Memory Tapestry Rummaging

Since we're all trapped at home I spent part of the weekend reorganizing the Man Cave. This is a long planned project that I was going to do after I retired. Since I don't know when that will happen I took some small tentative steps this past weekend. The first thing was making more room for my burgeoning movie collection. I decided to consolidate all the various photo albums that were stored in three different places. Of course, since time wasn't an object so I stopped and looked through all of them. Some of these hadn't been opened in years. It was a thoroughly enjoyable exercise. It also reminded me of the wide range of travel and experiences I and my family have had. Photo albums seem to be a dying breed with all the digitization so I wanted to capture some of these images because who knows what will happen to the photos once I'm no longer around. As I've stated before, this blog is aimed squarely at my grandchildren to give them a view into the lives of their grandparents, their parents and ultimately themselves at their early age. I can think of no better way than to put some of the photos here for them to see in the distant future. So the rest of this post will be the photos, in no particular order (saw Forrest Gump last night) and some explanatory captions.

In Trafalgar Square London,
Surprisingly Single Summer 1979 

Favorite Panamanian with Kids in Traditional Garb 1994

At my Desk During Peacekeeping Operation in Egypt 1994

Dancing with Wife Upon Return to Hawaii 1995

Me with Kids on Big Island, Volcano National Park

Wife and Kids After Completing Aloha Run
11 Miles Run through Honolulu

Easter 1995 in Hawaii

Goofing Off with Kids in Hawaii House

Family Overlooking Waimea Bay North Shore

Posed Photo my Mother Took Every Year While Kids were Growing Up

One of Our Trips to Disneyworld

Gathering with Soxfather's Family
Baby on the Right is Now a Firefighter

Annual Christmas Day Pose at my Mom's House
With my Two Sisters and Mother in Law as Well

Wife Returning to Bambito Where we Went for Honeymoon
In Mountains of Panama

Soxfather and I Behind our First Ever Christmas Dinner Prep
It tasted Awful but was Delivered on Time

Kids in Fornt of Our Rhode Island Home Early 1990s

Wife and Our Friends on Causeway in 1982
This was Our Usual Sunday Haunt - now a Major Tourist Attraction

My Fiance in Early 1982 Visiting Fort San Lorenzo
Spanish Fort Built at Mouth of Chagres River - Atlantic Side Panama

Wife at Bambito During our Honeymoon 

My Promotion to Colonel 2002

Kids on One of their Adventures with Great Aunt

On Top of Mount Monadnock

Great Aunt and the Kids During the Climb

With Daughter and Great Aunt in my Mother's Pool

Wife and Kids on Some Cooled off Lava on Big Island 1995

Jim Left With Buds in Hawaii After Fishing with Terrible Hangover 1994

Great Aunt & Kids Heading Out on Another Adventure to Robin Hood Park
Usually While I was Doing Projects for my Mother

Soxfather with Kids Outside our Ft Leavenworth Home 1993

In My Mother's Back Yard after Completing Installation of the Fence
And Clearing Out a Virtual Jungle

Christmas with Beloved Aunt Peg

Wife, I, and Soxfather Behind His House 1991

Wedding Day 1982

Wife's First Christmas in New Hampshire 1982

With Cantankerous Friend and Keene Friend

My Mother Hated Having Her Picture Taken

Christmas 1982 at Great Aunt's & Soxfather House

Back in Panama a Few Days Later

I'm on Far Right with Other Lieutenants Ft Kobbe, Panama 1983

Fraternity Brothers Ft Lauderdale Spring Break 1977

Christmas 1981, I couldn't Come Home
Friends Showed Up Anyways To Cheer up my Family

Christmas 1980 with Keene Friend and Pittsburgh College Roommate

My Two Sisters Mid-1980s

Wife's First Time Seeing Snow 1982

Her First Ever Winter Was Not a Big Hit

Back in Panama a Few Days Later with her Family
New Year's Eve Party at Our House

Me on Top of a Mountain in Honduras 1983
We Were Playing Guerrillas Against Marines

Cantankerous Friend Visited us in Panama Wife Pregnant with our Daughter 1983

My Daughter and my Mother Outside Mom's House early 1980s
They Had a Very Special Bond

Daughter and Her Cousin - Both in Late 30s Now

Wife Pregnant with our Son 1985

Holding my Son for First Time 1985

Daughter, 2 years Old Halloween 1985

Wife and Kids at our Virginia Home 1986

Wife, Kids, Mom at Great Aunt's 2d College Graduation as Nurse

Wife Family 1986, Father in Law Holding my Son

Kids with Wife's Sisters Panama 1986

Son Had a Special Bond with his Grandfather

Playing Horsie with Kids 1987

Mom and Aunt Peg 1987, Mom Only had 15 More Years Left

Kids Experiencing their First Really Cold Winter 

Wife in her Traditional Panamanian Pollera

A Christmas Tradition Kids Poised to Wake up Soxfather on Christmas morning
With a Bucket on Water! Wife Actually did it Once While he was Sleeping under Electric Blanket

