Howdy Y'All, August 29, 2013

We are not what has happened in our past, 

nor what we have done...

We are who we choose to become... TODAY!

~Timber Hawkeye 

(Buddhist Boot Camp)

Greetings to all of you from the home of my niece Kelly and her husband James Sauvage in Weatherford, Texas. My mother Maida Gower Shepard and I are here visiting family we don't get to see too often.

Happy Birthday Lyndsey. We are here in the Lone Star State on the birthday of Lyndsey Aquiningoc, older daughter of Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc, daughter of my brother Gary Shepard. Happy birthday to Lyndsey who turns 23 today! The first picture shows Lyndsey with her cousin Nate Sauvage at Lyndsey's birthday dinner earlier this evening.

Around the year 2000 this part of our family moved here from San Diego, and after a decade of life here, with 3 new births, they seem to be settling in quite nicely. Over 200 years ago our ancestors migrated from the East Coast to the West, ever moving westward and southward. Even though they settled for periods of time in places like Indiana and Oklahoma and Texas, the move westward continued for some of them until they reached San Diego in the mid 20th century.

But now some of us have returned to the area of our 19th century roots here in north Texas and Oklahoma. Even though I sense that there is still some longing for life in Southern California, this move appears to be a permanent one for these family members. At least as permanent as any move can be in these day of easy travel and relocation.

A Great Great. One of the reasons we made this trip was so that my mom Maida could meet her first Great Great Granddaughter Kambree Kay Bowman, daughter of Mandi Aquiningoc and Steven Bowman. The second picture shows the new momma Mandi on the left next to Great Great Grandma Maida Shepard  holding baby Kambree, with grandmother Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc next to them and auntie Lyndsey on the right.

Here is a 12 generation lineage from Kambree to 18th century Irish immigrants Thomas and Eigness Shannon. 

• Kambree Kay Bowman (b. 2013)
• Mandi Aquiningoc (b. 1992) and Steven Bowman
• Kerri Shepard (b. 1968) and Manuel Aquiningoc (1961-1992)
• Gary Shepard (b. 1946) and Jackie Enderle (b. 1947)
• Maida Gower (b. 1924) and Eugene Shepard (1921-2003)
• Nola Shannon (1903-2004) and Leroy Gower (1899-1974)
• Samuel Pickens Shannon (1858-1930) and Finetta Dearien (1861-1960)
• David Reid Shannon (1821-1864) and Peggy Ann Gray (1829-1899)
• David McKnight Shannon (1790-1860) and Anna Pickens (1785-1867)
• David Shannon (1756-1823) and Jane McKnight (1759-1830)
• Samuel Shannon (1727-1811) and Jean Reid (1725-1806)
• Thomas Shannon (1686-1737) and Eigness Reid (1686-1737) - Irish Immigrants

On To Arkansas. There is a reason I traced Kambree's roots through her Shannon Irish heritage rather than some other part of her heritage (including her grandfather's Guamanian heritage). This weekend my mom and I will be attending the annual Shannon family reunion in beautiful Mountain View, Arkansas. My next post will include reflections on that event.

- - -

Steve Shepard

Dog Days of Summer, August 22, 2013

From the ages of 8-18,

my family and I moved around a lot.

Mostly we would just stretch,

but occasionally one of us

would actually get up to go to the fridge.

~Jarod Kintz

Greetings to all of you from our home in San Diego, California where Cindy and I have landed for a few days on a "pit stop" of sorts in the midst of these very busy dog days of summer. 

Next week my mom and I will be traveling to Texas and then to Arkansas to touch base with family members in both locations. In Texas Maida will get to connect with her first, and only, great great grandchild (that's right, count 'em: TWO greats), while in Arkansas she will attend a family reunion in the town of her birth and the county of her roots.

Happy Birthday Amanda. This Sunday, Aug 25, is the birthday of one of Will and Bura Davis Shepard's G grandchildren, Amanda Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. She is the daughter of Kim Clark, and the granddaughter of Thelma Boyd. The first picture was sent to me by Amanda and shows her in a recent photo.

