Bowling

Bob is a great bowler.  He doesn't bowl anymore--who has the time for that?  But still, when we go to the lanes on a random visit with Connor in the winter, he invariably does great.  When we met, he bowled in a money league and did so for many years.  He even lowered himself to bowl in a few leagues with me as a teammate (I totally suck!).

On top of that, his sister Sue and her then husband, Fred, are great bowlers, too.  Found all of this together in an album.

Team comprised of Bob, Sue (his sister), Fred (her husband), my co-worker Ken, and me.  Score sheet showing one of Bob's 300 (perfect) games.  

This is from the November 1995 issue of "BOWL" magazine.  At the bottom are photos of Fred and Bob acknowledging 300 games.  It's a crazy lot of bowling talent in one family.

This is a letter from the ABC officially confirming another of Bob's 300 games in June of 1995.  I couldn't scan the whole thing because at the bottom they include his full Social Security number.  My how things have changed!  Now our SS#'s are top secret!

And this is from an earlier season where Bob held the league high average.  Quite an accomplishment in that league as it was full of fantastic bowlers. 

Family Day At the CIA

We went to this event once or twice in the mid-1990s.  I think they stopped having it after the 9-11 attacks.  It was interesting to walk around the CIA compound and at least get a little glimpse of the place in which our loved ones spent so much time.  This is the program from 1995.  I found the black and white thermal paper photo of our niece Morgan Ascher and her mother, Sue, tucked in the back cover.

Ka'Hiki

So, I said the posts here would be in no particular order. This should prove that. In October of 1995 my cousin Roy got married in Ohio. For some unknown reason, we stumbled into this incredible, huge tiki/polynesian restaurant that was near our hotel. In my albums that I'm going through to make this blog, there is a page with no comments...just a napkin and an umbrella.

Its funny. Bob and I were just talking about this recently after I heard a radio show discussing the surge in popularity of the "tiki" bar. Everything comes back around, I guess. This place was huge and like a Disney immersion theme restaurant. We both remembered it. Then, today, I find the napkin and umbrella. Turns out, it closed 10 years ago! The Columbus Dispatch just did an article a few months ago remembering the place on the 10th anniversary of its closure. You can read it here.

Apparently, this was one of the largest such places in the world.  It was pretty impressive. It cost over a million dollars to build in 1961.   This blogger posted a great review of the experience with photos and the full drink menu here.  And here is a diagram of the interior space with the massive tiki waterfall at the back wall and each of the internal structures. 

Its a shame its closed.  They could certainly be capitalizing on the resurgence of the theme.  Glad we got to see it.                                    

Pee Paw

Pee Paw is the moniker given to Bob's dad, Robert Lee Tate, Sr. by our nieces---probably Morgan Ascher--and then it caught on with all of them.  I have these two large 8x10s with no inscriptions.  Clearly, the older is the Navy portrait.  I don't know the occasion of the later one where he is on the left in a suit. 

Ancient Album 3

And this one is of my maternal grandparents, Anna Josephine Michalek and Leroy Engle.  The back of the photo is enscribed  Mom and Dad  Ocean Beach 1960

My grandmother is looking kind of stern, or maybe disinterested.  Love the leopard print dress.

They had a beach bunglow (a little pink one) and I bet this was taken there.  My grandmother would have been 52 years old.  

Ancient Album 2

This one is a bit faded but its a good one.  That is my mom, Anna M. Engle, I'm guessing around age 12, posing on the running board of her father's landscaping truck.

Those are my exact same looking ankles and feet.  Its scary.

And don't you love the phone number on the truck....HUBBARD 7-3841.   How retro!

Ancient Album 1

There is an album floating around the house.  It is ancient and meant for individual portraits, one per page.  They slot in from side and there are nice little frames inside.  I have no idea where it came from--I'm assuming my Grandmother.  There are three random pictures tucked into it.  This is the first. 

That's me, of course, on the left. I'm guessing that I'm 6 and Michelle is 3 here.  .  We both have alot of hardware in our hair.   And I'm digging the faux fur coats.  NICE!  

My valentine looks like it has some kind of arterial disorder and Michelle has the standard paper doily version. I always loved those. 

That's the front door of the house we grew up in and that my mom still lives in today.