To Steph's We Go!

We're on our way to Stephani and Cullen's.    It will be a busy weekend, as we will be in Sioux Falls all weekend at the horse expo. Steph is showing her stud "Skip" and has a booth.  Hopefully she will make many contacts for stud service for this spring and summer.
This is the first year for her and Cullen to market her stud at this expo, so we'll see how things go. 

Here Steve and Steph are visiting while I was taking pictures of her horses last fall.  I feel kind of bad, because it's been so long since we've been to her place.  Steph and Cullen were home for Christmas, when everyone was home, so this visit with them will be good.
I'm sure her yard is still muddy, as southern MN had more snow then we did this winter.  In fact, it is suppose to snow again tomorrow! 

I used this picture on my blog header last fall for awhile.  I was trying to find a picture of "Skip", but couldn't, so will have to take some on this trip.  I know I have a big picture that she had a photographer take, and she used it for some ads, but I can't find it!!!!  Skip is a quarterhorse, colored sorrel with flaxen mane and tail.  Really a beautiful animal.  He has sired some nice babies, and they are all so beautiful.

Leah and Amanda have a colt, "Smoke", sired by Skip.  He is a very light palamino, but most of Skips babies are sorrel with flaxen mane and tail like himself.  Leah is now riding Smoke, and now that spring is upon us, she'll be anxious to start riding him again.
We plan on leaving about 10 am, and it will take us about 5.5 hrs to get there - maybe 6 if we stop for lunch.   Steph is riding Skip about 6 pm, and has a program with Skip and some of his babies that she's sold.  She says they are riding to "Man From Snowy River" music.  That is our family favorite in both music and movie!    Steph will be singing the national anthem every day at noon.   I think this expo is probably  a "bigger" thing than I'm prepared for.  Steph and I will be staying at a motel in Sioux Falls, while the guys will be traveling the 40 miles ea way morning and night, (they get to do the chores at home!). 

Steph and Cullen don't have interenet connection/landline phone or cable tv, etc. at their farm, so she isn't aware of all this blogging that the rest of us are doing.  Actually, I'm not so sure she'd make time for it.  Both working and then all their chores, etc. etc.  I know that she and Cullen are bone tired at the end of each day.  Can't wait to see them tomorrow - and I'll get a full report to you all when I get home!  Have a great weekend!

Friday Family Fotos!

 My fathers family came from Estonia in 1912 when  my father was 3 years old.  I don't know what kind of work my grandfather did when he lived in Estonia, but here he learned the dry cleaning business in New York before moving to Minnesota.  He opened up a dry cleaning business in Park Rapids MN, named Vaegemast Cleaners. Dad and uncle John both learned the business, with my dad staying here and my uncle later moving to Greeley Colorado to opened his own dry cleaning business.  Both dad and uncle John served in WWII, so there was a time when both were gone.

This would be my grand father in his early years of business.  Notice the big steam press in back.  On the table up front, notice the large flat iron.  You can't see the sewing machine, but it was directly across from the cutting table to the left edge of the picture.  Both grandparents had passed away before my sister and I were born, so we never knew them.

My father sitting on the desk, other fellow is unknown.  The  photo below is after some remodeling of this same area.  Notice that there is now linoleum on the floor, and better lighting.  Uncle John behind the desk and my dad to the edge.  As a small child I remember the front part of the cleaners like this picture below.  Up front on the left side that can't be seen was a huge ceiling to floor mirror.  Wish I had a picture of that, as it was said to have been the mirror out of the first saloon in our town.  It later was moved to our house and took up a good space of one wall.  You can see better detail of the pictures if you click on them to enlarge them.  The ceiling was the tin or metal that was used back then. 

My grandfather and father were tailors, and did fitting of suit clothes for men.  I have the their treadle sewing machine that they did tayloring with.  It is on the original table, with cigarette burns in the wood, and all.  They were smokers, and I remember my dad would leave a cigarette on the edge so the ashes would fall off.  I think more burned there than he actually smoked.  Old Lucky Strikes!  Yuk!    The sewing machine needs to have a new leather belt installed on it to get it working again.  This is the machine that I learned to sew on.   Mom and I did some reupholstry work years ago, when she was still alive, so I think I haven't used this machine since the mid 70's.   I remember that I loved using the knee lever to raise and lower the presser foot.  This sits waiting for someone to use it - one of these days I should get it going again.

This was the store front shortly before demolition of the building.  The main street of our town has really changed since I was young.  There is only one business that I know of that has the same owners.  That would be the little gift shop that was next to the dry cleaners.  Bishops clothing store is no longer there - that building now houses realators.  The cleaners building was not in good shape, so after that was sold in the late 60's or very early 70's, it was torn down and rebuilt.  It now houses a womans clothing store - the expensive kind, that I don't go in! 

Basketball Team of Old

My sister found this picture of our father and basketball team for Park Rapids high school.    Dad is the 5th one from the coach, and his brother is behind him.  His brother John actually was a year older than dad, but both graduated together, I believe in 1927.  I have no idea who any of the other players are or the coach, so will be taking this picture to the "all class reunion committee" to see if they have any old pictures close to that year of graduation.  I wonder if they had numbers on their shirt backs?  Found it interesting that their shoes don't look like they give any support at all!
I remember hearing stories of how good an athlete my dad was; both in basketball and especially in football.  He wasn't that big, but must have had the spirit and aggressiveness needed to be good.