Happy Birthday, Benson!

Family Photos, circa 1985 (Part 1)

Sara Mossman, Minne Isley, Erin McDougal

Bill Isley, Benson Isley

Bob Young, Jill Mattingly, Allen Barteky

Burning Desire: The Wedding --- 1988

Friday Photos: 46th Anniversary Party (yes, 46th...)

Lottie Jensen Johnson

Minne Johnson Isley

Bob Johnson

Jill Johnson Mattingly

Marie Jensen Durand

Jacque Johnson Burkhalter

Mark Johnson

left to right

Angie Johnson Hooper

Sara Mossman

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Minne Johnson Isley

Benson Isley

?

?

I could send Marian C.O.D. for you.

1981 - Monday

Hi Dad & Mom -

Happy Memorial Day...or is Memorial Day supposed to be happy. Not with this rain, it ain't. We went swimming, indoors, of course. Anna & Elisabeth showed off their new skills to Stan & Marian spent the hour trying to climb whatever "tree" was handy. Mostly me.

Anna is in seventh heaven because a new boy moved in down the street. He even called her today. Twelve more years of this will drive me crazy.

I'm writing to ask you to measure the diameter of your blue coat, and also the back length.

Or I should say, I need to know what diameter you want the new one since you're so skinny now and also the back length you prefer - I know you want it longer. Maybe you'll get it by father's day.

I presume Minne & Bill are back. Ah envy. Do you miss Benson, Dad? I could send Marian C.O.D. for you. Hell, I'd even prepay the freight. And she is housebroken now too. Just say the word...

Only 12 more dys, huh, Ma... Anna's counting, too - I'm surprised that she's sick of school already. Are you having a party?

What time on the 18th are you getting back from Alaska? I've been looking at our summer plans - will you take the girls Aug 3-7 and the weekend on either end? We're going to a workshop at Cal-Poly in San Luis Obispo. Depending on our monetary situation, we'de like to see San Francisco on the way down and LA on the way back. What I was wondering at the beginning of this paragraph is - do you maybe want to plan the Ocan trip the week of the 19th? We have the Burkhalter reunion the 25-26, so we could go straight from the ocean to California, which wouldn't be too restful, among other things. Other things being trying to pack stuff for three different "trips" all in one. On the other hand, you just might like more than a day or 2 to "rest up" and water all your weeds before you go again. Whatever.

Stan's on jury duty again this week. Hates it because of the detailed lesson plans he has to make up. He wrote about a dozen work sheets last night.

We went to a play Saturday nite - Ladyhouse Blues. Do you know when it was written? It was set in the 20's. We wondered because a lot of the jokes wouldn't have been meant as such if it was written back then (world coming to an end, last war stuff)

Le me know your measurements ma

See you soon

Jacque

Hi to Mark - I wrote you a lovely letter, but I lost it - unless Stan mailed it for me, which I doubt.

Fabric sample for the jacket:

Friday Photo: The 2nd Cousins

Elisabeth Burkhalter Rosson (back)

Benson Isley

Morgan Vukovic Walsh

Katie Cobb Burns

Keith West

mid 1980s

Land Yacht on Bainbridge

"We've ordered a trained one"

Jun 12, 1978

Dear Mom & Dad

Thank you for all the goodies you've given Road King. I'm sure the baby won't need diapers or pins or wipe ups since we've ordered a trained one. Just in case, though...the quilt and pillow are really sweet. I've got them in the crib just waiting for what's his name. Thanks also for the plastic pants, bag & bottle stuff, and for coming all this way to the shower and for ths pictures.

I love you.

Minne Bill & Sara

Dad - Thanks for helping on moving day & for loving me still when I got rude.

Will Work for School Clothes

Benson - Work List at Grandma's

August 1989

Age 11

1 moed lone every pach

2 pulled beans

3 redid path

4 stacked 3 crates kindling

5 helped clean out parking lot

6 picked strawberries

7 picked beans

8 gave water to gote

9 picked up apples of the ground

10 wheelbarreled been vines to gote

11 cleaned out shop

12 washed all garbard cans

13 helped make burn pile

14 picked basil

15 picked up nails from pasture

16 raked orchard

Benson paid

School Clothes  75.31

School Supplies  18.15

                          $93.46

Work credit @ $2.50 per hr   50.00

Gift from Grandma   43.40

Marian

Photo Friday: Cousins...and Friends

These two have been friends forever...

Two Owls

I think I should be right too. And good to know my list-making tendancies started at a young age.

DEAR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR THE COATS I CAN RITE ELISABETH ICAN RIT LOTS OF LOTS OF WORDS OF

Anna

Friday

Hi Mom

The girls coats are beautiful and practical - gauranteed to last at least 2 years - fold up sleeves and long-ish body. Thank you!

I wrapped them up and gave them to the girls right away. Minne was here on Monday and I gave Benson Anna's "straight-jacket" - it looked great on him! (Don't worry it isn't pink) (One from my friend Annie Hill) So anyway - we just couldn't wait another week.

Hope you call soon about Thanksgiving - I should let Jen know. They are coming for Anna's birthday Friday.

Marian has started walking. Woe is me. She refuses to walk from Stan to me or vice versa but she freely walks away from furniture - its like she just forgets that she can't walk yet. Anyway, she goes 2 or 3 steps then falls on her face - a million times a day (at least).

Everybody here is suffering from "greensleeves". We all have colds and I'm the only one in the house that seems to believe in blowing one's nose in a tissue. Gross.

The carpeting was finaly installed in our "attic" today. Whoopee. Now we have a 3-day weekend to hopefully finish things up. I decided on cheap, boring, brown. It looks fine.

Anna is busy deciding one which toys will go in which playroom. I promised I would help her make a list in the morning. Yesterday she wrote out all the invitations to her birthday party by herself. Elisabeth figures her birthday should be with Anna's. Today Anna got a card in the mail, and Elisabeth cried all the way back to the house - real tears, too!

Yesterday and today I made "bulldog" outfits for them - plaid blouses. (I bought green cords.)

Almost forgot - the coats were $23. You don't need to pay all of it if you don't want to - Honest.

How are you guys? Hi Dad! Oh yawn, I'm sleepy. Nice talkin' to you. Looking forward to Thanksgiving. Let me know what to bring. Pies or relishes or whatever.

Monday nite...

Well, our 3-day weekend is almost over and we almost got everything done upstairs. You know how it goes. Stan really wants it finished for when his family is here Friday so at least we have a good goal!

Anna did most of the enclosed letter herself - just needed help spelling about 1/2 the words. She absolutely refusd to believe that "write" begins with a "w". She threw a fit! So who cares, anyway? I think she should be right.

Elisabeth sent her letter separately. I don't know whats inside - it was a secret!

Love,

Jacque