Then...and Now

Okay, I'm thinking that all of you Thuernagle siblings just might enjoy this one. :) Here is Andy in front of the house in Clairton, PA (Pittsburgh) when he was about 8 or 9. He says this picture was taken the day that you moved to Idaho Falls...so let's see that puts it somewhere around 1984-85ish. (Oh...check out his foot...just curious, has Andy's shoe size EVER been less than 14?)
And here is the Clairton house two summers ago in '06 (nearly 20 years later). We spent a week in PA at some condos with my parents, and took a day down in Pittsburgh to tour Andy's childhood days. We found the house first...and he told us all sorts of stories about everyone! It was so fun! He took us around the neighborhood and showed us the houses of his friends. And we knocked on the door, but no one was home...so we took the liberty of walking around the yard and taking pictures of different things that Andy remembered. The whole time, I was just waiting for a police car to show up and arrest us for trespassing or something. :)

So, this is a picture of the retaining wall where Andy used to hang out with his friends. He remembers that when his mom would call him in for dinner or to do chores, or whatever...that he would hide behind the wall. He said that he would just stay there and peek through the wall and watch, and said that sometimes he would pretend that he was in a fort in the woods...anyway, he said it really ticked off Mom T. hmm....I wonder why?Here is the infamous "Stilley" sign. Leading up to this sign is a big hill, and Andy told us about a time when he and Oliver were riding bikes down the hill. (Really, it sounded like Andy baited Oliver into a race down the hill) anyway, he said that Oliver fell down and was hurt pretty badly, cut his head open. The thing Andy remembers the most is that he had to leave Oliver there and ride home to tell everyone that he was hurt. Oliver, I think that he feels bad now that he's seen the hill again. :) Hey...come to think of it, my really bad mountain biking accident that left me all torn up and bloody was from racing Andy down a hill as well. Lesson: don't race Andy down hills on bikes. You'll lose. I had to throw this picture in, even though they're far away. This Elementary school houses a lot of "fond" memories for Andy. :) He was looking into the windows at the principal's office, and talking about all the things he used to do. The school is right near a wooded hill, and he showed me where the kids "weren't supposed to go", but where he would go to get lost balls, chase squirrels, etc. All I have to say is "it explains a lot". Enough said.

So...there you go Thuernagle siblings! A little trip down memory lane! I have a large file of pictures that I'll get sent out to you with our whole trip. We have pictures of Pitt's nuclear site where your dad worked...and where my dad works when he's in Pittsburgh for business, (that was another area where I was a little bit nervous about doing drive-bys with cameras out the window. I was expecting the tanks and helicopters to come out and get me at any moment.)

Okay...I couldn't resist putting this picture on. We spent a couple of days hiking in the woods near the condos, and I loved it. I could hike in those woods forever, they are so beautiful, and shaded...and I love the leaves and all the little animals and deer everywhere. BUT...the kids were getting tired, so I made them a deal. The trails were marked with different colors of spray paint on the trees. I told the kids that we would turn around at the 10th tree. WOW!!! The attitude shift was a miracle! Why can't homework pages be color-coded? Anyway, the 10th tree was such a hit, that I had to get a picture of all of them touching it...even little Brooklynn, who at that time was only 22 months old. My kids don't know how lucky they are. I, at least, was asking them to hike in a beautiful wooded area where it wasn't scorching hot from unshaded sun, and where there were little creeks to play in on the way. I remember a vacation when I was about 13 when us kids had to hike miles upon miles through the "Petrified National Forest" in New Mexico's 114 degree weather. When you've seen one piece of dead wood rock...you've seen them all. :) (giggle) Enough said.