With Kids Shortly Before Deploying to Egypt
In our first  Hawaii House 1994

My Wife (r) With Deployment Uniforms the Officer Wives Stole
for a Skit at Our Deployment Party

Outside my College Dorm 1976

College Sweetheart and First Fiance

Working as a Summer camp Counselor Molding Young Minds Mid-1970s
Note the Hair!

First German Beer! 1978

First German Girlfriend - Actually She was English

With English Friends Cruising the Rhine River 1979

With Daughter in Front of Our First Home as a Family
Car was the First I Ever Owned

Wife Just After Giving Birth to Daughter, Panama, 1983

With Wife and Mother Late 1980s

With Daughter for First Ever Father's Day 1983

Daughter Learning to Eat

Daughter's First Steps Ft Benning, Georgia 1984

Helping Dad Work Out 1984 Georgia Note the Cloth Diaper
I Should Have Done a Better Risk Analysis

In Front of Jefferson Memorial 1988
Was a Short Walk from our DC Home on Ft McNair

Cherry Blossom Time

With Soxfather's Great Family 1983

Great Aunt and Soxfather Visiting us in Georgia
At Atlanta for Baseball Game

First Family Trip to Disneyland 1984

Wife and Daughter at Mom's Piano

Daughter and Mom Exploring their Doos

Family Vacation, York Maine 1987

Same Vacation - Wife Looks a Little Peaked

In Front of our DC Home Cooling off with Army Buddy
My Daughter Did Not Appreciate his Presence in her Pool

Obligatory Sister - Brother Bathtub Shot

Mindy the Cat, Bane of My Existence for 15 Years

Teenage Daughter with Friend

Wife in Costa Rica Late 1970's Before I met Her

Wife Graduating from College 1977

Dinner with my Wife's Grandmother night of our Civil Marriage Jan 1982

Wife Running to Escape Picture in Front of our first Set of Living Room Furniture
Our First Home Together Ft Clayton, Panama

Me, at End of Table, Teaching Thumper to Fellow Lieutenants 1983

On Cantankerous Friend's Ship When it Came Through the Panama Canal 1982

Meeting my Swimming Idol John Naber through Auspices of his Brother
He was Pretty tall

In Front of my Company in The Old Guard 1985

Running with Company On Washington Mall 1985

Receiving Award as Company Commander 1986

My Hollywood Career - Scene From Gardens of Stone
You've Spent More Time Reading this than I spent on Screen

I'm in Middle Coordinating a Ceremony at White House

I'm Second from Right facing Tomb Hosting Wreath Laying Ceremony

The Three Musqueteras, from left Maine, Wife, & Virginia Late 1980s
I'm on Couch with Kids

A Few Years Later With Other Members of the Latina Mafia

College Age Daughter

Army Retirement Party 2005 - Cake About to be Destroyed by Sword

Wife and I Halloween Party 1997

1998

At Formal with Sergeant Major, wife and Officer Wives
as Battalion Commander Ft Campbell, KY 1998

Wife, Center, at Officer's Wives Function 1998

With my Sargent Major and Our Wives

Privileges of Command

I'm Next to #2, With my Staff Outside Headquarters While Deployed to Saudi Arabia

With one of my Company Commanders in Kuwait

With one of my Companies after a Company Live Fire, Ft Campbell 1999

With my Company Commanders 1999

Arriving in Hawaii 1994 on Waikiki Beach Where we Lived for a Month

Watching TV with Kids in DC house 1989

Cutting Down Christmas Tree Rhode Island 1991

Daughter's First Communion

Kids in Front of Second Hawaii House Christmas 1994
I Was in Egypt for that One

Peacekeeping Uniform

At Namesake Nephew's Baptism Rhode Island

Another Family Tale - Son Planted this pine tree in front of Great Aunt's house
It's Small Green Sprig by his Pant Leg, March 1993 Never Expected it to Grow
It is Now Almost as Tall as House

Another Disneyworld Trip

Beach on North Shore of Hawaii

Family at our very favorite North Shore Beach - Three Tables

Mom, Aunt Peg, Soxfather, Great Aunt
On their Epic Trip to Hawaii to Visit Us

I can't believe you Made it all the Way to the End - you must be really bored! Thanks for reliving these times with me.