Amanda: Hi Steve! Yes, I will be turning the big 30 on the 25th! I was able to go out and celebrate with my friends in San Diego on August 3rd, which was a blast. I will be able to celebrate this weekend with my family by going to dinner. Looking forward to see what my 30's will bring! Thank you for the birthday wishes!

The news from Bothell, Washington is good regarding our newest family member Logan J. Shepard who was born 4 weeks ago to Nicole Haw Shepard and her husband Patrick. Logan remains in Evergreen Hospital but is making some encouraging progress as he grows and develops. 

The second picture shows a smiling great grandmother, my mom Maida Shepard, holding little Logan for the first time this past weekend during a visit she made to the hospital to see him.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Not To Be Confused, August 15, 2013

You don't choose your family.
They are God's gift to you
as you are to them.
~Desmond Tutu

This past Saturday 25 of us attended a family reunion at the home of my mom Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington. The weather cooperated beautifully providing us with a sunny, pleasant afternoon. Memories were shared, a delicious meal was enjoyed, laughter rang out, young kids were underfoot, young and old relatives were embraced, news was shared of recent events and loved ones were remembered, under the trees of Fidalgo Island. 

We came from Texas, California, Oregon and various locations in Washington. We were named Shepard, Clark, Bell, Kilpatrick and Davis but we shared one spirit of family love.

The picture above shows those who attended the reunion. Thanks to Jerry Clark for this photo. From left to right are Jerry, Preslea, Nathan, Darrell, William, Chenda, Steve, Mary, Cindy, Russ, Steve, Linda, Chris, Jessica, Pam, Rachel, Maida, Barb, Don, Donelle, Janet, Bud, Cindy and Gary.

Logan Update. Not pictured in this lawn photo is Nathan and Chenda's 2 year old Logan A. Shepard who was sleeping off a raucous morning of activity. Logan A. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with his cousin Logan J. Shepard, son of Nicole and Patrick Shepard, who was born July 24, but who is still in the hospital with his parents at his bedside. The news brought to the reunion by his grandparents Darrell and Mary was that Logan J. continues to improve as his family remains optimistic and looks forward to taking him home sometime soon.

A Tribute Tattoo. One surprise moment at the reunion was when Steven P. Shepard unveiled an impressive tribute tattoo to his late grandfather Eugene Shepard, who passed away exactly 10 years ago. Steven P. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with his uncle Steven D. Shepard, the author of this blog. Steven P. is the one with the bumper sticker on his truck that says "Guess where I am pierced". Steven D. does not have a bumper sticker. Nor a truck. Not even a piercing. (How baby-boomer boring I am.)

Happy Birthday Linda! Tomorrow is the 20th birthday of my niece Linda M. Shepard of Anacortes. Linda M. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with my late sister Linda R. Shepard (1950-1971). Happy 20th birthday to Linda, who is the youngest granddaughter of Maida Shepard. The picture above, taken at the reunion, shows Linda with her parents Russ and Pam, and her brother Steven.

Many thanks to those who helped make this a special event (providing food, doing the setup, cooking, etc.) especially my mom, Maida Shepard, at whose home we met. Maida I. Shepard, by the way, is not to be confused with the youngest of her three G granddaughters, P. Maida Shepard.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Family Reunion This Saturday, August 8, 2013

Family reunion:

a chance to share our history

a reason to celebrate our past

a time to welcome our future.

Hello family and friends! Greeting to all of you from Anacortes, Washington where Cindy and I are helping with the final arrangements for our family reunion this coming Saturday. It is obvious that the family members who live here have done a lot of work making arrangements and preparing for a wonderful gathering. We look forward to family and friends who will be here from places near and far this weekend at the family home on Wildwood Lane.

