Category Archives: History

Thursday Thirteen #18 ~ Oldest Operating McDonald’s

Welcome to my Thursday Thirteen. On January 15th I stopped by this McDonald’s to take some photos and gather at least 13 facts about the oldest-operating McDonald’s. I don’t have the facts numbered but I’m sure there are at least 13! Enjoy…

 

 

 

Roger Williams co-owner of the McDonald’s Restaurant at Lakewood and Florence Blvd., stands by the 64-foot neon sign that may be the only one left of its kind in the United States. William and Bud Landon opened the McDonald’s in 1953, and the business still remains under the original franchise agreement with the McDonald brothers.

 

The 1953 McDonald’s restaurant at 10207 Lakewood Blvd. (at Florence Ave.) is the oldest operating McDonald’s.

It was listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservations 1994 list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

It was one of the first restaurants franchised by Dick and Mac McDonald, prior to the involvement of Ray Kroc in the company, and it still has the original “Golden arches” and a 60-foot animated neon “Speedee” sign.

 

 

For more Thursday Thirteen click here.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Swing Low Sweet Chariot ~ African-American Spiritual

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

(African-American Spiritual)

Refrain

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see?
Coming for to carry me home,
A band of angels coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

If you get there before I do,
Coming for to carry me home,
Tell all my friends I’m coming, too.
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

I’m sometimes up and sometimes down,
Coming for to carry me home,
But still my soul feels heavenly bound,
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

The brightest day that I can say,
Coming for to carry me home,
When Jesus washed my sins away,
Coming for to carry me home.

Refrain

Happy 29th Birthday Josh!

 Happy Birthday Josh! You are such a wonderful son to us and brother to Dan and Katie. We’re so thankful to God that He led you and Laura together. You make such a wonderful team. Here are some random photos celebrating you.
It would be great to all be together to celebrate!
We’ll remember other fun gatherings at La Corona
or fun times in Chicago,
or New York.

 

Your very 1st birthday with all your cousins and friends there to celebrate in Huntington Beach.

Easter 1980?

 

This was just after Daniel was born a month after your 2nd birthday.

Ventura with a couple of faces worth documenting.
I wish I had more birthday shots but all those photos are in Washington.
Your father and I couldn’t be more thankful to God for giving us a son like you. We pray that God would continue to bless you richly with his love, grace and mercy. We are looking forward to being together in the Spring.
Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Happy 27th Birthday Dan!

 

We thank God for you Dan! You are a delight to us. May God bless you with His mercy and grace all the days of your life. Sorry we aren’t with you this year to celebrate your day. Here are a few photos from some earlier years…

 

Your first Christmas just before you turned 1 with your big brother Josh at Gommy and PawPaw’s in Corona.

 

Your first birthday with all your cousins and friends, eating your birthday cake, in Huntington Beach.

 

Easter 1982 at Baba and Deda’s in La Mirada.

 

Ventura in 1985

 

Your 9th birthday in 1990 in Washington. The famous choo choo train cake. Jamie D., Gommy, Josh, Dad, Bridget, Dan , Katie, Jamie S. and Ryan.

We’re so thankful that the two of you brothers are such good friends. Two years apart, both born in January, both born on Friday. Praying that you always look out for each other and for your little sister!
Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Three Kings Day ~ We Three Kings

 Three Kings Day is celebrated on January 6th, twelve days after Christmas. It is often viewed as the last day of the Christmas season (the end of the 12 days of Christmas).

Also known as The Epiphany, Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes) is a Christian celebration that commemorates the Biblical story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Christ child. According to the Biblical story, the Three Kings – named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar – presented the Baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Three Kings Day was the gift-giving time, rather than Christmas day. Just as it is common for children to leave cookies for Santa in the U.S., in some regions, it was customary for children to leave their shoes out on the night of January 5, often filling them with hay for the camels, in hopes that the Three Kings would be generous. Children would awake on January 6 to find their shoes filled with toys and gifts.

Also traditional is for families to gather together and share the Rosca de Reyes. The Rosca de Reyes is a crown-shaped sweet bread decorated with pieces of orange and lime. It is filled with nuts, figs, and cherries. Hot chocolate is traditionally served with the Rosca de Reyes.

We Three Kings

(Words and Music by John H. Hopkins, Jr., 1857)

We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.

Refrain

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

Refrain

Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshiping God on high.

Refrain

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Refrain

Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.

Refrain

TT #15 ~ Ben Franklin Resolutions

I nabbed this from my brother Steve’s blog The Temple…

Ben Franklin Resolutions – The Virtue Chart.  Ben Franklin regularly followed a plan to develop his character. Based on Philippians 4, Ben used the chart below as a tool to improve himself. Check out the site Flamebright for a brief explanation and DIY Planner for templates you can print out. His “Plan” was made up of 13 virtues, each with short descriptions:

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

For more TT click here.

HT: The Temple

Happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year to all!

