Discover RUSSIA - National Geographic Society 1990

  

Years ago, before I made my first trip to Russia in 1992, I would collect any type of media that dealt with Russia.

This is one such program.  Released in 1990, it was a great showcase of what Russia was like in the early 1990's.

Happy to see someone digitized it and put it online.

Christmas Movies of days gone by...with great messages

 "Certain aspects of my life, are not in order."

From the Movie, The Gathering

The Andy Williams Christmas Show (1966)

 

In the 1960's and 70's, when we had cable, there was no hundreds of channels to choose from.  We had a basic set of channels, maybe 10 or less...and that was all.

It was limited.  Networks showcased certain programs during specific seasons.  One of those good memories was Christmas.  A highlite for our family, every year, was to watch many of those "Christmas specials".

And, of course, one of the most memorable was the "Andy Williams Christmas Special". Christmas tree was all set up, house decorated...at that age I would be in my pajamas...and watch the show with my Mom & Dad.  It was a safe place to be. 

It's pretty cool that someone posted one of these on Youtube from 1966.  I was 6 years old at the time.  He sang many of the same Christmas hits every year...but no one cared.  It was entertaining...we all loved them.

 

The Trailer....

 

As I have written, Mom & Dad bought a new Prowler Trailer in July 1976.  It was used on our family trip to Disneyland.  As the years went by, Mom & Dad often went camping with their close friends, George and Doris Straza, throughout the Okanagan.

While the colors of this trailer might be "dated" now, it was the "modern" look in 1976.  Mom & Dad also got their monies worth on this one.

We have fond memories of camping with them, and we were even able to camp with two of our kids, Elissa & Becky, on one of their trips.

These photos were found on the web from people who still have this model and have maintained them after all these years.  It gives you an idea of what it looked like.  Pretty cool!

My Dad's car....

 

Through the years, my Dad purchased a number of vehicles. I don't remember a lot of them, but this one stands out.  It was the summer of 1976 and we were preparing for a family trip to Disneyland. Dad bought this car and a new Prowler trailer.  July 1976.

Dad loved this car so much he would not let me drive it until the summer of 1981, when I was getting married, as the car was being used in our wedding party.  In fairness, I could have driven it before, but just never needed to as I had my own vehicle.

I do know I begged Dad to let me get my drivers license at age 16, so I could "help" with the driving on our trip. LOL...no way. I had to "wait" until I turned 17.

Anyways, this 1976 Buick LTD was an amazing car.  Dad loved it.  He certainly got his moneys worth on this one.

A good memory.

One of the hardest things I ever did was in the winter of 1992.  Dad had passed away on November 27th.  I had to drive the car around the area that Mom & Dad lived every couple weeks that winter just to keep things running ok. I cannot express to you how hard that was.

These are great photographs of exactly how the car looked.