Results tagged “family” from Getting to Know Joe

Really pleased that Ann's great uncle (Lacy Weston, the last veteran interviewed in this short clip) was able to make this trip to the WWII memorial. My father would have LOVED to have gone on one of these trips. Wish he could have. Any veterans who can should go now. Tennessee Valley Honor Flight marks seventh trip to Washington, D.C.

So many great things come from connecting with family. Cousin Kevin "Chunk" Mitchell has been helping us with our house--and we really, really needed the help. He was here several weeks ago to give us some ideas and see our house for the first time. We were talking and exchanging some photos. He told me about this photo and it certainly isn't one I'd seen before. My Uncle Clifford and Aunt Phebe Mitchell getting married. The man on the far right is my father, best man to the groom.

My Mama, Inez Hinson, was born today in 1924. What a fitting time of the year for her to have been born: she really seemed to relish this time of year. The passing of winter was certainly her least favorite season--and it would have been your least favorite season too if you lived in a house with as little insulation as our house in Octagon had when she was growing up! The first signs of spring are already bursting forth into bloom. Camilla's blooming everywhere, the bulbs of thousands of daffodils in full bloom--this is the spring Mama loved. Green starting to dot the landscape with color for the first time in months; spring in Octagon was always a special time.

I got to visit with my cousin Kevin "Chunk" Mitchell over the weekend (he came to help us with doing some renovations on our house--very excited about that, but more on that in a later post). Getting a chance to visit him and talk with him about family, to catch up, to hear about everyone, really drove the point about that strong Hinson gene and the power of family. Mama was a firm believer and I'm sure she would be delighted to know that Chunk and I were reconnecting!

Okay, I don't really know the history behind any of these, but liked them. Anyone have any comments?

Photo on Left:
Margaret, Clark Watts (Papa), Joe Watts, Inez Watts (Mama)
Photo on Right: Uncle Edward Waddell, Joe Watts, Aunt Gladys Watts Waddell

Wow. Ever feel tired? Think you've got a little too much to handle. Imagine how my parents felt!

Here is the full Watts Family:
left to right: Suzanne Watts, Cynitha Watts, Julia Watts, Madeline Watts, Clark Watts, Joe Watts (adorable infant), Inez Watts and Margaret Watts

Have been wanting to scan a few of our photos in from this trip. I added an entry about our Honeymoon trip to Alaska a few months ago, but never got around to scanning in photos. I just scanned in these two this afternoon--boy was I thin! That has got to be the best hat I have ever had--and if you've read much of my blog, you know I have a certain interest in hats. The Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero was awesome. It kept me dry in Alaska. It kept me dry on my trip to Minnesota several years ago. I still reach for it when I think I may get wet.

Ann, of course, looks the same--a little better, actually!

I pulled out the photo album of our trip to Alaska to contemplate scanning in a photo or two just to put something onto the blog. Instead, I discovered 5-6 old family photos that I really don't know how they ended up there. Here's one of me all bundled up and working with Papa, my father.

Looks like I loved to dig and plant even back then. Good thing I was all bundled up!

We watched A Christmas Story over Christmas this year. If only that BB gun had been as cool as the one I had--inherited from my sisters. It was a pump action and it could hurl bb's almost as hard as you could throw them. But boy was it cool. Here I am preparing for the coming invasion.

For the third time since I can remember, not all my sisters managed to make it to our annual Christmas Eve celebration in Octagon, but we still had a wonderful time--particularly Morgan, my niece Stacy's child and my great niece. (She is adorable.) I'm uploading some of the photos we took this year--they should be out shortly, but I'll go ahead and post a link. www.joewatts.com/christmas08

Wow, this is my 250th post!

Ann and I are getting ready to head to Octagon for the annual Watts Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. It will be different this year, but it will still be good to see the family and enjoy some good quality togetherness. It always seems better to me when we are all together. I'm really excited over some of the stuff Ann and I have picked out as gifts. I hope everyone else likes them, too.

This is basically a repeat post from last year, but hey, it all still applies--and I've added photos from 2007 and from 2008 now!.

Here are some memories of Christmas Past:
Christmas 2002
Christmas 2003
Christmas 2004
Christmas 2005
Christmas 2006
Christmas 2007
Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

Sorting through some old photos. Came across this one of all of us in 2004. Left to Right: Mama, me (Joe), Madeline, Julia, Margaret, Suzanne (back), Cynthia.

See how all my sisters (well the ones that weren't somewhere else in the house) were gathered around in adoration of their wonderful baby brother?

Merry Christmas all around.

Wow, what good times we had.

Old times, but not that old. My three oldest sisters celebrating the Christmas season as children.

This photo was used as a Christmas card one year by my parents.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Only one of these is labeled: the shot looking over someone's shoulder at the sea: "One side of corridor." Not really sure what that even means. It would be great to attach these somehow to the letters that they surely came with. Maybe someday.

Interesting document from World War II relating to my father, Clark Watts. (as usual, just click to make it larger)

Well, actually  March 1962. I can't really imagine that this is a scene that gets recreated regularly these days. I found it to be culturally interesting, though. Imagine a poor native American dressing up these days and feeding a black bear on a chain with what appears to be a beer bottle.

Who's the sister in this photo?

Well, if anyone ever wondered why I get along with women so well, just take a peek at what I grew up with (these photos were taken, from all I can tell, between 1967-1969).

Left to right: Madeline, Julia, Margaret, Cynthia and Suzanne.