Happy Birthday Heather! Our family reunion this Saturday falls on the birthday of Heather Robson Cotton, a member of our family who lives in Texas but is from right here in Oak Harbor, Washington. Heather the daughter of Paula Tuzzolino, and the granddaughter of Vicki Gower Johnston. Heather lives with her husband and their two daughters in San Antonio. The first picture shows Heather with her older daughter Tori.

Happy Birthday Jeremy! This coming Monday, August 12, is the birthday of Jeremy Ortiz, who lives with his wife Desiree and their 5 children in Blue Springs, Missouri. Jeremy is one of the G grandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard.

Desiree tells me that "Jeremy will be 33 this year! He is keeping busy here in Missouri working all the time and on his days off he is coaching oldest son Damian in football and Ashlyn in soccer. Such a good Daddy:) The picture I included is Jeremy and his best friend Armand on our recent trip to San Diego."

The latest news on Logan Joseph Shepard, the new baby of Patrick and Nicole Shepard, is good. He was born July 24, but remains in the hospital in Seattle and will have to be there for a few more weeks. The word I keep hearing from his family is that he is improving and doing better all the time. But he still has some real health concerns and remains in our prayers.

A Family Historian Extraordinaire. In a previous blog post I included a picture of a family reunion in Anacortes some years ago. I asked if anyone could name all of the people in the picture. (Scroll down two blog posts to see the group picture.) My mom Maida responded with at least the first names of everyone in the picture. She therefore deserves my praise as an extraordinary family historian! The picture was taken in 1994, and must have been taken by Gary's wife Cindy, who is the only one not in the picture.

And finally... it was 10 years ago today that my dad Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) died here in Anacortes, Washington with his family gathered around him. We remember him fondly and will always have him in our hearts.

He loved family reunions and will have a special place in our memories as we gather this Saturday. Thanks be to God for the good life he lived and the wonderful family legacy he leaves behind.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Sweet Sorrow, Aug 3, 2013

Bless this house

O Lord we pray

make it safe

by night and day.

It is a time of sadness but joy as we pack up and move out of our home here in the mountains of California, in the tiny town of Dorrington. Later today we will drive out our long driveway for the last time. 

We have owned a home in Calaveras County for nearly 30 years, even though we have lived here full time for only a few of those years. Calaveras County is not the end of the world, but as they say, "You can see it from here." That is almost literally true. Alpine County, just to the east, IS the most sparsely populated and most remote county in the entire state of California. 

So now the time has come for us to sell our home and leave this scenic, forested locale.

The memories of our life here are many, whether in the winter with the sometimes heavy snowfall, or in summer when we hiked the mountains and basked in the beauty of the High Sierra. 

Here are a few of the special memories that we take with us as we leave:

• the historic winter of 1996-97, especially New Year's Day when we awoke to 3 inches of water on our bedroom floor;
• the time when a bear came through our yard, nose in the air, all too interested in the steaks I was barbecuing;
• the time when a bold bobcat sat in our snowy driveway and we stared each other down (I was in the safe confines of our upstairs study!);
• the many ski trips Nathan and Cindy and I enjoyed to Mount Reba Ski Resort, up the hill a short ways;
• the summer of 1998 when Nathan lived with us and worked at Bear Valley;
• the time when we had 29 youth and their sponsors from our church spend the night here before a ski trip;
• the time when Gary and Cindy drove down our icy driveway and their car slipped into the forest and they had to do without it for a few wintry days;

• the time when the "Yayas" (a group of women in our family, spent a week here (see picture);
• the many other times family and friends visited, especially those few times when our dads enjoyed themselves here, in both cases not long before they died;
• the Sunday morning about 10 years ago when a foot of fresh snow made getting out of our driveway a daunting challenge; our Jeep Cherokee powered through the soft snow and then the berm at the top of the driveway, but just barely, and we made it to my church responsibilities on time;
• the few times recently when our young grandchildren were able to visit (see picture of Presela on her bicycle);
  
  
• the Christmas when we dedicated this house, with a blessing that included the prayer at the top of this post.

