Lenhartsville House - 2011

    The (relatively) present-day view of our house in Lenhartsville, courtesy of Google Earth's "Street View".

    The door in the middle of the wall looks weird, doesn't it?  That's because there used to be porches along the three floors.  I'm not sure why there isn't another phantom door on the third floor.  Maybe I'm "misremembering" a porch there.  The only other change I see is the color of the stones in the facing.  I remember them as various shades of gray; not brown-colored as they appear here.

    The side yard has changed a lot more since when we left Lenhartsville in 1960.  The two huge maple tress along the left-hand fence are gone.  So is the christmas-type tree that was in front of the fence and which was about 5' tall in 1960, and 30' tall when we visited in 1993.

    The fence itself is the same.  The shed is new.  The patio of hexagon-shaped cement pieces that Dad laid down in the moddle of the yard is long gone.  And Foxy's house on the left looks unchanged.
  

The Brothers Barr

    From a visit to "232" in December 2010.  From left-to-right, senior-to-youngest.  Joe, Mick, Tim, and Chris.  My apologies to any who don't go by those names anymore.

Morning bath - 10 Sept.

Ah yes, if you go way, way back in this blog, you'll find a similar picture of Tom getting a table-bath. Since that's Joe in the background, I'm guessing this is Tim in the tub. I don't recognize the room, so I'm thinking this is 232, not 234.

Playing - 04/05/58

This is taken more-or-less from the same spot as the picture below. More towels hanging out to dry at 234. I do remember those cellar doors. I don't remember that wagon or the sandbox. Nor do I recall that "roof-extension" extending over to 232. Did both houses have grapevines?

Grammy & Tim - mid-April 1958

Aonther great pic. Grandpa Ludwig would be proud of it. I do recall that little wall of cement dividing 232 and 234.
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Tim has his toy gun, but there's always time for a snack from Grammy. In the background are (I think) towels hung out by Grammy. I had forgotten about that. And the shadows in the foreground indicate the 232 wash lines are right behind the photographer.
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Finally, it's the middle of April and people have sweaters and coats on. Yeah, you can tell this wasn't taken in Phoenix.

Xmas at Grammy's - 1957

Oh my, where to start on this one. The peeps first, I s'pose. I'm assuming that's Tim on the right. I can identify everyone else, except the lady in the foreground with her back to the camera. Ellen, perhaps?
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That being said, there are some missing people. Hazel, Chuck, (Uncle) John, Joe, and Mick. So was there a second table set up somewhere?
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Third, this is a fantastic shot to remember what Grammy's kitchen used to look like. I definitely remember that black sink in the right background, and those cupboards above them that seemed to go all the way to the ceiling. I draw a blank on the fridge, but I do recall that license plate on the wall beside it. And the two windows on either side of the fridge.
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I also remember those two knickknacks on the wall to the left. A Pennsylvania Dutch man and woman, and I'm pretty sure whatever was written around them was in Pa. Dutch too. I can't tell you what that knickknack is between the two Dutch peeps; nor what those two white things are, running vertically just to the right of the knickknacks. Finally, I can't tell you what the peencil-sharpener-looking handle is, behind John's head.
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The Christmas meal has commenced, so why is the photographer's plate still clean? And please note, you won't find the milk carton on the table. Not at Grammy's house.

Mick's Birthday - 1958

A neat picture to blow up and study the details. The windows in the building in the background have me puzzled. Is this 234, 232, or at Charlie & Hazel's house?
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On the table we have the birthday cake, and I think a slice or two taken out of it. But where are those slices? Leaning on the knife are the two matches that were used to light the candles. Behind that is a rollerskate. I'm not quite sure what that is coming off the skate towards the cake.
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The box on the left had me stumped for a while, but I now think it's the matchbox.

Memorial Day - 1959

I know right where this was taken - outside Grammy's back porch looking towards the front. The brick wall on the right was painted red; Grammy's wall was tannish. Without this photo, I never would've been able to tell you anything about the porch steps.

Tim playing baseball - 1959

I'm not sure where this was taken. For some reason, it doesn't look like 232 to me.

Tim's Birthday - 1960

Some great expressions on the three kids' faces. Kudos to the photographer for snapping this at just the right time.

Let It Snow!

Oh my, but I do miss Berks County winters. Of course, I never had to drive around in them, or work in them. I'm guessing this is the backyard of 232. But if the house is to the left of this pic, then that's the 234 backyard in the background, and it doesn't look familiar to me.

Grandpa Ludwig

A great photo, and a well-preserved one as well. Almost no enhancement was needed.

Grammy's Birthday - 1957

I'm pretty sure this is 232. The color had really faded in this one - especially the greens and blues. We'll show a "before" and "after" for the next pic.

