BEEZY #6

No commentary this time, just more moments in time.

Beezy #5

As always, click on the picture to embiggen, and to see all the artistry and detail.

Going to the Clam Box was always a special treat, even for me in the 60's.   Not sure it still exists, but great seafood was always available on the east coast.   Mom and Dad, to their credit, always were adventurous in their eating and look at us now.  My brother and daughter in NYC, have the most varied and well prepared food at their doorsteps, and even here in Colorado, we are not satisfied with the basics...

Notice my Grandma darning socks.    I can't recall her knitting socks, but her skills were impeccable, so darning would have been within her realm of talents.  Nice looking guy, wasn't he?  My Dad must have been quite a charmer to captured my Mom's heart.

 Mom, always in charge!   She still is not one to sit still for long!   Good thing she is living in an apartment with lots of social activities and people around.

More and more, Mom shows the same dating habits of my daughters!  Like Cyndi Lauper says "Girls just wanna have fun!"

Beezy, post 4

I just spent about 3 hours scanning the rest of the Beezy Album into my computer for posting here and for keeping safely stored.   I didn't realize how many photos were actually in the album, until a couple of hours had gone by, but I enjoyed every minute.   The more time I spend with the Beezy of the late 1940's, I understand how little has changed in the single girl's dating habits.   And I see the the same scenarios happening in my daughters' lives as they travel down some of the same paths.   Here a few cartoons for this week.

Girls like to dress up and have someplace to go, but guys have never really seen it the same way.

 Remember, that this is post WWII and the big band era.   Not too many clarinets in today's pop bands, but just substitute drums or guitar and it could happen.......

 The ubiquitous cell phone, always within reach, has changed this a bit, but you still cannot take it in the shower or the tub.   And now, the girls don't hesitate to make that call first.  See the monogram on the sweater? and the checkerboard tiles?   And Grandma always had the apron on in the house, as I remember it.

 Dancing with the stars and ballroom dancing as it was meant to be.......

 Those were the days when the office buildings had elevator operators.   Mom worked on the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in Manhattan as a secretary for Forge Mills, Inc.  I tried to find some info about the company, but google wasn't helpful here.  I believe it was part of the greater garment industry.

BEEZY, post 3

More Beezy comics for your enjoyment.   As always, click on each one to enlarge and appreciate the artist's craft!

Now I know where my daughter gets it!    I don't recall my Grandpa being so formal, but I do remember that he never had a gray hair on his head!   And the house was suburban, not rural as depicted in the comic!

Grandma was a great baker and so is my Mom, and Toll House cookies have been a favorite for generations!  Even when they are a little dark around the edges......

This is my Mom showing off some sewing skills much to the dismay of her older sister, my Aunt Jean.   Aunt Jean is the musical one while my Mom is the crafty one, and she never let anything go to waste!  She still has her sewing machine in the apartment, but I have most of the knitting supplies.  There is a Hebrew phrase: L'Dor V'Dor, which roughly means "from generation to generation" and that is how talents and creativity are passed on.

Mom, you were such a heartbreaker, and again it reminds me of my daughters!

I remember the house well, a charming tudor style house in suburban White Plains, NY (yes, the house number was #9.   For 6 months in the  1950's we lived with my grandparents after Dad left the Air Force, and that was when Grandma taught me how to knit.  My first project was a coral sweater for my doll, and it had so many holes, it could have been mistaken for lace!   What I learned on her lap must have stuck with me because I have been knitting ever since.

The side porch was screened in and was the best place for breakfast and lunch.   The huge lawn with spruce trees and a flowering dogwood in the side yard was heaven for my 7 year old self.  

Pardon me while I go deep into nostalgic reverie.   

BEEZY, post 2

(click on the image to enlarge for the detail!)

You thought you were in for the evening with a good book?????   You can't fool me, Mom, you never read Shakespeare for fun, certainly not all dressed up with party shoes on!  Perpetually perplexed young man never stood a chance.   (April 14, 1947)

There always comes a time in every relationship where the inevitable happens!   Does the "Y" stand for Yonkers, NY?   Mom wouldn't meet my Dad for another 2 years, but were they from the same town?  The 

plot thickens (May 20, 10947)....................

You tell me, is not the face of my niece the spitting image of my Mom at the about the same age???!

Or my daughter:

Beezy

I hope you don't mind if I share this, Mom.

Another item that now lives at my house is an old scrapbook, which Mom stashed with the other scrapbooks and photo albums.    Dad never liked it, for reasons soon to be revealed, but it was always a source of fascination to me as a teen, and to my girls.   It starts in 1947 before she met my father,  when Mom was dating an artist or cartoonist or graphic artist.  I am not quite sure what he called his career in those days, but after googling him, I believe he worked in the in the early days of comic books.  Actually, there is someone working today by the same name, but a female, who works as a letterer of graphic novels and comic books.   Perhaps, a descendant?   Anyway, what I love about the whole scrapbook is that it captures snapshots of my Mom, my grandparents, my aunt, their home and their lives in the late 40's.   A time and a place which is history for me, but comes alive on the pages.

It appears that each time they had a date, a new comic would be presented.  Each is hand drawn, painted and lettered and in many ways, they remind me of Archie and Jughead comics.   Here is the dedication page:

The larger pages I plan to photograph, but the smaller ones (most are 8"X8") I will scan into this blog.  To really see the detail and quality of the artistry, click on each photo to enlarge it.    One posting in my blog each week will be dedicated to sharing these pieces, and my assumptions about them.  I am sure Mom will correct my inaccuracies!

Dating today is not very different today from then...look at the telephone, the moon, the record, the high school banner, the malt.   Only the technology and the flavors and locations have changed.