Monday, November 18, 2019

Arizona, 1951

When our Portland Bloggers group met up at Little Prince of Oregon for our annual shopping adventure last March, Linda of the blog Whatsitgarden, and the Etsy shop Littleplantpots gave me this black and white photo. Don't those ladies look thrilled to be standing by that huge saguaro?

Handwritten on the back of the photo is: Feb. 17, 1951 — Near Tucson, Arizona.

I came home and put the photo up on our fridge, where it stayed for months. Many months. Our fridge has become the traditional American catch all of reminders from the dentist, a calendar, a gift card, as well as a few photos.

Sometime over the summer Andrew decided he wanted to visit a couple antique stores, he was looking for some old black and white photos to use in handmade Christmas cards. We thought it would be fun to drive over to Vancouver, WA, have lunch there and a hit a couple of their shops. While shopping he picked out a photo for me, and when we got home he put it up on the fridge. It stayed there for a couple of weeks, then one morning when I walked into the kitchen to get my first cup of coffee I noticed he'd taken both of the photos off the fridge and laid them on the table, next to each other. I guess I should share the photo that he'd picked out for me...


Isn't that a great photo? Anything seem familiar?

Here they are side by side.

I don't know that I would recognize her if not for that hat. Well, and not that I did recognize her. The photos were on the fridge for quite awhile before Andrew picked up on the fact the same lady was in both of them. On the back of the newer photo is this: Cotton field — Feb (date illegible), 1951 — Somewhere in Arizona.

Pretty crazy right? Two different people gave me photos that have the same, unknown to me, person in them. It got a little less odd when I asked Linda where she picked up the first photo and it turns out they both came from the same antique store. Still, strange...

—   ◇   ◇   ◇  —

Weather Diary, Nov 17: Hi 56, Low 49/ Precip .08"

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

22 comments:

  1. I bet they came from an estate sale where photos from one family were disposed of. I am trying to go through my family (old and new) pix to put together an album. Then I will shred everything else so I don't wind up on your fridge someday.

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    1. I once found an entire album of old family photos at a thrift shop. Black and white's held in place with those old fashioned corner pieces. It was fun to make up stories about the family events shown. Although I suppose it would be a little eerie if it were your family in the photos.

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  2. What a strange and fabulous coincidence. If those photos weren't so old, I'd be curious to know if the saguaro still stands and look for it on the next trip to Tucson...
    The time for such finds in antique stores is coming to an end since we entered the digital age.

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    1. Oh saguaro's live a long time, 150 to 200 or so years, so it may still be there, although the likelihood of ever actually finding it seems incredibly small. There are a lot of saguaros "near Tucson"...

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  3. Just goes to show you it's a small world. The first photo is a wonderful shot of the saguaro. From what I have read via Jan Emming's blog these giants are few and far between.

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    1. I've been in parts of Arizona where saguaros march like an army across the land, up and down hillsides. I don't think I would describe them as few and far between. Their numbers may be in decline, but there are still many.

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  4. Wow, what were the odds of that? Maybe you should buy a lottery ticket!
    btw, love the hat!

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    1. That hat is a huge part of the story isn't it?

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  5. Wow! What a cool confluence of events. Love stuff like that! :D

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  6. A wild and wonderful coincidence... and hat!

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  7. That's fun! Now you just need to have one of your readers pop up and say "I think that's my great-grandmother Eloise."

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    1. Seriously! And Eloise is the perfect name.

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  8. That is crazy...and wonderful for you! Don't you wish you could find out the story?

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  9. How fun! Maybe the younger woman is Elisabeth C. Miller or Ruth Bancroft. :D

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  10. One word. Serendipity.

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  11. I must go back to that shop...could be more of her!
    I noticed a new vintage shop" Fabulous Flippin Treasures" looks worth a visit !

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