What a great home this has been for us, and what a special area this has been in which to live. But life changes and with sweet sorrow we move on. This house has blessed our family in many ways. It will now be a blessing to someone else.

- - -
Steve Shepard

Who Are These People?, August 1, 2013

“Fred, you next," the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. 

"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother?

Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy and off he went.”

~J.K. Rowling

Happy Birthday Lloyd! Today is the birthday of Lloyd Gower, the third Ggrandchild of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower and the son of Hershell Gower. Lloyd was married back in early May to Tammy Turman of Mississippi. This summer they moved to Lloyd's old stomping grounds of San Marcos in San Diego County, making Lloyd one of just a handful of Gower descendants left in San Diego county. 

Lloyd's ancestral namesake was Lloyd W. Gower (1896 - 1918), the brother of his Ggrandfather (and my grandfather) Leroy Gower. Lloyd W. Gower was born in 1896, 3 years before his younger brother Leroy. Lloyd W. was killed in 1918 in World War I in Lorraine, France when he was just a 22 year old soldier. From the hills of Stone County in Northern Arkansas, Lloyd W. Gower is one more in our pantheon of ancestors who gave their lives in service to their country and to whom we owe a great debt. He is buried near Mountain View, Arkansas in small Cooper Hill Cemetery, the final resting place for just 43 people, 22 of whom have the last name Gower.

Baby Logan Update. Pat and Nicole Shepard's baby Logan, who was born last week, remains in the hospital in Seattle but seems to be improving each day. Our prayers and best wishes continue to be with Logan, his parents, and his whole family. The second picture shows Pat, Nicole and Logan in the hospital when the three of them were able to be together for a short while last weekend.

James and Kelly. This coming Monday, August 5, is the wedding anniversary of James and Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas. James and Kelly were married in 2000 in San Diego, just before they moved to Weatherford, Texas where they live today with their two boys Nate and Kyle.

Chris and Amanda. This Tuesday, August 6 is the 7th wedding anniversary of Chris and Amanda Clark Farrell. Amanda is the daughter of Jerry Clark and Jane Clark Brock of Lubbock, Texas. Chris and Amanda had a destination wedding in Austin, Texas back in 2006 and live today in Frisco, Texas near Ft. Worth. Happy anniversary to both these young couples!

Who Are These People? August 10, a week from this Saturday, is our 2013 family reunion in Anacortes, Washington. A picture of one of our previous Anacortes family reunions is shown below. It was taken in front of the family home on Wildwood Lane on a beautiful day. (Will we be so lucky?)

How many of these people can you identify? (There are 28 in all. My guess is no one can name every one.) What year was this picture taken? And who was taking the picture? You can click on the picture for a larger view of it.

The one who sends me the most correct answers to those three questions will qualify as a family historian extraordinaire and will receive my most flattering praise in a future blog post. (Hint: check the "labels" below.)
- - -
Steve Shepard

Welcome to the World! July 28, 2013

This is a wonderful day.

I've never seen this one before.

~Maya Angelou

Hello Family and Friends. 

Welcome to the World! The big news in our family this past week was the birth of my nephew Patrick and his wife Nicole Shepard's baby boy, Logan Joseph Shepard, on Wednesday in Bothell, Washington. Congratulations to Pat and Nicole! Logan is the first grandchild of Darrell and Mary Shepard and the youngest G grandchild of Maida Shepard. He had some problems at birth and is in the Critical Care Unit of a Seattle hospital. Our prayers and best wishes are with him and his family. 

Cindy and I are in Northern California today to celebrate the first birthday of our youngest grandchild William Quincy Shepard, who was born to Nathan and Chenda Shepard in San Francisco one year ago.

  

Select the link above to see a photo presentation celebrating William's first year.

 

Barbara's Birthday! William shares the spotlight on this day with my sister Barbara Shepard who is also celebrating her birthday. Born in San Diego at the end of the 1950s, Barb lives today in Anacortes, Washington as do many of the other Shepard's in our family. She is a long time employee of Safeway in Anacortes, and will be one of the family members hosting our family reunion this summer.

