Street, Monroe City, Missouri before dad died in 1977.
When sons Tommy Joe and Rick were small and before Bill was born, we would visit with Sylvia on top of a long hill in Hannibal. Sylvia taught KG in her home and the boys loved to play with the toys she had for the children and look at the books for children. I think the street was 210 No. 12th street. My dad bought the house so Sylvia and children could have a roof over their heads when the husband/father left the family home. Every time we visited with Sylvia the folks took food of some kind to share with the family there. Dad would also bring some eggs to give to his brother Kitsy, who worked as a mechanic in Hannibal. I do not recall the name of that establishment. Kitsy McClintic’s daughter Mary Ann and granddaughter Sara attended our last family reunion on June 30th, 2007.
Happy Holidays and best wishes from our home to yours! Well, it's been a year since the last time I sent out a hello to everyone and I am months and months behind on my e-mail messages ... and trying hard to get back on track Jug thought rd take a moment to let you know that although I don't send communications daily I do think about you and hope all are doing well. What's been happening around here? Stick around if you want to find out!
Since I'm the oldest one in the house we'll start with me. I am no longer working for the temp agency I started working with in January, although I was having a good time going from place to place. At one place they did store installations, at another they made bombs, and finally, at another, it was with a trucking company with the most decorous surroundings I had ever worked Shocked me to pieces. Shows what can happen when you have a preconception of something I am now working in a law office, which is something I had wanted to do since I got my degree (seems like ages ago). I tell you I had forgotten how tired a person could be after putting in a full day's work, but I am thoroughly enjoying being out in the work force again. I guess the next time I retire I better come up with something that will keep me a little more occupied than this last sprint did Retirement is not all if s caked up to be, especially when there's only one kid left at home and he's gone all day at school.
In the meantime ... Leticia is still working in the same company she was with last year and loving it They still are renting a house in Mesquite (I 3 miles from here). Eric just started working with a new company this fall that requires him to travel a lot (working on those towers we all use with our cell phones). They have not obtained any more new pets this year (that I know about) and are trying hard to get on top of their money situation so they can begin to have mom control over their lives. They just celebrated their 4th anniversary in September and are still going strong, Leticia is still enjoying her artwork and does quite a bit of painting of shawls and such for the Indian meetings they attend Eric has discovered the CB rage that was really hot when we were in our teens and spends a lot of his spare time chatting with his CB buddies. Whatever ...
Chandra and Bryan bought a house this summer in the Flower Hill division adjacent to our present neighborhood Real nice to have them so close after they spent so much time living 1.5 hours south of here for the last year ... that isn't to say that when Chandra was
in school this spring she didn't stay with me during the week and I got to visit with her and Cody all the time. Yippee! Bryan is still working in far off Irving at his welding job. Chandra took over in the engineering department at the place where they make bombs when I wouldn't elect to stay And, of course, Cody has grown so much and started talking and becoming his own person (as they all do) and I love every minute of it No one could possibly get as much out of the train set under the Christmas tree as a child.
Brenna, like most college kids, has been enjoying every minute away from home. She did come home and work this summer for the temp agency I had been working for, but other than that she is enjoying her age and friends every step of the way She is really into swing dancing and has not only done some live television performances, but also went to Australia during the Olympics as part of the entertainment that was enjoyed by many during that time. The only down side was that she was sick before she left and by the time she got back she was severely critical. It has taken months for her to be able to get back to some normalcy (we are no longer concerned with her liver or spleen needing replacement or removal) but she still tires very easily and requires lots and lots of rest I sure missed having her around and am happy to have her home for the next month during her Christmas break.
Derek is finishing his last year at Rowlett High School He is no longer in band this year (so much for that expensive silver trumpet I purchased) but I certainly wasn't going to force him to stay with it d he wasn't happy He has really gotten involved in some game competitions in regards to some of those cards lads swap and has also gotten involved with some of the other games that are being played nationally During the last couple of weeks he has earned 2 certificates and won 2 medals He's real proud of them and made sure they were set out so everyone could see them He is, however, finally wanting to go to work so is talking about starting at the new Wal-Mart they are building just about 2 miles from here. Hurray! Hurray! I just don't see how he has been getting by on the (purposefully) meager allowance I have been giving him He still has no driver's license (for which Brenna is grateful). I told the kiddos I've bought enough cars around here and I wasn't going to spend a dime more until I need a new one.
As for the rest of my family ... Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all are all doing well and me wish them well throughout the next year. Also, for you and your farnilies ... best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season from our family to yours-
Laura is the daughter of Clara Parsons who is the daughter of Robert Francis Parsons and his wife Susan Mary Wimsatt. Remember the Wimsatt place west of Alfred's place? This is it and this is them/her. Grandpa Parsons (Alfred Riley Parsons Senior) was a son of Robert F and Susan Mary. So, that makes Laura and Alfred and Mom first cousins.
Dave in the college students circle and Tom way up high in the other. See what you can do with this. You will have to ask Dave when this was. I don't even know.