We’re headed to the airport to fly back to Southern California from Washington early on New Year’s Day. We’ll be in the air and on the road for a large portion of the day. Today I have to totally de-Christmas my house and try to pack everything I want to take back to Cali with me. I won’t be back in Washington till Easter. The last few days of 2007 were spent with family and friends celebrating our daughter’s 22nd birthday and then just celebrating our friendships. It’s been an eventful busy year. Looking forward to what 2008 holds. Blessings…

The Birthday Party

The Cake

The Soup Party the next night…

 

It’s always good to have a tupperware drawer way down low…

Photobucket has blacked out all my photos and is holding them hostage. I’m slowly cleaning up my posts to remove the ugly black and grey blocks that photobucket has inserted instead of my photos.

1947 in Iran ~ the Shvetzov and Katkov Families

For my Show and Tell Friday I’d like to share this old family photo. We do not have many photographs with my maternal Grandfather. I love the photos that we do have of him. God blessed these families with a way out of Iran to the United States and blessed them with faith in Him that has sustained them over the years. My little babushka (grandma) as we lovingly called her was a prayer warrior for our family and her friends. I look forward to being reunited with her and meeting my maternal grandfather for the first time in heaven…

 

My mother was a Shvetzov before she married my father. Her brother Paul married Nina Katkov. This is part of the Katkov family and part of the Shvetzov family after my parents had already immigrated to the U.S.A. The Katkov’s and Shvetzov’s spent much time together at many meaningful events through the years in Iran and in the Los Angeles Area in the U.S.

In the front row you have Vera (Katkov), Nicolai Katkov the Patriarch, Manya Katkov the Matriarch, My maternal grandmother Vera (Shergaev) Shvetzov and my Grandfather Feodor Shvetzov, Zena (Katkov). My cousin Alex Shvetzov at my grandparents side.

Top Row: Vasilli Katkov married Zena, she’s holding their oldest daughter Tamara, Nicolai Katkov, Lida (Katkov) Titov, Alexsei Katkov, my Aunt Nina (Katkov) Shvetzov and my Uncle Paul Shvetzov.

Everyone in this photo eventually immigrated to the U.S. from Iran except for my grandfather who was stabbed and killed in Iran. He was a Baptist minister in Iran. My Babushka immigrated as a widow and lived with my aunt and uncle for many years until she got her own apartment a couple buildings away from the Russian Baptist Church in L.A. A few of the other widowed Babushka’s also lived in this same apartment building including Manya Katkov who lived right next door to my Babushka. My family started attending this church when we left the Russian Molokan Church. Only 4 of the people photographed here are still alive. My Babushka’s last days were spent in my parent’s home.

For more Show and Tell head over to Kelli’s.

Our Little Girl is 22 today!

Happy 22nd Birthday Katie!

Photos from Katie’s 1st ~ 21st Birthdays
1st in Ventura with family & friends
2nd in Ventura, California
3rd in Downey, California. She’s pretty happy even with that tiny cake!

 

4th  in Bothell, Washington.

5th in Bothell

 

6th at Baba and Deda’s sharing the day with Aunt Nina and cousin Stephen both born on the 27th too.

7th in Bothell, Washington
7th with family, Titov’s and Spiro’s
8th at Discovery Zone
9th with fam and Spiro’s

 

10th at the Skating rink where your dad broke his wrist…

11th in Bothell (1st rental) with Jamie, Christie, and Johanna

 

12th bowling with fam and Hiller’s

 

13th with Jamie, Kristen, Heidi, and Christie (sorry Christie this was the only photo I had)

 

14th with Jamie, Heidi, Kristen, and Christie (very nice photo this time Christie!)

15th with Kristen, Heidi, Christie, and Katie K.

16th Ice Skating with fam, Katie K, Christie, Heidi, Jamie, Kristen, Brad and Joe
17th ~ fam, TCL crowd, school crowd
18th smaller TCL and School crowd

 

19th ~ the year of the ice cream cake…

 

20th ~ The year of the maple bar cake!

 

21st the Spice Bundt cake and another small crowd with Kristen, Christie, Jamie, Heidi, Ben and fam.

22nd will be another wonderful celebration with Bowling, Tacos and another Spice Cake!

We love you dear Katie and are so happy that God brought you into our lives 22 years ago. May your birthday and everyday be filled with an awareness of who created you and who you are in Him.

Photobucket has blacked out all my photos and is holding them hostage. I’m slowly cleaning up my posts to remove the ugly black and grey blocks that photobucket has inserted instead of my photos.

Antique Postcards ~ 1908-1912

 These Postcards that I am sharing for Show and Tell Friday are all from Dear’s ~ Great, Great Aunt Emma Daniels. Great, Great Aunt Emma was Swedish and she never married. The Postmarks are mostly from 1908 through 1912. Some of them are made in Germany and others are Tuck’s Post Card, Raphael Tuck & Sons, Art Publishers to their Majesties the King & Queen. These are from our collection of Christmas and New Year’s Postcards. I’ll share more at Valentine’s Day and Easter.

PM1910

PM1908

PM1912

PM1909

PM1909

These are all close enough to being 100 years old that I took the liberty to call them Antiques. To all my Show and Tell friends may your Christmas be filled with love and joy!
For more Show and Tell Friday head on over to Kelli’s.