Graduation!

Another graduate in the family. Stephanie just graduated with a BA in Criminal Justice and now Mia has graduated from Pre-Kindergarten. Seriously.

At first she wasn't into it.

But then she was all smiles and sang all the words with her class song and even danced a little.

Then they put on their caps and gowns and marched down the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance. I confess to choking up a little. At the same time the end of year party was taking place at the school next door where Jill and Jonah and their friends were having fun at a Hawaiian-themed celebration.

Here are a few special graduation photos from the past.

Jaime had a graduation ceremony from kindergarten with cap and gown and a limo ride (around the block so they could arrive in style.) This must have been about 1985.

Here is Jonah in 2005. I have a better graduation picture but I can't find it.

Here I am in 1966 in my High School graduation picture.

 I even found this picture from my dad's graduation from Crescent, OK HS in 1939. He is the 3rd one from the right on the top row. How do I know it was 1939? Because I also have this cool little graduation book from the occasion.

Inside are all the names of the graduates in case you think someone in the picture above looks familiar.

Next door, at the end of school party, there was a lot of bouncing, dancing, pizza eating and hula hooping going on. Mia got a lot of attention from the older crowd as she came in still wearing her cap and gown.

Jill and Jaime hooped a little.

Mia is learning. Here she is with TWO hoops!

Dad - on Memorial Day

Francis Jean Marshall, Navy Medic

My father's grave, Crescent, OK

My father was a Navy medic attached to the Marines in WWII. He served in the South Pacific at Tarawa. I am remembering him today.

A Visit to Sulphur Springs Pool

Yesterday my grandchildren and I visited an old Tampa landmark Sulphur Springs Park and Pool on the Hillsborough River. Here is a link to tell you about the history of the old water tower on the property. There are some beautiful murals and a glass mosaic mural that I didn't get pictures of. The river runs nearby.

Back in the 20's, Sulphur Springs was a resort with a beautiful, natural spring on the Hillsborough River. The gazebo and the old water tower were built on the property which also included an arcade building and hotel. When my ex-husband's parents moved to Tampa from Ohio, they actually lived in the old arcade for a while. My uncle John worked in the arcade building as an accountant in the 60's before it was torn down. When my ex (Pee Paw to you grandkids) was growing up, he lived on the banks of the Hillsborough River. On his 5th birthday, he was given 5 pennies and he decided to walk to the old arcade and buy a toy. When he got there he didn't have enough money for the little truck he picked out, but someone else paid so he could have it. He happily walked back home with his toy only to find his worried parents dragging the river thinking he had drowned.

Over the years, the neighborhood became more and more run down. The springs became too polluted to swim in and it was eventually replaced with a swimming pool. The pool was recently renovated and that is the pool we visited yesterday. We went with Courtney, Jill's mom. We had a picnic in the shady park beside the gazebo and swam in the beautiful cool water. The kids had a ball sliding down the big yellow water tube which I didn't think to take a picture of either. Jonah curled up in a ball and gathered lots of speed going down the tube so he could shoot out very far at the bottom.

Here is a picture of the tube from an article by Mike Wells from the link above.