Burial Flag

My Mother-in-Law, Viola Andersen Robertson, was given a burial flag when my Father-in-Law, Walter Stanley Robertson who served in the US Navy was interred at Tahoma National Cemetery in 1998.


She passed away a year-and-a-half later in 2000 and is interred with him.


The burial flag has since been in the possession of my Brother-in-Law who served during Vietnam.  Last month, their home was destroyed by the Taylor Bridge fire in Cle Elum, WA..  We are so very grateful my Brother-and-Sister-in-Law are safe; my Brother-in-Law was told to evacuate only fifteen minutes before their home went up.  It gives me chills.  Almost all their worldly possession are gone.  But when my Sister-in-Law blew out her birthday candle earlier this week, she said, "I have nothing to wish for because I still have everything that really matters to me."

A couple of weeks ago I thought I would contact someone from VFW Post 1373 Douglas A Munro Post in Cle Elum. Burial Flags are not replaced by the Veteran's Administration but their website said that often local VFW posts can do that.  At the post's last meeting, they agreed to replace Walt's burial flag.  The contact person seemed honored and excited to be able to do this for our family.  This flag was used in another veteran's funeral but for some reason they ended up with two so when I contacted him, he felt it was meant to be for us to have it.  We drove to Cle Elum today to pick up the new burial flag.  It's not the same thing as the original given to my Mother-in-Law, but we are thrilled and humbled to have a flag that was given to our family in honor of Walt's service and life.

Dolls

STILL no vintage Halloween photos.  But dolls from this era (this photo is the mid-1920's) sometimes come across as creepy to me - and the crayon colorization . . .  My cheerfully cute mother-in-law is quite pleased with her dollies here, though!

From Maren Nielsen Andersen's album

Northern State Hospital - Sedro Woolley

My husband's grandfather, Hans Andersen worked as a Poultry Man at Northern State Hospital.  My mother-in-law, Viola Andersen Robertson wrote about her father:  

In 1924, Dad was the head of the Poultry division at the hospital. I remember Smitty who was mentally deficient but so sweet. He was helper in the chicken house - he would do everything by routine. He grew sweet peas and always gave me bouquets.

According to a Skagit River Journal article about Northern State "The poultry farm was also sizable, supplying 36,798 pounds of dressed hens and fryers. Jones was determined that enough eggs be produced to allow at least one per patient per day. To that end, 139,207 eggs were laid that year."  It appears to me, the farms there not only supplied food for the patients but also served as occupational therapy.

I've requested the book "Under the Red Roof" from my library and I hope to learn more about the farming at the hospital.

Some photos kept by Hans' wife Maren Nielsen Andersen whom I have shared addition photos from.

From Skagit Co. photos

Maren is pictured on the right and Vi is in the middle - caption reads "from hospital Reservoir"

From Skagit Co. photos

From Skagit Co. photos

"The Geese Pond at State Hospital"

From Skagit Co. photos

This one isn't captioned but the roofline looks enough alike to me that I'm pretty sure it's the State Hospital. Hans Andersen on the left, Viola Andersen on the right.

From Skagit Co. photos

I can't quite read the caption but I think she is indicating these are boarder houses at the hospital.

From Skagit Co. photos

"Pheasants at State Hospital"