The Lost Generations of Cowboys and Indians

I have always enjoyed going to second hand stores, auctions and yard sales. You never know what unexpected treasure you may find. Happily my son in law and grandchildren also share my sense of adventure in this aspect. So the other day we took a trip to one of the many thrift stores in the area. After checking out the antique furniture, and possible collector items we took the kids to their favorite section, TOYS.
Of course we always have to pick up some toy even if it is little and nothing really exceptional. On this trip however I spotted a large clear bag full of small plastic figures. Showing it to my daughter and her husband we decided it was the perfect thing to buy. When we showed my grandchildren they were not so impressed and when we said 'but look it is a full set of Cowboys and Indians!' the lack of comprehension on their faces had us trying to explain exactly what these foreign toys were.
I really hadn't thought about it, but began to wonder just how many children today even know how much fun it can be to play Cowboys and Indians. For generations every child boy or girl at some time played Cowboys and Indians even before the plastic figures.  So I began to wonder is this a part of American heritage that is disappearing? 

Petey, Bubba and Sissy playing with the Cowboys and Indians

For three days Bubba and Sissy played with what Bubba calls his Mini's for hours on end. They took turns with one taking the Cowboys while the other had the Indians and then switching. Then they played with all of the figures getting along peacefully building forts and riding the range. It has definitely given them a new adventure and one that they really enjoy.  We decided to look online to see about getting them some more pieces. I was amazed to find that a lot of the sets are more for collectors and very expensive although there are some reasonably priced ones on amazon.com

It makes me wonder what childhood games of previous generations have been lost in time. Do you know of any?

Wordless Wednesday: The Forgotten

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Duck Hunting

 When my son brought home Max, he told me that Dachshunds were originally bread as hunting dogs. So I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that Max has a very strong attachment to his duck. 

This is actually Max's second duck. The first one became so tattered we threw it away. He was so unhappy and missed his favorite play thing that a friend bought him a new duck. Which he unrelentingly guarded. While he may guard the duck from others it was definitely not safe from him. Within a matter of minutes he had torn out the squeaker and ripped off the ducks poor head. Still he would not let us have the duck. Thankfully Max is old and naps frequently, so as soon as he fell asleep the duck was removed and placed in the trash. Yes, we threw his new duck in the trash. It was at that point shredded and a major hazard for Max.

Now I am off to go duck hunting. This time it will be a hard rubber duck, hopefully Max will like it as much as he did the stuffed ones.

Photographing for a Memory Composite

Nowadays I often find myself photographing things that a few years ago I would not have thought to photograph. Such as these photos of my grand son's Sponge Bob toy set. 

When my children were growing up I didn't think to photograph any of their toys, it just didn't seem important to me. It never really dawned on me that some of those toys were part of some important memories for my children. For example; not long ago my oldest son was telling his nephew about the Optimist Prime truck he had as a child, and wishing he had a photograph of the toy. 

So now as I take photos to preserve our family's memories I think in terms of composite memory photos. Not just photos of the family at special times but photos that capture the everyday joys as well. I find myself photographing objects that bring laughter and happiness to my family as well as the photos of the family members. Often I am thinking how a photograph could be used as a background for a memory composite or in conjunction with other photos to capture the memory.  Here is one memory photo created using one of the Sponge Bob play set photographs.

These photos are going to make fun backgrounds for a very cute memory book or video for my grandson. I haven't quiet decided which I am going to do yet, maybe I will do both. As a family memory keeper do you also photograph toys?