The Wooden Leg
There wasn’t any one photo or story that called out to me for my blog this week. So I went searching through my “Old Photos” folder on my computer to see what I’d come across. I kept coming back to this photo, so I decided to go with it.
This is a photo of my maternal grandparents. I am Van Landry. My mom was Betty Lou Bucklin Landry, and her parents were Fred Bucklin and Myrtle Phenice Bucklin. I had thought of posting this photo several times, but put it off for various reasons. I figured I’d end up posting it at some point. That point is now.
One of the reasons I didn’t post it was that I can never decide on a date for the photo. They seem pretty young in the photo. The Depression was going on during the 1930s, yet they seem to be dressed pretty nicely. Of course I used to think the family had no money at all, but then had to rethink that when I found out my grandfather used to summer at the spas in Arkansas.
She was born Dec. 19, 1906, and he was born less than a year later on Oct. 2, 1907. They both grew up in the same area and now that I think about it, I have no idea how they met. It’s not like my other grandparents who were cousins and probably knew each other all their lives. But they could have met when they were young since they were the same age and lived near each other. They got married March 12, 1930. So this photo could have been taken before then, or it could be fifteen years later. I just don’t know.
Either way, I think they make a handsome couple. My grandmother was never referred to as a beauty, but was said to be handsome. I wonder if that was said because she wasn’t dainty. I think she looks very striking in some photos. Like this one. She looks a bit stylish with that hat, coat, and handbag.
Grandpa looks nice in his suit, also. It may not have the same lines that are popular today, but he looks rather dapper. Of course when I was a child, I never thought such a thing. He was just an old man that liked to complain about his health. I never thought of him as this young man starting out his married life with his cherished bride. I do think I resemble him a bit, as did my cousins Keith and Dale. (Depending on the photo.)
The other thing that I didn’t like about this photo is that it looks like Grandma has a wooden leg. When I looked at this smallish photo when it was in a photo album, that’s what I’d see. It wasn’t until I scanned it and looked at it on my computer that it quit looking like that, so maybe you won’t see it at all. Maybe you’ll just see a handsome couple looking stylish as they smile for the camera.