The picture on the left was taken in Alameda, California earlier this year and shows Barb holding William and his older sister Preslea. 

Happy Birthday Jeff. And last but not least is the final person of today's birthday trio.

Jeff Clark, husband of Kim Boyd Clark, also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Jeff and Kim live with their family in Blue Springs, Missouri. The picture on the right was taken earlier this month and shows Jeff Clark. Thanks to Kim for sending me this photo. 

The time is drawing very near for our Family Reunion in Anacortes, Washington on Saturday, August 10 at the Shepard home on Wildwood Lane. Have you made your plans to be there?

- - -

Steve Shepard

Forty Years Ago, July 23, 2013

I'm inspired by my own children,

how full they make my heart. 

They make me want to make the world better.

And they make me want to be a better man.”

~Barack Obama

Hello family and friends. Greetings to all of you from San Diego.

Happy Birthday Shannon! Tomorrow, July 24, is the birthday of Shannon Wilk, one of the Great Grandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard. Shannon was born 40 years ago in San Diego to Phil and Beverly Russell Wilk. She lives today with her daughter Emma in Atchison, Kansas, near where her father's family originated.

Shannon: We are doing well. The carnival is in town this weekend so we are going to that. I don't have any plans for my birthday. Dinner with friends, maybe go dancing. Nothing big. I was going to do something special but with work and life itself, dinner and good company seems good enough. Emma is going to make me wear a Hello Kitty Birthday Girl pin to work. It only seems right, I made her wear it on hers. It doesn't seem like I'm going to be forty. Karl and mom didn't make it this far. I have some wonderful angels watching over me and Emma. Take care.

The first picture shows Shannon at just a few months old with her brother, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. From left to right in the picture are Karl Wilk, Beverly Russell Wilk (holding Shannon), Pauline Shepard Russell, and Bura Davis Shepard.

40 Years Ago. 1973 was a significant year in our family for a number of reasons. Not only was Shannon born in July, her second cousin Kelly Shepard (Sauvage) was born in September of that year, also in San Diego. In addition, it was the year that Cindy and I moved back to Southern California, having been in graduate School for a couple of years in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was also in the summer of '73 that our family made a memorable trip to Yosemite, and enjoyed ourselves camping and hiking.

The second picture was taken on Glacier Point in the summer of '73. With Half Dome providing an impressive background, from left to right are Gary and Jackie Shepard, Darrell Shepard with niece Kerri in front of him, Maida Shepard with son Russ behind her, me with nephew Jason Shepard in the backpack, and Cindy Shepard on the right. 

Upcoming Family Reunion. In just a few short weeks, on Saturday, August 10, our family will gather in a family reunion in Anacortes, Washington. All family members and friends are invited to join us for this reunion.

A number of pictures were taken -- as always -- at the last Family Reunion in Anacortes, including the final picture of this post. It shows my nephew Patrick Shepard looking very fatherly as he holds one year old Logan Shepard, the son of his cousin Nathan Shepard. Any time now Patrick will get to hold his own son. He and his wife Nicole are expecting their first child very soon.

This Just In. Moments before posting this, I saw on Facebook a message from Heather Robson Cotton (one of Leroy and Nola Gower's Ggrandchildren), wishing her daughter Victoria a happy birthday. Tori was born on this day 6 years ago! We celebrate with her and her family, including grandmother Paula Tuzzolino and Ggrandmother Vicki Johnston.
- - -
Steve Shepard 

Family Cars and More Stories They Tell, July 17, 2013

 I sustain myself with the love of family. 

~Maya Angelou

Greetings to all of you from Orlando, Florida where Cindy and I are attending the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with several thousand other Disciples from around the country. It is a biennial event we enjoy traveling to for the inspiration and fellowship.

