Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt features a flight
attendant hugging a puppy. No puppies
were better loved than my granddaddy Slade’s hunting dogs.
 |
| Fred Slade Sr. and Beagles |
 |
| Fred Slade Sr. and his hallmark cigarette and pups |
He kept a kennel at the home of his sister and
brother-in-law, Margaret and George Moore.
My dad always used to say that the dogs ate better than
the family did.
I can believe that.
I have 24 photos of Granddaddy’s dogs.
But photos of my granny – less than half that many.
Even though I don’t have many pictures as proof, my
granddaddy adored my granny, maybe even more than he loved those Beagles. Pictures from the 1940s and those taken before
1982 when Granny passed away depict my grandparents exactly as I knew them --
 |
| Fred and Julia Slade, 1940. |
always smiling
 |
| Unknown friend, Julia and Fred Slade 1940 |
always optimistic
 |
| Fred and Julia Slade in the mid-1950s |
always cheerful and upbeat
and always devoted to each other.
 |
| Granny and Granddaddy Slade Late 1970s but certainly no later than 1981 |
Hugs and puppies await your visit to Sepia Saturday.
© 2015, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
It is so lovely to have the pictures to go with the memories and their love shines through the photographic lens.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how my grandparents had many struggles in life but always seemed happy.
DeleteBeagles are just so darned cute. Who couldn't love them! And the pictures of your Granny and Granddaddy Slade are lovely - just as they appear to be.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to resist a Beagle.
DeleteLots of photos of your grandad's dogs. Lovely pics Wendy!
ReplyDeleteThank-you, Rachna. When I look at that stack of photos, I KNOW it's because my granddaddy was so proud of them.
DeleteYour grandparents were clearly tactile folk; if not a hug , they seemed to love to encircle each in a casually draped arm. Good to see those beagles so well cared for too.
ReplyDeleteYep -- hugs and puppies!
DeleteWhat a lovely post from beagles to grandparents, all happily sharing their lives, and now you've shared them with us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice way to put it.
DeleteBeautiful post!
ReplyDeleteFrom a dog lover.
Thanks, Iggy.
DeleteBeagles are beautiful in a big bundle. Your grandparents look very devoted to each other. I agree that their love jumps off the page.
ReplyDeleteAren't they though? All those soft little paws and velvety ears. The dogs, I mean -- not my grandparents.
DeleteI'm sure there is some great meaning as to why people love their pets but as yet I have to work it out. Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a pet person either -- just too selfish. I cried for a week when my sister's turtle died. What if it had been a REAL pet??
DeleteWe always had a dog at home but none of the photos of them with my parents have survived.
ReplyDeleteKeeping a pack of beagles like that needed a lot of devotion to them as well as to his wife.
I can't imagine caring for THAT many dogs at once. Yes, devotion is a must.
DeleteI can't imagine that many dogs, but then again they are Beagles, so devoted and docile and so very cute. The photos of your grandparents are lovely as well, they look like a lovely couple.
ReplyDeleteIt was good of Fred's sister and brother-in-law to let him keep and breed so many dogs at their place - they must have loved dogs themselves. Beagles look docile, but I remember meeting a rather aggressive one on a beach many years ago. It must not have liked the look of me, for some reason.
ReplyDeleteHappy together for sure, great memories and photos, and I remember your grand-daddy and his hunting dogs from before! Adorable.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the skewed ratio between your granddaddy's photos with his dogs and photos with his wife was either a function of who was taking the pictures, or the simple possibility that your grandmother might not have liked having her picture taken.
ReplyDeleteYour dad was funny in his wry observation of how the dogs ate better than the family did. My husband likes to classify comments like that as "sibling rivalry."
I love the photos of your grandparents - they sure looked happy! Do you know why the dogs were kept somewhere else? Lack of space?
ReplyDeleteI find it surprising how many dog photographs I have. Perhaps it's because dogs (in general -- except Hannah) don't seem to mind being photographed. So the photos of your grandfather and his dogs are good, but the photos of your grandparents together are grand! I especially like that their arms are around the other in every photo.
ReplyDeleteLove those couple pics from the 40's....so sweet! I also love that men dressed in suits and looked proper most of the time. Happy Sunday!!
ReplyDeleteI remember when Beagles seemed to be the only kind of dog to have as a pet. Now they've been replaced by the latest exotic breed. Photos of my grandparents also have that same show of affection that was common to their generation.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have wonderful memories of your grandparents. Great post Wendy!
ReplyDelete