Photo of Frank Modrowski and fiancee Jen Reidel on a 1941 Plymouth Deluxe. The photo was taken in Kitchener, Ontario during the summer of 1941 while Frank was on leave with the Canadian Army.
The photo was taken by a family member with a 35 mm camera. Frank tells me that the Plymouth was his father's, and the photo was taken in front of his parent's house. He also says that the Plymouth was a dark blue, and his uniform was a light tan -- standard summer issue for a Canadian private.
In the background is a one-pump Esso service station where gasoline was sold at 14 cents a gallon. The Coca-Cola sign displays the name of the service station owner; John Dziura.
Taken in 1951, after reviewing this photo, seat belts are a good choice.
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1969: My sister Anne, age 9, is on the left in the turquoise shorts. She and her classmate Anne B. are sitting in the B's family VW van ready to leave for their first trip to CYO Camp Rancho Fromasa (near Nashville, IN).
Anne B. appears (literally) not to be a happy camper. In fact my sister said that her classmate stayed unhappy the whole time they were at camp.
While cleaning up the image I realized that the body lying in the back seat reading a book is likely Anne B's older brother, and my classmate, Mark.
July 1940. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. "Cherry pickers. Auto of migrant fruit worker at gas station."
Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Wayne Smith Auto Co. -- wrecked Haynes sedan." Out second glimpse at the operations of this
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"Wayne Smith Auto Co., front." Mr. Smith went to Washington, and built this dealership at the corner of M and 22nd. A street view of the building shortly after its completion in 1920.
Detroit, Michigan, circa 1910. "Brady -- Gas Company. Auto showroom." Star billing goes to the gas light fixtures above a Hudson center stage at the showroom of J.H. Brady, dealer in Hudson, Peerless and Pope-Hartford automobiles.
Detroit, Michigan, circa 1910. "Tourist Auto Co. (Tourist buses in front of church with Hotel Tuller at right)."
Great Aunt Clara Johnson and her brother Great Uncle Sam Sturlaugson who was born in Iceland. I am driving and although the plate says 1952 the year is 1955 as I am 4 years old here. Sam was a police officer before going into real estate with his sister Clara. She was widowed at age 23 and he never married, they lived together with their Mother Gudrun Helgidotter in a large house they built in Selkirk Manitoba all their lives, my Grandmother joining them in her later years. Gudrun had inherited a good sum of money from her Father Helgi Helgesson in Iceland and they used that to buy a fleet of houses, they became very wealthy. When Great Aunt Clara passed away in 1983 this car was still in the garage in mint condition. Clara had a sterling silver plate with her name engraved on it attached to the car, also a led box of sorts with her deceased dog , a poodle Francois who rode in the trunk....did I mention she was eccentric? Clara's son in law Axel Axelsson who was widowed from Clara's only child drove the car to Pasadena California where he lived, most likely sold it.
Marineland of the Pacific on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1956. Left to right are my two cousins visiting from Texas, myself, and my brother. Inside the 1955 DeSoto are my Granny and my Aunt. We are all enjoying our ice cream at the end of a day of watching the fishes. All but my little brother, that is. His ice cream has rolled out of the cone and can just barely be seen on the ground at his feet on the right. It wasn't the first or the last time that would happen to him.
