1974

I Personally didnt start taking my own Pictures untill this time. 1974. I had gotten a Newpaper Route and was making my own $ And one of the Things I wanted was my own Camara. I bought one in 1974. At the old Jacksonville Drug Store. Its next to what used to Be the old Vanweys Market in J'Ville. The Camara was a Kodak. Whatever? It used the New at that time 126-Film. And I Remember at first only being able to get Black and White film. For like the first year I had it. Only Black & White. So this Lone-Picure is The only one I have left from those early first few times of using my New Camara. In 1974. Or its the only one I can find. This Photo was taken by Me During the winter aparently. We lived at the very end of West D St there in Jacksonville. And the Picture is taken right out side the front door of the house. Facing sort of NW. The Jacksonville Cemetary is up on the Hill. You can see the Cemetary Road. The Shack you see out there across the Field. Was just an old Shed. type thing. And there was a very nice sand Pile right in front of it. We had a lot of fun Playing in that. The Shed was torn down sometime in the late 1970' And by the Late 1980's The city began to convert the Field into what is now one of the Britt Parking lots. (we will see a lot more Photos of this area as we go on.) I want to point out some details here. The Trail or Road you see on the left of the Shed. Was never there Originally. When we first moved there in 1969. My little Brother and I made that Trail-road. by sliding down it on old Skate boards that didnt have Wheels on them anylonger. So He and I started that little Road. And we called it at that time. "The Logging Road." It started out as a tiny little Trail and soon would get wider and other People would begine to use it as a short cut up to the Cemetary. In the Picture you can see it is as wide as a Car. Yup some people even tryed to drive up it. On the left side of the trail is a big flat area. on the hill. We called it the flats. There was Evidence that there had been some type of a Structure up there at sometime before we got there. At Present day there is a Skate Board Park on the Flats. Soon and hopfully tomarrow on my way back to town I would like to stop there and take a Picture standing in the Exact same place this Picture was taken so long ago.
Here is What The Exact Same Camara Veiw Looks like today. 11/19/09. Of Course this Picture is so much more Clear and Detailed. And Of Course. Colored. We now Have a Parking lot and Sidewalks. the old Shed is Gone. And you Can clearly See the Trail is Still there. 40 Years later.
In the Next 3 Pictures we see a light dusting of snow here in Jacksonville. these were taken at the sametime the first Picture was taken. I could not find any of these The first Time. We see The Field, the House, And The Family Cat Tiger.
This Picture is very Beat up as You can see. It would be a total waste of time to post it here. How ever I think it might be from the very first Roll of Film I shot through my New Kodak Camara. The Paper is so diffrent from the other Black and Whites. Not only that. But the Car in the Picture is the old Rambler Station Wagon. from The 60s. And I see Trixe's dog house to the right of the Car. The Trees around the dog house had to be removed in 74. They were right where the corner of the fence is now. You can see the Cemetery Road & Wall Just above the Car Roof.
In the Next 3 Pictures. We See Trixe sitting at the front door. Then we see a good clear shot of the Field with the trail leading up to the Cemetery Wall. I'am not really sure if the shed is there.? just out of camara View.? Or if it had allready been torn-down.? I thought that didnt happen untill later in the 70s. But I could be wrong. And in the last Photo We see My Sister Christy. Notice the Split-Rail-Fence. Those came from Forrest Creek. And we have the Newer Station wagon now. I would Guess These Pictures to be sometime in 1975.
This is My 7th-Grade School Picture From McLoughlin jr High. I was continuing to Gain Weigh slowly but surly. My Enjoyable School days were now over with the beginning of 7th-Grade. I got Picked on alot. And I guess I didnt know what to do. Felt so out of Place. It seemed like I didnt have any Freinds there at all. I Began smoking Ciggarretts & Pot. And skipping School now & Then. But somehow I made it all the way Though to the end of High School.
go to 1975