Grandma's Hat Box

(My mother on the left)

How do I explain?
Life becomes just a fragment from another time..like the old photos I'd pull out of my Grandma's hat box. It was back then- when my mother could tell me who was who. These were from stills (except for the wedding photo)- my husband took from a video a relative sent after copying it to a CD.  The humidity already began to take its toll.

Ship Germania~

My maternal Grandparents sailed from Germany to Minnesota in the mid 1800's. My Grandma's parents were from Switzerland. 

Mankato- Blue Earth  was rich farming land, settled mainly by German Immigrants-mostly Catholics and Lutherans.

(Woman is actually part of the logo on the window)

Grandpa was an entrepreneur who started a cookie factory In Minnesota. My mom was just a few years old when they decided to sell the factory and move to Hollywood. They opened another one on Melrose Av. near La Brea and named it Calirox,"California rox". 
According to the census, they were farmers and bakers (what his father~my G. Grandpa did) 
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They moved into a home on Laurel Canyon in the mid 1920's, which is where my mother grew up.  Anyway, they did really well..  that's my Grandpa (in the middle) walking beside a fleet of his trucks- next to my Uncle (left) and I believe his brother-in-law (G.Aunt Rose's husband)-(who's father had his own little cigar manufacturing business) back in Minneapolis.

(Both Grandparents at home on Laurel Canyon)

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 The story was, my uncle contracted tuberculosis and nearly died- then ended up working for American Express (Railroad) as a station manager.  But because of my Great Aunt's care, he recovered..and they eventually decided to move from Minneapolis to California where he began to work with my Grandpa at the cookie factory until the depression.  
My Grandparents sold this, along with the lovely home which was later turned into a duplex. They bought a charming old house in Sierra Madre- (another story). My Grandpa died the year I was born
but my Grandma lived to be almost 92 yrs.
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These are really wild photos..but like the hat box- its closed and so is that era- (Ironically, my parents just gave away that old box of memories on impulse one day?)
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"..While yet the rolling earth abides,
Men come and go like ocean tides..
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And ere one generation dies..
Others succeed, like wave on wave"
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Life can often leave you feeling burned..only I'm reminded of the following in
Phil 3:13-
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.. forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus~

(My mom with my uncles & Grandma above)

Left is taken from a book (Dreams of Glass)- The story of William McLaughlin and His Glass Company-
It'was written by Fred Pagent- a kind gentleman who sent a copy to me when I was doing a  search on line a few years ago. Very meaningful in light of the fact that I came to a dead end (a pun now, ha)..but couldn't really find help from relatives or any more information on the cookie factory here. (outside of a genealogical search which provided the family linage and census though.