By the car

Hey, I recognize that building in the background. Not the car, though. The "as is" version of this photo is below. Very little green and blue. The balance has been restored above, but the pic just seems to need more color overall. I'll have to play some more with it in Paint Shop Pro.

Unknown folks (a)

An assorted collection of pics from the 1930's album. All featuring people whom I have no idea who they are.

Unknown folks (b)

27 scouts, so this is probably kids from several troops. At a camporee, maybe?

Unknown folks (c)

Another pic from a scouting event. Goodness, I haven't seen one of those old fruit baskets in decades. Do they still make/use them?

Unknown folks (d)

Another fellow scout-leader, perhaps? That alien-looking blob in the lower left must be a defect in the photo. I still think this scout troop had awesome tents for camping. When I was in Boy Scouts, it was strictly pup tents.

Unknown folks (e)

This girl shows up in several pics from the 30's, but I don't know who she is. That may or may not be my dad behind the shoe. Good luck on identifying anybody in this set of pics.

Scouting (01)

Some scouting pics, probably from the 1930's. Good luck on identifying anyone here. The boy standing third from the right looks to me like Dick Laudenslager, who was also a scouting leader in the 1950-60's. But Sheri tells me she doesn't believe Dad knew Dick from these younger days. And I'm lousy on ID'ing people anyways.

Scouting (02)

Breakfast on a camp-out. That's a box of shredded wheat on the table. The only kid "in uniform" is the one on the right. Was the Hamburg troop number really "1"?

Scouting (03)

This looks like the supply tent. Very kewl. A much more elaborate tent that when we had when I was in Boy Scouts. I'm not sure what that structure is on the far right of the pic. A well, maybe?

Scouting (04)

Well, wherever it was that they went camping, it had a pleasant lake (pond?) to go boating on. The car in the background helps to date this photo.

Scouting (05)

Splashing water at the photographer. BTW, I'm getting to the end of the pics that Sheri sent me, so posting is going to become a bit more infrequent. Most of what is left in this album are scouting photos.

Anyone who wants to send me more Ludwig family photos, feel free to do so. I'll scan 'em, and send them back to you asap. There are 500+ photos posted here, so it's been quite the pleasant trip down Memory Lane for me.

Ye Olde Swimming Hole (a)

This looks high-schoolish, so I'm guessing its in the early-to-mid 1930's. The women's suits don't look too much different from today, but the men's do. I think this is in a river, cuz of the canoe in the background, and the rocks jutting out in the foreground. BTW, that third person from the left is...

Ye Olde Swimming Hole (b)

...a guy. I wouldn't've guessed that from the back of the swimming suit in the previous picture. I'm thinking these are some of Dad's high school friends, plus a dog in the lap of the third person from the left in this photo. The dog is a bit clearer in the previous shot.

Camping (01)

There are a slew of Boy Scout pics in this album. most of which are from camping trips. I'll post a bunch of them in the hope that maybe a couple of the kids can be identified.

My best guess here is that the canteen-sipper here is my Dad. The tent is kind of a raised pup tent. This appears to be a hot summer's day.

Camping (02)

This looks like the end of a camp-out. The tents are being struck, and the last order of business will be to police the area and pick up all the litter. The car in the background helps to date this photo.

Camping (03)

Another camping shot. I think this is from a different camp-out, because these are your run-of-the-mill pup tents now. Which is what I was used to, a generation later, when I went camping in the Scouts.

This is another warm summer day. The pants are long, but under-shirts or no shirt is the norm. It's interesting to note the variety of expressions on these boys' faces. Overall, I'd say they're waiting for something, and are kinda bored.

A-hiking we will go...

Maybe this is what they were waiting for. Probably not though, since these guys all have sweaters/jackets on. We'll offer a prize for anybody identifying the location here. All you have to go on is the house ahead. I'm feeling a bit confident that I won't have to come up with a prize.

a backyard somewhere (a)

Here's a couple of my dad's photos from an unknown backyard. I imagine he took these to show the blooming flowers. Of course, I first think of the backyard at 234, or the Gerber's backyard. but the houses in the background here don't look familiar.

a backyard somewhere (b)

Is that the broom factory there in the background? The slanted roof in the left part of this pic doesn't ring any bells.

Who Where When

This picture was on the same page as the two backyard blooms pics. Is this Grandpa Ludwig? If so, who would be the other person? Not Grammy; I can't imagine her in white slacks. And where would this have been taken? The ground looks too uneven for both 234, and even the bungalow.

New Pavement

This is our house in Lenhartsville, and I'm sure the purpose of this photo was to show the new pavement in front of it. Which undoubtedly led to a new porch for our house. And then a widening of the street.

I'm not sure why the light pole in the background is still out in the street, while the one in the foreground is right smack in the middle of where the next segment of the pavement will go. Perhaps the line of light poles didn't run exactly parallel to the fronts of the houses on this street.

