Psychedelicious
You may wish to shade your eyes
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| From Visiting Vintage |
Seattle 1978
Showing posts with label 1969. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1969. Show all posts
Friday, November 25, 2011
Groovy Christmas
A month after our 1969 Thanksgiving photo, we returned to my grandparent's home to celebrate Christmas.
Psychedelicious
You may wish to shade your eyes
Psychedelicious
You may wish to shade your eyes
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thanksgiving & the Mayflower (Park Hotel)
I recently mentioned my grandfather, Howard Johnson when I posted about a paint-by-number clown he painted for me.
Howard was born 1912 in British Columbia. He began his hospitality career at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC as a boy (pageboy standing on the left)
Somewhere in the family collection of photographs is a picture of an even younger Howard in a velvet suit carrying in the boar's head for a Christmas feast at the grand hotel.
Grandpa worked at other hotels in British Columbia before immigrating to Washington in 1951 with my grandmother and my pre-teen mother. I thought he moved to The States to take a job at the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle - which seems charmingly quaint to me - the Mayflower is what brought my mom's family to America! However in a conversation over at Vintage Seattle about the Carousel Room, the Mayflower Park Hotel historian mentions my grandfather was General Manager there from 1955-1959. Perhaps he worked another position at the Mayflower before being promoted to General Manager and I can still think the Mayflower brought my family to America. . . .
Mayflower Park Hotel postcard before my grandfather's era
Forward another decade after working at the Mayflower and through several other hotels (he went on to work at the Edgewater Inn - he was employed there when the Beatles fished from the window!) and here we are celebrating (quite seriously) Thanksgiving in 1969 with my grandpa and grandma. Another of his paint-by-numbers is hanging on the wall.
That was my grandfather's last Thanksgiving. He passed away July 1970 at age 58.
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of memories of him but two of them include hotels - I remember sharing a bowl of ice cream just me and him at the Edgewater and I remember watching a Seafair parade from a window of the Mayflower (he no longer worked there) . At this Thanksgiving time, among a plethora of my many, MANY blessings, I am grateful that Howard Johnson created a life for his family which in turn contributed hugely to my very fortunate existence.
Very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Howard was born 1912 in British Columbia. He began his hospitality career at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC as a boy (pageboy standing on the left)
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| From Johnson Family |
Grandpa worked at other hotels in British Columbia before immigrating to Washington in 1951 with my grandmother and my pre-teen mother. I thought he moved to The States to take a job at the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle - which seems charmingly quaint to me - the Mayflower is what brought my mom's family to America! However in a conversation over at Vintage Seattle about the Carousel Room, the Mayflower Park Hotel historian mentions my grandfather was General Manager there from 1955-1959. Perhaps he worked another position at the Mayflower before being promoted to General Manager and I can still think the Mayflower brought my family to America. . . .
Mayflower Park Hotel postcard before my grandfather's era
 |
| From Visiting Vintage |
 |
| From Visiting Vintage |
Forward another decade after working at the Mayflower and through several other hotels (he went on to work at the Edgewater Inn - he was employed there when the Beatles fished from the window!) and here we are celebrating (quite seriously) Thanksgiving in 1969 with my grandpa and grandma. Another of his paint-by-numbers is hanging on the wall.
 |
| From Visiting Vintage |
That was my grandfather's last Thanksgiving. He passed away July 1970 at age 58.
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of memories of him but two of them include hotels - I remember sharing a bowl of ice cream just me and him at the Edgewater and I remember watching a Seafair parade from a window of the Mayflower (he no longer worked there) . At this Thanksgiving time, among a plethora of my many, MANY blessings, I am grateful that Howard Johnson created a life for his family which in turn contributed hugely to my very fortunate existence.
Very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
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