In my last post I shared some information and pictures about our family and their cars from the 1920s and 30s. I am continuing that theme in this post and will share a few more pictures of family members with their autos, these from the 1940s and 50s.

The Way We Were. The first picture shows some young folks enjoying themselves, but this time it is my mom Maida Gower with a boyfriend named Rudy, whom she knew before she met the man she would marry. Mom tells me that this picture was taken in San Diego in 1943 or 44 in front of the Gower home on Arizona Street. Actually the Gower home -- their first in San Diego -- was a small house behind the home that is seen here.

This happy twosome is pictured in front of a beautiful old automobile, which provides a strong, substantial backdrop to the two of them. My mom tells me that the car may have belonged to the owners of the house behind them. If it was Rudy's car it would, of course, have made him especially attractive. It is war time in the military city of San Diego, but you would never know it from the peaceful smiles and warmth of this moment captured in time.

He is in military uniform and she is attired impressively for an Oklahoma farm girl. Only a year or so removed from the small town of Okemah, this lovely, available, Southern Baptist teenage girl now finds herself in the big city of San Diego and is dressed accordingly. She is obviously pleased to be in the company of this marine. Within a year of this picture being taken, it would be another soldier, navy man Eugene Shepard, who would steal Maida's heart as they began a romance that would last almost 60 years, until 2003, when dad died.

A Hot Ford From the 40s. The second photo, also taken in the early 1940s, shows my dad Eugene (on the right) with his older brother Elmer Shepard, in front of the Shepard rooming house on Albatross St. in the Hillcrest section of San Diego. These are serious fellows, in "civvies", posing with what was soldier Eugene's pride and joy, a shiny new 1941 Ford. He used this vehicle to commute the 100 miles between San Diego and Los Alamitos, California where he was stationed at the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station during WWII. This was probably the vehicle he used to date Maida when they began courting in 1944.

Grandad's Stylish Merc. The third picture takes us into the 1950s. It was taken in August of 1957 in Point Loma in front of our home on Rosecrans Street where Eugene and Maida and their first 4 children lived. We lived in military housing (even though dad was a vet in Civil Service) and had a beautiful view of downtown San Diego, North Island and San Diego bay, some of which you can see in the distance.

Our home on Rosecrans Street, from 1955 to 1959, was actually on military property, which included a fuel supply depot as well as a marine barracks. Even so, our home there was easily accessible (this was obviously many years prior to 9-11) and was a common gathering place for our Shepard and Gower families. Nearly all the members of both families lived in San Diego and were fond of getting together. This picture was taken at one such family gathering.

It shows me as a scruffy 8 year old in wrinkled blue jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. I am standing in front of granddad's stylish Mercury, which was just a few years old at the time. Also in this picture are granddad William Shepard, partially visible on the left, and his daughter, my aunt Pauline Shepard Russell on the right.

It was probably my mom (often the photographer in our family) or perhaps my uncle Bill Russell who took this picture. Whoever it was, they considered it appropriate to include granddad's Mercury in the background, a vehicle I remember riding in a number of times. It was usually driven by granddad, but occasionally by grandmother Bura. Even today, I can remember as an 8 year old boy being impressed that my grandmother would drive the car. My other grandmother, Nola Gower, never learned to drive, which may have been part of the reason I admired my grandmother Shepard when she did.

These are just a few of the dozens of old family pictures that show our kinfolk along side their vehicles. Each one tells a number of stories, unfortunately many of them lost to history after all these years. If you are interested in previous blog posts where I have included old pictures of family members with their cars, check out links here and here, here and here and especially here where you can see the very oldest picture I have of some family members with their car.

As I mentioned in my last post, if you have other old pictures of family members with their cars, pass them on to me with a little something of the stories contained therein. I'd be glad to share them here for all to read.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Family Cars and the Stories They Tell, July 10, 2013

The farther back you can look,

the farther forward you are likely to see.

~Winston Churchill

Greetings to all of you from sunny San Diego!

