Visiting our Heritage

Hills-Hackwood 1942

I recently rearranged my Heritage Wall art into 2 collections (see two posts ago) - the smaller frames are now on the wall going up the stairs. This allows for one to study the photos closely - what a delightful snapshot of time and history. I have clarified some of the details of the photos with those still living (namely Mum and Dad, Lesle and Col) and thought I would share for historical preservation.

Check out the long faces in the back row. Looks hot and life was probably pretty tough in the middle of a war, right after a depression. I presume this is somewhere in South East Qld - probably Warwick or Toowoomba?

Instead of "The Sullivan's", it's "The hackwood's"

Initially this photo was labeled 1949 - but Raymond William (very front with slouch hat on) looks to be about 11ish. Mum and Dad confirmed it was about '42 and provided this further commentary:

The group photo is -
Top from (L) - Aunty Mel (Vercoe), Nana H, Aunty Bebe (Donovan), Aunty Rita (wife of Aubrey Hills), Grandma ('Ma') Hills
Second row from (L) - a bit hazy here but we think the kids are Aub and Rita's -Audrey on far left, Doug (next to Pa), Janny on Uncle Aub's knee and their eldest Bobby.
We don't know who Pa is holding. Dad said it would have been about 1942.
Pa was in the Air Force from 6/1942 - 10/1945 and served in Australian air force bases as ground crew. He did not go overseas.

Joel attends Junior-Senior Banquet

What a handsome boy.....

Joel attended the Jr-Sr Banquet on Friday Night. He didn't take a date - but ran sound for the event. The tradition at Heritage is that the Juniors(Grade 11) put on the banquet for the Seniors(Grade 12). They had the event at the Children's Museum which opens to formal evening events once the museum closes. They had a dinner and then went into the theater for a series of skits and speeches. There were several "after parties" and Joel went to one and was home at Todd's by 1am.

Heritage Wall has new home x 2

Pond complete

The pond is rebuilt. We picked up 700lbs of rock from The Stone Center and rebuilt the grass side (see below). Kevin dug the pond out another 4-6 inches and we used that dirt to fill the wall. I finished up the landscaping by transplanting some hostas and re-mulching. Four fish survived the rebuild by living in temporary housing - and now are exploring the new caves of their new home. I have not spotted them since they are home.

See also the shiny new grill. I am roasting a lamb on it today.

Citizen Leisa

The Citizenship Oath was today at the Indiana Southern District Federal Court House in downtown Indianapolis. There were 53 new citizens who took the oath today. The court was presided over by Judge Kelvin. The ceremony lasted about 45 minutes. We were sworn in by Judge Kelvin and had to agree "I do" to the pledge recited. Our names were read out and we received the Certificate of Naturalization. There were a couple of speakers offering congratulations to us as new citizens - representatives from Senator(IN.) Richard Lugar's office, and other government agencies. The judge said some nice words about being "American" and that the melting pot of America continues to blend.






Joel and Sarah and Russ and Kevin were there for the ceremony. My friend Carol Hoppe also came.

Major Pond Reconstruction Underway

Yesterday was the first full day of Spring here. Spring dawned at 7:44am on Friday March 20th. The first brave bulbs are blooming and yesterday was a sunny, clear day - so I began the pond re-building project. The water level kept dropping at the end of the fall last year - so I suspect a leak. It has been seven years since I put this lining in - so considering the extreme temperatures of seven winters - it has done good service.

The plan is to take the lining out and dig the pond a little deeper. The retaining wall on the side by the grass needs more height. The plan ALSO includes Kevin or Joel digging!!!! Then I'll put a new lining in and replace the rocks (which you can see I removed and put on mesh on the grass to clean - seven years of pond scum!). There are at least two fish I have spotted that made it through the winter - so I will try and catch them and put them in a container to wait until their new home is finished. If they don't make it they are only 25c each at the pet store!

I'll post photos once the project is completed.

Approved for U.S. Citizenship

I had my Citizenship Interview yesterday with Officer Gieler. She went through my application, asked a few questions - like how many children I had born in the U.S. , how many times I have been married, whether I have ever been arrested. Then she asked me 10 Civics questions (I had studied all 100), had me sign some documents and indicated she would be approving my application for citizenship. The whole thing took about 10 minutes. Next step is to get notification on the next Oath Ceremony (she said I'll receive notification in 2-3 monhts) and once I take the oath - I will be a U.S. citizen. I will, of course still have my Aussie citizenship - so I will be dual.

One step closer......

Updated fireplace tile

BEFORE

The tile installed around the fireplace when I built this house was cheap and "vanilla" looking. The hearth was narrow and several years ago Joel had a log roll out of the fireplace and scorch the carpet. I have been wanting to re-tile for years and Kevin and his Dad - Russ, have the tools and skill.

I love the new look! It makes the fireplace stand out much more and makes it a feature in the room. We extended the hearth which has made it appear to be in a better scale. I am still undecided on whether to paint the mantle a different color and what to do with the Heritage Wall. I think i am going to move it and put something different above the fireplace.

....AND AFTER

Weekend to refresh in Florida

I had a great long weekend recharge in Florida. Left Indy 6am Friday morning and returned Monday afternoon in time to get Eli for dinner. Friday and Saturday were beautiful clear blue sky days - 75F. I had so many memories of our week there in September. Visited the beach at Fort Desoto. The picnic tables are in different places on the beach - but I couldn't help smile at the infamous "nap on the beach" photo. I sat on the beach Saturday a.m. and got a bad burn on my chest and neck and shoulders - so covered up after that. Sunday was actually cloudy and rainy and mid afternoon a huge fog rolled in - a "sea mist" I suppose.

I read and napped a lot, watched TV at night and went to bed early. I went to Crabby Bills Friday night and had a dozen oysters on the half shell - $5.99!! Can you believe it? The atmosphere was busy and loud - nice to see people enjoying themselves in these tough economic times. The oysters were from Louisiana and were HUGE. They were so good I went back Saturday for another dozen for lunch + a Bloody Mary, then went to Billy's (close to Vasili's place were we had the Lobster) that night and got 30 Peel-and-eat shrimp - basically prawns that you peel yourself. 30 sound like a lot - but they are fairly small.

Sunday, lest I break out in boils, I decided to have just a half dozen oysters for lunch......3.99! as well as the steamer bucket - more shrimp and mussels and clams.

Oh......I forgot that Friday for lunch I went to the Hurricane - the lovely restaurant we went to the first night we were there - with the balcony and sunset views - and had a Grilled Grouper sandwich - their specialty and fresh from the Gulf.

I didn't take my camera and there really wasn't anything photo worthy...but I did have this postcard on my fridge. Mum and Dad - you may recall the big pink palace - "The don Cazair Resort" in the bottom left of the postcard. Crabby Bill's is up the beach just after the green space.

Hannah & Jason's Wedding

Saturday was a perfect day in every way! It was casual, yet elegant. Hannah and Jason are a lovely couple. They were married by a local Judge in Jason's parent's home. They had tables and chairs brought in and all the food was catered except for Kevin's special beef tenderloin which he had marinating Friday night and cooked at the Esmail's. There were 23 guests + 1 dog !! Kevin did really well considering his daughter was getting married!