For Throwback Thursday I found this little gem of me and my sister, Jody, sitting on our grandparent’s glider rocker that sat behind their house. The same glider rocker now sits on the lower porch of the Playhouse at the lake.
Tag Archives: TBT
TBT: Grandma’s Photography
I’ve been slowly taking up the task of scanning my family’s archive of old photos. I came across this little gem from 1974 of my family standing in front of my grandparents’ house. There were two things that this photo brought to mind:
- Grandma insisting we must take a family photo before we would be allowed to leave for home (notice our shared excitement).
- Grandma, bless her, couldn’t frame a photo to save her life.
TBT: The VW Clan
Speaking of Dutch heritage, for Throwback Thursday let me show you this rare gem of the clan hanging with their homeys on the farm in northwest Iowa circa 1938. The white-haired gentleman under the tree is, I believe, Walter Vander Well Sr. born Wouter van der Wel in Piershil near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He came to the states as a young man by himself. The gentleman just to the right with the stylin’ white shoes and the baby on his lap is my grandfather, Herman Vander Well. The baby is my father, Dean. The other kid standing on the right of the photograph is my Uncle Bud.
My grandpa always had a penchant for ice cream and would often have a bowl before bed. I have to imagine that the fact that they’re all eating ice cream cones in this picture means they’d just made it for the occasion.
TBT: The Boys
This past weekend as I posted a photo (bottom) of some of the old high school crew getting together for Dave and Maria’s baby shower, I remembered a photo (top) of some of the guys who had traveled up from Des Moines on the Fourth of July 1986 to join me in Kamrar, Iowa where I was serving as the summer youth intern at the Community Church. Voila! I found it and thought it a great shot for Throwback Thursday.
In the 1986 photo: (L-R) Matt Hill, Dave Eick, Rod Torstenson, Moi.
In the 2015 photo: (L-R) Dave Eick, Moi, Doug Reeves [who I believe, in 1986, was in the Navy, serving on the U.S.S. Enterprise], Mat Hill.
TBT: Grandpa V and the Grill
I like going through old family photos. There’s a lot to wade through and a whole host of faces and events that have little relevance to me. Every once in a while, however, you come across a random photograph that strikes your fancy. For Throwback Thursday I’d like to share with you this little gem.
I have always loved this picture of my Grandpa Vander Well which was taken when he and my grandma drove my mother from Iowa out to Idaho where my folks were moving shortly after they got married. There was a whole series of photos that chronicle their multi-day journey including the retro travel motels where they stayed.
I laugh every time I see this photo. I have no idea why Grandpa wanted a photo of the grill in the park. He certainly does not look particularly excited about it. He’s not cooking lunch. With his pens clipped in his shirt pocket he looks like he could be the state grill inspector documenting that the camp stove meets the Iowa Code for proper grill standards and maintenance.
I imagine my Grandma V sharing their photos with friends: “Oh, and here’s a picture of Herman with a grill!”
In a time when taking photos and having them developed cost money, why would you invest in a photograph of you with a charred park grill? Whatever the reason, I’m glad they took it. A half century later it continues to regularly make me smile.
TBT: Life Under the Umbrella
Archaeologists recently uncovered this gem (I found it in a tub of my parents’ family photos) from c. 1983. An early work by photographer Reed Davis (www.reeddavisphotopraphy.com). Anyone from the Des Moines area will recognize the iconic Traveler’s insurance sign that is a signature piece of the Des Moines skyline. The Traveler’s umbrella has been in a few different photos over the years.
About ten years or so after the first photo was taken, it was photographer Eric Smoldt (http://ericsmoldt.com) who snapped this black and white photo of me under the umbrella on a downtown Des Moines photo safari.
Add another ten years or so, and it was Jeff Bokhoven (http://www.designerimagesphotography.com) who took this awesome photo of me and my best men on New Year’s Eve 2005, just before Wendy and I said, “I do.”
What’s really cool is that in the late 1970s and early 1980s my dad was partner in Eagle Sign Company who, at the time, owned and leased the Traveler’s Umbrella sign. So not only is the umbrella an iconic landmark, but I kinda get to claim it as a family heirloom.
What can I say? I love Des Moines.
TBT: 10 Years Ago
It was 10 years ago this summer that I asked Wendy to marry me. This photo was taken the day we looked at rings. Great woman, good memories.
TBT: Soccer Man
Speaking of fitness, for Throwback Thursday let me take you back to the golden days of yore when soccer wasn’t even a high school sport and you had to play for a local club. I played fullback for Des Moines’ Northwest Soccer Club. This photo was taken in the backyard of my grandparents house (you can see grandma’s shadow as she held her prized Polaroid camera). Gotta love those rockin’ short shorts!
Throw Back Thursday: This One’s for Mom
My dad was fishing the boundary waters of Minnesota with his brother this week, so yesterday I had the joy of taking mom out on a lunch date. We had a bite of Mexican and then she took me over to show me the apartment at Woodlands Creek they will be moving into in the coming weeks. So, for Throw Back Thursday, I thought I’d post a photo of the beautiful and lovely Jeanne Hendrickson Vander Well in younger days.
TBT: A Father’s Day Special
Throwback Thursday on the week of Father’s Day. I have so enjoyed being father, daddy, dad, papa, pops, daddy-0, and faja to these two gorgeous beauty queens. I never ceased to be amazed at the beautiful women they’ve become inside and out, and I’m eternally grateful for their grace with all of this dad’s imperfections. Love you, Taylor-Made and Maddy Kate.