Olivia, Texas

I took a quick peak outside this morning to take this picture.

Quick because it is 55 degrees and blustery.

It's not particularly a "monumental"picture by any means, however, what it represents is something very dear to me.

This piece of land is where my husband's father grew up.

He learned to fish in this bay and later even learned how to

make a cast net. My father-in-law did not speak English

until he went to school. His language was Swedish.

His father had come from Sweden to farm. His mother

was already a second generation American... her family

coming from Sweden as well.

This was the home of Mabel and Otto Peterson.

It was a Sears and Roebuck "prefab" house and was

located right on this bay.

This picture was taken in 1915.

Mabel and Otto are pictured holding their

first born child, Arvid, my husband's father.

The house was moved off of this property about

twenty years ago. A brick home was built in its place. It was still being lived in and had

survived numerous storms and hurricanes.

My husband and I attended the annual Peterson reunion

this past summer when we took these pictures

here on the Peterson homestead.

This site has been the location of many, many

family gatherings. No one lives in the home that is

here now, but it is used as a gathering place for family.

If I look hard enough out on the banks of the bay,

I can see two young boys, my late father-in-law and his

younger brother fishing. I can see my husband as a young

boy enjoying the same sport... and then my three sons

doing so as well. Many fish have been fried here and

oysters shucked. Cattle have been raised, eggs from the family's chickens gathered and jars of canned produce

put up. It's not particularly the sort of lifestyle I would want

to go back to, but I cherish the lifestyle that created the

wonderful people in the family I was blessed to be

married in to.

I will be linking to

Little Red House

for

Mosaic Monday

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/