The most intriguing thing to me in this picture is the smudge pot in the street in the foreground. I remember those things. Little boys can't resist touching them, and the result was always yucky blackness all over one's hands, arms, and face; which usually meant an unplanned bath.

So tell me, just what the heck is the purpose of that smudge pot?

House Renovation

If you swung the camera to your left in the 'new sidewalk' picture, this is what you would have seen. Apparently there were some serious renovations needed when my folks moved into this house.

That fence in the foreground was still there in 1993. When we lived there, the tips of it were painted white, and the rest of the fence was painted green. I think.

That sawed-off tree was long gone by the time I was playing outside. But there were two other trees, maples I think, just off to the left of this photo. And a short (5' tall or so) Christmas-type tree on this side of the fence, which had gotten a heckuva lot taller when we were there in 1993.

IIRC, across the street in the background, was (eventually) where someone stored some for-sale earth-moving machines. And behind that (again, eventually) was the Lenhartsville baseball field.

Showers Steps (a)

Here's another place I've vaguely heard of, but have no idea where it is - Showers Steps. Not sure if "Showers" needs an apostrophe or not.

Showers Steps (b)

It looks like a cool place - up on a hill looking down on some fields. It reminds me of places like Hawk Mountain, keeping in mind that I haven't been on Hawk Mountain in probably 50 years.

Showers Steps (c)

The notes on the back of this photo lists it as being at "Bethel", in addition to being at Showers Steps.

The "extra boy" in these pics is David Livingston, who appears in a lot of pictures with Tom and Nancy. Including some taken in Lenhartsville that I'll post sometime soon. I have to say that I have absolutely no recollection of him.

Ice Skating (a)

Here's a couple nice "brrrr" pictures as we all wait for cold weather to arrive. I know where this is - a small pond at the "bottom" of Stoudt's Ferry Bridge Road in Riverview Park near Reading.

The girl in the white parka in the center of this pic is Sheri. I remember that coat. I'm gonna guess that the tall girl to Sheri's right (our left) is Julie Aulenbach, although that's a guess only. Also, that might be Doris on the other side of Sheri.

This pond was a favorite ice-skating place. Much more fun (and free!) than an indoor rink. Of course, the drawback can be seen here - after a snowstorm, you had to get the new-fallen snow off the ice first.

Ice Skating (b)

Here's a pulled-back shot of the pond. It looks like they've gotten most of the snow shoveled off by now. IIRC, this is pretty much all of the pond - it doesn't go much further to the left, and you can see the far right corner in this pic.

If ice-skating wasn't your cup o'tea, that rise in the background made for some great sledding. Only one problem - the best slope (as far as a lack of trees goes) is off to the left of this photo. Unfortunately, the slope quickly emptied into the stream that feeds this pond. So if you were going to sled, you usually had to purposely bail out at the end in order to avoid ending up in the "crick".

Fairmount Park (a)

Sorry for the medical delay. The three old photo albums and assorted pictures from Janet are now all posted. So it's back to some of my Dad's shots.

Fairmount Park (b)

These photos (slides, actually) are simply listed as being taken at "Fairmount Park".

Fairmount Park (c)

I have no idea where Fairmount Park is, and I have no recollection of being with my Dad for this photoshoot. There was a heap of sailboating going on, obviously.

Fairmount Park (d)

Looks like a nice park, though. Green, shady, etc. I can guarantee you that this isn't anywhere in Arizona.

Hazel & Charles

Oh, is this ever a great photo. On a lake (maybe?) near Schwenksville (where's that?). I think the "928" in the upper right stands for 1928, as that would make my Dad 13 years old in the photo. I'm guessing his glasses are in fact a pair of Hazel's. They're both quite well-dressed for an afternoon of rowing. I wonder who took the pic. Charlie Brownmiller, perhaps?

Doris and John

Another nice photo. Doris & John at a church somewhere. Janet's guess that this is at their 1947 wedding seems likely.

New Hamburg High School

This is a great aerial (I presume) photo from 1962. Janet notes that the old Hamburg High School is in the background. Alas, I have no recollection of either high school, so I can't orientate myself in this photo. Would Washington Street be somewhere in the background?

BTW, I sorely miss a forest covering a whole mountainside, as is seen way in the background here. After being in Arizona for almost 40 years, I really would like to go traipsing through the woods again.

Joe Reading To Chris

Janet lists this as being December 1964. Bill's high school picture is in the background, and this is at 234 Washington.

Now my question is - exactly wherer do those two windows look out to? My guess is that the right-hand one looks out onto the fron part of Grammy's back porch. But then the left-hand window would look out onto the narrow way between 234 and the big red brick wall of the next house down, and I don't remember any windows facing that direction.