Growing up the youngest of three, my two older brothers were 8 and 10 years older than I, and looking back as a young child I really was more of an only child. My brothers were already in their teenage years by the time I was old enough to start having memories of them. So there are a lot of stories that the 3 of us have heard and perhaps have changed , not on purpose, just on decades. Like the game telephone. Does anyone remember telephone? In Southern Ca, where I grew up if it rained the classes would have their recess in doors. (I chuckle at that thought now) In the game the first kid (usually with the help of the teacher) would say a sentence and each student then whispered that sentence to the next student. The last student would then say what was whispered to him. Of course it was totally different and way out of context. And of course the giggles would ensue once finding out what the teacher and first student had originally said.

With all that said, this is my warm and glowing memory (story) like a smiling and welcoming pumpkin about Halloween the way I remembered it.

My father was in the United States Coast Guard in World War II . He was stationed out of Portland Oregon. On Halloween night he and his Coast Guard buddies went to a Masquerade Halloween ball. It was at the Multnomah Hotel in Portland Oregon. There in costume (I do not know what it was ) he met a woman for the first time. A radio operator for the Coast Guard . An S.O.S. lady as I have referred to it all these years. She too in costume the two met and shared a kiss. My father gave this gal a ring and told her he would be coming back (he was being shipped out for what he thought was going to be about 3 months) and he was going to marry her. She was a strikingly beautiful red head by pictures I have seen, and he was a handsome young man.


True to his word, my father came back and married this woman, (my mother obviously) on January 27 Th of the following year. YES, less than 90 days of their first meeting at a Halloween Masquerade ball for the United States Coast Guard.

My mother died in May of 1990, had she lived until January 27th of the following year they would have been celebrating their 50 th Wedding Anniversary!

NOTE!!!
After writing this I decide to call my father. He is still alive and a very young 87, still living in the home I grew up in. I wanted to verify some things but not ask too many questions. I was a little shocked, the outcome?

Every single word I just wrote is correct to his recollection. He should be the one to know. It was his recollection and his life of course! I did leave out the question of what were you dressed up as. Why? I like my own visualization of that one just fine. It has something to do with a knight in shining armor............

So to all those that consider Valentines to be the "love" holiday. It's not in my family. It's Halloween!!!

Have a Happy and safe one!

I made this frame a long time ago and put my mother's picture in it when my father went and made copies for myself and two brothers. If you care to see the post on this at my website Wood Alley , you can find the particular post here