I am sharing three old pictures today that were all taken in the 1920s and 1930s, when my parents were young. These pictures tell of the important place that automobiles had in our family's lives in the early 20th century. It is somewhat surprising how often pictures in that day were taken of family members alongside their automobiles. We do that occasionally today, of course, but it seems to have been even more natural for this phenomenon to have occurred in a time when cars carried greater significance than they do today. 

Even though automobiles made their appearance around the turn of the century, in the 1920s and 30s they were just becoming the norm for the average American. Automobiles in that time were somewhat comparable to personal computers for us today. It was a new technology that had only been around a few decades and was drastically changing the very fabric of American society and family life.

Pride Of Ownership. The first picture is one of the oldest I have of our family with an automobile. It shows my grandparents William and Bura Davis Shepard with their first three children. Judging from the age of the children (and the fact that their 4th child Thelma, born 1936, is not in the picture), my guess is that this picture was taken about 1928. 

1928 was the year the Shepards moved from Beaver County, Oklahoma to Two Buttes in Southeast Colorado. Perhaps this car was purchased for the purpose of making that move. It shows granddad William sitting in the driver's seat with the pride of ownership written all over his face. Next to him is his young, 30 something wife Bura, looking to be pleased and proud of this "modern" family portrait. 

Positioned at various locations on the vehicle are their children, like fruit on a tree. On the hood, obedient and well behaved, is young Eugene. On the running board is Pauline, standing confidently in a prominent position, befitting her stature as the first born. And sitting behind his dad, in a place of safety and closeness to his parents, is middle child Elmer, his face in the shade. 

The overall impression I get here is of a family that is pleased to claim ownership of this fine traveling machine. They seem to be more than just a little taken with this auto and the place it now has in their family life. They do not look as if they just came in the from working in the fields, like some old family photos. Instead they appear to be clean and fresh and ready to go somewhere, indeed anywhere this wonderful, modern vehicle of transportation will take them.

Say Hello To My Lit'l Friend. The second picture, taken about 1935, when the Shepard family lived in Two Buttes, Colorado, shows my father Eugene Shepard by himself, standing in front of what may have been the family's automobile. He's a skinny young school kid (he graduated 1939), and may may have been 14 or 15, at the age when he was just learning how to drive -- a serious right of passage as important for teenagers in the 1930s as it is today. 

His posture and his facial expression tell us that he is clearly attached to this vehicle -- almost literally! He stands easily between the front bumper and the radiator, appearing to be comforted by the warmth of this machine. It is as if he is standing alongside a good friend, as if part of his self image -- even at this age -- is wrapped up in his relationship with this four wheeled companion.

Joy Riding With Friends. The third picture was taken a few years later -- perhaps 1939 or 1940, and indicates a growing maturity of relationship between family and auto, evidenced by the obvious lightheartedness of this particular moment. This picture also appears to have been taken when the Shepards lived in Colorado, before they moved to San Diego in September, 1940. 

Dad and some friends (none of whom I can identify) are enjoying a fun time beside a car that has probably taken them on a short road trip. My dad is the one on the left with a tooth missing, cozying up to an unknown girl in front, and one behind, all of them mugging it up for the camera. What are the girls in front holding? Rustic little purses? Brownie cameras? Joy riding with friends in a fancy car like this would definitely have called for photo remembrances.

The unknown fellow standing on the running board is uneasy, looking off into the distance. At what? The open road? An approaching police officer? Gawking spectators? He does not seem to have gotten the joke the others are laughing at. Perhaps he did not find it funny. Was the joke on him? Did it have something to do with the unseen, camera-shy girl in the car who is sticking her high heel shoe up and out the window. What's that all about? One can only imagine.

Our family and their cars: the stories they tell are countless. These are just a few. In my next post I will continue this theme of family members and their cars by looking at a few pictures from the 1940s and 50s.

Do you have other old pictures of family members with their cars? Pass them on to me with a little something of the stories contained therein. I'd be glad to share them for all to read.

- - -

Steve Shepard