What a tsunami of memories! Watching everyone ride the wave has been exhilarating and incredibly powerful. Meanwhile, I'm still on the beach parsing through the incredible family scholarship that is the Ruby Family blog! However, before the wave crests, I wanted to offer my 14 year old son's idea that we form an internet group via some vehicle like Facebook, where we can send links, invitations, communal and personal messages, etc. in a more efficient fashion, especially since there is a nascent plan for a Green Valley Reunion in the summer of 2010.
One memory others haven't mentioned yet, dating from the Ruby era, and staged mainly in the Aruffo (later Chesley) yard consisted of the genders facing off in free for all hand and foot combat, complete with the throwing of acorns and small fruits. What a rush! This "fierce" tomboy loved it. And, oh, the lightning bugs......and wild strawberries... and hanging at the Seidel's play gym doing endless skin-the-cats.......or chalking hopskotch boards on the flat top...and the red wagon rides down the hill (looking for or fleeing "Auntie.")...
Love to all,
Shelley
P.S. Yes, Joanne! I live in Mill Valley with my Green Valley husband, 2 late in life children, a parrot and a gecko! (We actually looked at Piedmont when we were facing the big migration.) Wow.
P.P.S. Big Kids: Thanks for becoming known, Titans!
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Shelley et al,
ReplyDeleteI have been having a bit of trouble figuring out who is who in this tsunami, what with married names and all, but just now realized you must be Shelley Fisher! Am I right? Incredible. I might as well confess right here that I had a 12 year old schoolboy's crush on your Mom and a bit of one on you as well. (both crushes highly inappropriate of course, but what can I say?). Thanks for your kind words on our family blog--Danny deserves 90 percent of the credit--he got into the geneology thing big time. I do seem to dimly remember that throwing of acorns and small fruit battle of the sexes, or maybe I just imagine I remember it. Your husband is from Green Valley??? Who is the lucky guy--a certain John Chesley, I assume. John, were you there in our time(ended in 1964)? Fantastic that the two of you live so close to Dan and Joanne in the bay Area and I am looking forward to hear about your meeting...Hot damn, everyone lets get the wheels rolling right now for that 2010 Green Valley reunion. Maybe we can use the occasion to tear down the fence that now separates Hodels from the back yards of houses like the one the Rubys and Aruffos lived in. To praphrase one of my least favorite American presidents, Ronnie Reagan, "Mr. Hodel descendant, tear down this wall.!"
Walter
For the sake of the Ruby's:
ReplyDeleteMy name is Bill Little. I moved to Greenvalley in 1968 after my father married Betty Putzie (she is a long time resident). We lived in the 3rd house on the left. In 1975 Ellen Thompson and I married. We have four children. I met Joanne once. She came back for a brief visit. It may have been in 1970 or somewhere there abouts. I have heard many stories of the Ruby's over the years. Ellen has told me about going to your home and having marvelous breakfasts with fine cheeses. At least that is her memory.
Bill Little
This has been really wonderful to connect with the Ruby's (and then Wendy). I have really enjoyed each E-mail and the memories. Especially the things I did not know or have long forgotten - "five bridges", the paper box, the older boys camping out Saxonburg.
ReplyDeleteThe book idea is great. And what about a Green Valley blog? This E-mail is cumbersome.
I am guessing that we all have plenty of stories to tell and pictures to post.
I attended the viewing for Mrs Ammons last year and saw Marilyn Matter, the Gorman sisters and the Ammons children. I believe they were all original families. They were so interested in talking about Green Valley memories, we could have gone on all night. There sure seems to be something very special about that street and those times.
Each story I read triggers so many old thoughts. When I was very young (6 or 7?) I remember playing in the dirt with Peter Beale up on the shelf in the Beale's backyard over near the side neighbor. We were building little roads and houses with sticks, stones and weeds. Peter said we should plant a garden and what did I have in my garden. I said "I am growing pickles". He said, "You can't grow pickles." I said, "Why can't I?" He said, "If you don't know why then I am not going to tell you!" And he did not.
I told that to my daughter and it has been a favorite comment she makes to me about "that food that you did not know how it was grown".
David Seidel
Thanks for explanation, Bill. Much appreciated and of course very happy for you and Ellen. Sounds like you built a great life together. Yes, my parents did enjoy big breakfasts with wonderful cheeses, lox and bagels, all of which were pretty exotic for Glenshaw, Pa. in those days.
ReplyDeletebest,
Walter
Then Trish & I both went to Chatham College (now Chatham University) & the dining hall served bagels & lox for brunch every Sunday!
ReplyDeleteEllen
David (or Davey),
ReplyDeleteGreat to connect with you as well. Where are you now and what are you doing? As I recall, your family had quite an impressive garden in your back yard.
Walter
Walter,
ReplyDeleteI arrived in June 1966. Almost from the beginning I was jealous of the Golden Age (that is, when the Ruby family was in residence). Even two years later, my new friends were still in mourning over your family's move away.
Shelley disdained me for a long time. At a street gang birthday party on Seidels' patio the teens played spin the bottle and I won my first kiss... later, at a birthday-at-the-movies (I think it was Nancy's) I sat next to Shelley and we held hands throughout the movie until our palms were sweaty. We weren't sure what to do with the fist we had made so we sat through the movie ("Charley") with our elbows together on the seat arm between us and our clasped hands sticky straight up in the air. We're working toward a Guinness Book record for monogamy. "Dr. Fisher" the psychobiologist said we had "imprinted" on each other like Conrad Lorenz's geese. After reading these emails I think it's fair to say that we all imprinted on Green Valley. There's clearly a hilarious social study embedded in all this shared experience.
Best,
John C.
John,
ReplyDeleteJust amazing! So it turns out there are two happy Green Valley couples going through life together and setting world monogamy records. I would say there must have been something in the water, though it didnt work out that way for me, so perhaps not. Anyway, John, thanks so much for sharing that lovely story and sorry I didnt get a chance to meet you back in the day. I am sure that Jo and Dan are as touched as I am to hear that our tenure on Green Valley represented a golden age. I am jealous of them that they will likely get the chance to meet you and Shelley soon in person.
Walter