Apologies for being a bit behind on this post. A wonderful thing happened, and my little family drove almost all the way up to the great white north to visit...Cuzzin Heather! We had a lovely visit, but it took us a while to recover from our road trip, and I was unable to complete last week's prompt on time. So, without further ado, let me talk a bit about my great grandparents, both Pearson and Swanson.
My mother often tells me of the trips she and her family took to Minnesota when she was a little girl. There are pictures upon pictures of my grandparents and my aunts and uncles holding strings of fish. It wasn't until my grandfather passed and I received a large tote of pictures that I realized that his parents, my great grandma and grandpa Pearson, were also avid fisherpeople.
These pictures are all from the same trip to
Fall Lake, MN. The back of the pictures indicate that this was a May 1973 excursion and that on this particular day, Great Grandpa Ben and Great Grandma Lena caught the limit on walleye. Great Grandpa is 84 and Great Grandma is 77. Look how proud they are! While I hadn't really considered it before, I guess a love for fishing/the water makes sense for both of them. Great Grandma Lena grew up not far from Lake Michigan, and Great Grandpa Ben grew up by the Ohio River. On top of that, fishing was another way to supplement family meals. I could really go for some fried walleye right about now...
My Swanson great grandparents were also lovers of the water. Below, you can see my Great Grandpa Oscar's brother, Harry, in his fishing boat. Harry was also quite fond of sailing. I believe he took the picture on the right. The back reads, "It don't seem very long Oscar that I took this picture and brother Harold is just taking it easy that day. He was the captain to all of us and I sure hope his family are all well." Harold (not Harry) passed away in 1936; he is leaning up against the mast. My Great Grandpa Oscar is on the right. This picture of the brothers (not sure who the man on the left is) enjoying the great outdoors seems to be a bittersweet memory for Harry.
Great Grandpa Oscar and Great Grandma Thelma grew up within spitting distance of the shores of Lake Michigan, and while I have pictures of them fishing (sometimes with my Pearson great grandparents), they also appeared to love the beach.
I love this group photo that includes my great grandparents. Grandpa Oscar is bottom right with his hat askew, and Grandma Thelma is in the center being hugged by another woman. I cannot identify anyone else in this photo, but they are clearly having a good time! I imagine they spent the day eating, talking, perhaps playing some games, and just generally enjoying their time together. This particular photo does not indicate where the picture was taken, but the film was developed in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Looks like they have some pretty nice beaches there...
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