Message from the past

1965 Message to Tio Don from Marybeth on Vimeo.


I find this clip comforting. Nice to hear Dad, Mom, Wela and Welo's voices all together.

Fort Marcy

circa 1968

Tia Maria

Mb and great Tia Maria.

Female Entrepreneur - You can call me Ray

I have always been curious who the women in this photograph are and who took it. I have had no success, but I did discover something interesting about the photo. The film was likely processed through the mail and the processing company was owned by a woman.

Helen Mae Hoeft worked as a photographer for a local portrait photographer Millard Reynolds in La Crosse Wisconsin (business later known as Paramount Photo Shop). Around 1924 when business began to fall off  Helen had an idea to start a a mail order photo processing service (which did not exist at the time). She called it Ray's Photo Service and charged 25 cents. Some believed she used the name Ray fearing poeple would not buy photo printing services from a female. She said she got the idea from seeing sun rays after a long rainy spring.  Helen eventually owned Paramount Photo Shop and sold it in 1955. *

(*Information taken from La Crosse Tribune Q&A Ask the Trib, 2003).

Cute Couple

Dina and Jim
1974 Kenmore Street

Jim and Dina and Betty and Glenn
best friends forever

Pioneer Mom

Great Great Grandmother (Margaret Myers Ryan 1825 - 1905)

Happy Easter

Pastel Pink Ponchos equals Spring

Classic Dad

Arlington, abt. 1980