Sepia Saturday: Private Life, Family Life

(Our contribution to Sepia Saturday. Check the others here.)

This week I finished Jane Smiley's great new novel Private Life. Besides being a compellingly written story, I was struck by how the life of its central character Margaret Mayfield could have been any number of my female ancestors. Moving from Missouri to California, she suppresses her own aspirations and dreams in order to be a dutiful wife.
In a recent interview, Smiley mentioned that the story was inspired in part by a distant relative she knew little about and ended up inventing her fictional character from that base. I've said more than once that some of the most fascinating family photos are of those I never met and knew little about.

Born in 1874, Lulie Ann Fleming was the youngest of the nine sisters of my great-grandmother Eva Bell whom I chronicled in this post.
Like Margaret Mayfield, she married at 27 in 1901. In that era, I am sure that her family worried that she was on the road to be an old maid. Seen here with her husband Charlie on their wedding day, I can imagine the guests whispering "I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen," as she walked down the aisles. I am always drawn to the hankie delicately placed in her lap.Although they lived in Kansas, not Missouri, Charlie and Lulie left for California sometime during World War I. I am sure that this was devastating to my great-grandmother since she had no other family there, all the other siblings still in Quebec. This shot is of Charlie on the Kansas farm sometime before their departure to California.
Taken in 1911, this shot shows four of their six children, including the youngest, Bessie, and Lulie's parents Spencer and Elizabeth visiting from Montreal. One son died as an infant, and another was on its way.

This final shot is from 1948 at Knott's Berry farm with Bessie and Lulie. Notice that nearly five decades after her wedding, she still had a hankie in her lap. Having been born in the days of horse drawn wagons as the main means of transport and much of the American west still a frontier, Lulie must have found it bemusing to pose for this re-enactment of it.

Looking at the photos of Lulie, I see so many familiar aspects of her face that remind me of the women in my family -- especially the position of the nose above the mouth. Seeing just that portion of her face, I could think it was my mother, sister, niece, aunt, grandmother and other women in the family. I can even see a bit of it in my own face.

I have never met any of Lulie's offspring, those surviving likely being fourth, fifth or sixth cousins. But I am curious where they are in California, if our paths may have crossed without us knowing it. I know that having these photos of Lulie was a great comfort to my great-grandmother who felt so alone in Kansas, and it is intriguing to look back at them and try to guess the fuller story.

Miss Bow Says...

Yippee! The sun has been shining for the past 30 hours in San Francisco, and I have been enjoying sun paths in the afternoon in the front parlor. My daddy has a furlough/leave day Friday, and we're going to be in the back yard pulling weeds, chasing cats on the back fence, and enjoying the sun. At last I've broken free of the chilly temps and snow of Chicago and am a true California girl!

Ready to Lead?

With the State of California deficit reaching something like $750,000 Trillion, it's hard to think what things will be like next year when the Gubernatorial race comes up again. This cool comparison photo in this morning's consistently underwhelming San Francisco Chronicle (not nearly as entertaining as the San Francisco Examiner which frequently misspells San Francisco on the front page and has been knowing to leave Greeking in places where they ran out of time to insert actually) accompanied this article suggesting that it might come down to a race between Newsom and Brown. It makes you wonder if Gary Coleman and Mary Carey might throw their hats in the ring again. Though seeing Mayor Newsom in that little sailor suit the year Nixon resigned was a great way to start off a Monday.

Speaking of politics but on a more local scale, this post by The Angry Young Man was rather interesting about retail battles on the avenue they call Valencia.

Yes, But What's the State Rodent?

Am I a bit behind on this one, or could someone bring me up speed? Remember, I had that great visit to the Parque Condor in February, and I preferred those birds to either the parrot or the quail. Grouses have always appealed to me. In the Midwest, subdivisions are often named after grouses and quails, so they're both kind of tired to me. Anyway, go visit that website and weigh in on this meaty issue of our times.

UPDATE: Following the comment dialog with Gavin, I'm inspired to post this piece with Huell and another California bird. Is it just me or did Carole Migden get her fashion sense from Sydney Kross?

Keeping on the Theme: Timeless

Since we're on the Cass Elliott theme, this week's latest paranoid news reminds us that her songs have as much relevance today as they did three and a half decades ago. This is the most (and probably only) Zen song I've ever heard about natural disasters. What will be is what will be.

I Love You Too Noodles

With this post, I meet my October quota of posting non-original YouTube content. This is my favorite episode of my favorite YouTube show.

Also, this dish is what I always order when dining at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and the French Laundry in Napa. Be sure to just ask for nouilles, poudre, eau et viande.

On the Edge of Civilization

I never thought that I would describe Gilroy as an urbane, sophisticated place with great restaurants and shops and a mild climate. But after the past two days of weaving through the desert, it sure feels like paradise as I make my final stop before returning to the JunkPlex and unload the treasures from Lazy Acres.

Ah, those final miles of the towns on Route 66/I-40. Don't forget Winona? Oh, I sure wish I could. Having been on the road non-stop since last Thursday and weaving through a total of ten states and more miles than I want to tally, I must say that the folks in those little desert towns were the spookiest. For all the reputation that Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma have for being backwards, they look like Paris compared to Kingman, Needles and Bakersfield. Never have I heard so much crappy country music (yes, a redundant phrase) as I did in those towns. And bad food and horrible radio stations. Arriving in Barstow at 8 a.m. where it was already nearly 90 degrees I had a caffeine orgasm if there is such a thing when I spotted Starbucks. After two days of McDonald's coffee, my java g-spot had me quivering and would have dropped my scowl if it hadn't been for all that friggin' sun. Supposedly McDonald's has upgraded their coffee, but they still use those hideous foam cups that make you feel like you're being baptised in a vat at a Dow Chemical plant.

And Barstow actually had radio stations that were a variation from the only two options during the past 300 miles -- horrific twangy country or screaming evangelicals. Hearing Duran, Duran ask "Is There Something I Should Know?" made my heart race even before I hit Starbucks. Nothing like '80s pop and caffeine to start a good day.

Regardless, I look forward to heading north and home tomorrow. Let's pray no one breaks into my UHaul tonight. UHaul. I hope I don't call that 800 number for at least another decade.

And what i thrill it is to be in even Gilroy where it's in the 70s compared to Ludlow which I went through at 6:20 a.m. before it reached today's high of 116.