Mickey Mouse Ballons

One of my first memories in our new house was that someone had given us the neatest standing Miickey Mouse Ballons on cardboard feet that must have been about 2 to 3 feet tall. Bob, Dick and I were the receivers, and it wasn't long before Bob got a hair up his butt and had to pop them all. I was really ticked at him but that was parr for the course with him, as he loved to do anything to cause a stir out of us, especially me.
Another time he took my diary an gave it to the boy down the street who I had a crush on and of course I had written quite a bit about the boy. Thank goodness my crush gave it back unopened, as I was about to die of embassesment. Bob and I clashed a lot over the years but when we got older we managed to get along better.

The house now in 2008

MLee took a trip down and sent these pic's of how they have done some upgrading on our old place to update it. Doesn't seem possible it is almost 70 years old.

Our Home

After a few years our house took on a lived in look. this picture was several years later, and taken before they planted the big tree in the front of the livingroom window.

Moving to 1670 Lupton Av. in San Jose

This was great as it was our first home that the folks owned, and meant we would be here for a while. Mlee and I had our own room and so did the boys, and we made lots of good memories in this house. If I remember right it took about 3 months to build and I was excited for it to be finished. It was fun to see it under construction. We finally moved in in the summer of 1939 when I was almost 10.

Lincoln Av. To Fremont Av. in San Jose

I don't know how long we lived on Fremont, but know that MLee was born while we were living there.
A nice memory there is one xmas Dad made a little horse on a long metal spring for Dik and he use to jump up and down on it. I had wished I was little enough to use it too. It wasn't the traditional rocking horse, but was pretty neat. We had some great christmases due to Dad and Mom's hard work making things for us.
Another thing that was fun is that I use to fry potatos in butter for us kids when mom would let me and we ate them 1/2 raw, but we thought they were the greatest.
There was also an old fish pond there that had dried up and I often thought it would have been nice to have fish in it, and not just left dry.
The picture is of Bob and Dick and the girl across the street with my baby doll.
While we lived here Mom drew up plans for the house on Lupton, and they had it built. That was an exciting time to think about a new house.

Spreckles, CA. to San Jose CA

When I was around 6 we moved to Speckles where I started 1st grade. It was a pretty rough school and I was scared of the bullies. Don't think i was in it to long as started having asthma attacks and have very few memories of it. I had a friend named Peaches next door there that I really liked. About the only other thing I remember is that they had rodeo's and parades. I also remember that there were a lot of dirt roads and a lot of dust.
The next place that I remember we moved to was to Lincoln Av. in San Jose. I have several memories of that place. Mom hired men to do the yard work, and she said they were tramps as they didn't have a place to live. She would pay them with meals. I guess they road the rails from town to town from what she said. Another memory was when I was playing in the sprinkler one hot day and I slipped on the cement and I saw those real stars***. A neighbor came out and took me to her porch where she started preaching to me. Mom came out and rescued me then and did all the things that needed to be done to make me feel better. I had a sore head for awhile.
Mom would make sun bonnets and sun suits for me to wear which I always loved, and still think of them fondly. When I was about 8 she took me out of school as I was having a lot of asthma attacks. I don't remember to much about the boys then except that they were around and we played some. MLee was still just a twinkle in Dads eye, and soon on the way.
The picture is of Dick, and I, but am not sure just where it was taken. I liked to play dress up, and having no sister yet poor Dick was the one who had to suffer. Hope it didn't cause him to have an idenity crisis, but he has a good soft heart.
We were living here the xmas that I figured out that Mom and Dad were Santa, as it dawned on me that Santa's hand writing looked like Mom's. That was earth shattering at the time, but I managed to get over it and back to the fun of xmas. It still was exciting to wait for Santa to arrive every year. The same xmas I got a small two wheel bike that I learned to ride but fell into the neighbors cactus patch that was next to the side walk. After enduring having the prickly things dug out I went right out and got on it again with no more mishaps.
This is where we were living when I asked my Dad about the people on the radio and he told me there were a lot of little people living in it. You might say I was a tad gullable.

Moved to Burlingame

Don't remember a lot from when we lived in Burlingame, as I was still pretty young. I remember these dang stairs that led up to our place upstairs though as my brother fell through the railing and I got punished for it. Had to sit in a chair for awhile to think over my bad deed, and I remember my brother getting a treat but I didn't. That of course was the harshes punishment. This is a photo of me on those stairs. Not sure exactly how old I was. I believe I started Kindegarden here. Now on to the next memory and the new place we moved too. Not sure where my dad was working then, but believe it might of been the telephone co.

Beaver St. house now.

This is what the house on Beaver Street looks like today (2008). I really like the colors on it now, but guess that is the artist in me and those are some of my favorite colors. My thanks to Shawn, Pam's friend, for the picture.
Now on to the move to Burlingame, CA. and a couple of pic's when I was young.

722 Beaver Street, Santa Rosa, CA.

On August 6,1929 there was a little bundle arrive at the William Stringall's home which they named Carolyn Jeanette. She was born in Santa Rosa CA. in a house at 722 Beaver St. and she weighed in at 8 and 1/4th lbs.
Grandma Ruddock was living in the home with them, and I only have one memory of her leaning over my crib. In the picture of the house she is sitting on the top step on the right. I wish I had more memories of her but she died when I was very young.
I don't have any memories while we were there, but have a few from SF which is where we moved next. I remember my father getting hit when he backed his car out of the driveway, Also remember playing under a table with a long fringed cloth on it, and I would pretend I had a playmate to play with, as I didn't have anyone else to play with. One mas I had pnemonia and they put the tree in my bedroom so I could see it all the time. Xmas eve I went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night to find Santa had been there and he left me my baby doll, so even though being sick is was still a nice xmas.
The pictures are of the old house, mom and I and then myself in a rocking chair. The rocker would be neat to have now for one of my bears.
We moved to Burlingame next after that.