Watts Consulting

More than you ever wanted to know about Alabama native Joe Watts

Family

Photos from the Old South

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Going through old photos from Uncle Edward, I’m amazed at the skill he had to document the many things he did. The photo below is of the old South, or at least that’s how I see it. There’s a small collection of them at the link below: http://www.joewatts.com/oldsouth–trying to avoid putting too many photo slideshows on the page at one time! These didn’t all have dates, but some that did are labeled 1974. Some, I suspect, are much earlier. There are trays and trays of slides to look through. Thanks again to cousin Kathy for scanning all these slides in.

 

Old Family Photos from Uncle Edward

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Wow. What a great assortment of photos. I’ve gone through these dozens of times, but thought it would be fun to share. I need to learn how to add captions to each of these photos in a simple way–I know how to add them by coding them in, but that’s more work than I’m interested in. Basically, these are photos that My Uncle Edward took during his lifelong love of photography. The focus of this set is family, primarily mine! (Keep an eye out for some of my cool hats!)

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More Photos From Early Alaska

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Early Alaska Photos

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My Uncle Edward and Aunt Gladys Waddell (my father’s sister) lived in Alaska before there was a road that took you there. They really used dog sleds as transportation in the winter, and caught salmon during the summer salmon runs to feed the dogs during the long, cold winters. One of my cousins (Kathy Miller–the daughter of my father’s brother, Bill Watts) made a valiant effort several years ago and scanned in tray after tray of old slides. I now have the slides, along with a copy of the images digitally. (My intent is to scan those slides in at higher resolution that I really want.)

These are just a few of the many photos Uncle Edward took. I got his photography bug. Ann’s been scanning in old photos of her family and I got to thinking about these.

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Styling 1970’s

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Not sure whether I should just be happy I had a shirt on in the first picture–apparently in addition to loving hats, I hated shirts as a child (something that hasn’t carried forward as evidenced by my farmer’s tan now). Oh, if we only still had the clothes in the photo at left! (Photo at left is from left to right–Margaret, Madeline, Cynthia, Julia and of course there I am in the center!)

A Nice Note from a Cousin

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Last Friday night, I got what was one of the nicest emails I’ve received in quite a while. A cousin I see with less frequency than I’d like sent this. Makes me very pleased to have such a strong family! (And I did ask permission to put this out, so don’t fear sending emails to me!)

Nollie told Lillian about your blog, then Lillian told me.  What a blessing you have created!  I love Octagon, too.  I wish gasoline weren’t one thousand dollars a gallon (slight exaggeration) and I weren’t so busy so I could go “home” every weekend.

As I have gotten older, I am mortified that I was not prouder of my parents and my upbringing when I was younger.  We really did have idyllic childhoods in Octagon–roaming the woods, playing in the catch-pens, riding Ida’s wagon-of-death down a 90- degree hill, and jumping off the chicken- house roof.  ( You were not born when we used to do that.  Be very grateful.)  Then there was running from Daddy’s schizophrenic red bull. And the time Nollie stuffed feed corn kernels in my ears and up my nose.  And the time we Hinson children agreed to let Daddy sell our pet baby bull, (which we had named Bull-ette and which we had hand-fed with a calf bottle since his birth) so we could buy Hoola-Hoops. And the sad Christmas children we were at Aunt Sadie Lou’s house because we had to wear Sunday clothes and sit and be polite and use good manners. And leave our new toys at home.

Your Mother’s Day tribute to your Mama was lovely.  Your mother was a remarkable woman.  I am so grateful that she was my aunt.  I wanted to contact all of her children on the anniversary of her tragic death, but I couldn’t find the words.  There are no words.  But Aunt Sis was brilliant and wise and warm and lovely and genteel and kind and wonderful.  I think of her and miss her every day, as I do Mama and Daddy.

Your mother and father; Mammy and Papa; my Mama and Daddy; Uncle Clifford; Aunt Sadie Lou and Uncle Larry; your Uncle Edward and Aunt Gladys–they all influenced the adults whom all 17 of us Hinson first- cousins would become.  I am sure I would be a better person if I had paid more attention to the advice and love they gave when I was a child and adolescent.  I like to think that I absorbed some of their wisdom through osmosis, if not through minding them and taking their instruction to heart.

Although I was nearly grown when you were born, I remember you well as a little boy.  You always wore hats and you usually wore boots and carried a gun.  Your parents were so proud of you.  A son at last!

Cousin Deborah Hinson Kelly

(Well, I couldn’t find photos of myself with a hat, boots AND a gun, but I managed to find a good collection of hats and one with a great toy gun! I really did love a good hat–the captain’s hat was my all-time favorite, though. I think I need another.)