Heart Of The 80s

My grandfather Heinrich and grandmother Minna's house in Hedemuenden, Germany when it was being built in 1939. They must have just acquired the property at that time. Can't say who the other people were, but I can see my grandmother there carrying a little boy in her arms - that's my father. This house is surrounded by a huge expanse of land that they call a garden and an orchard.

 This photo above was taken in the 1970s. That's the small beer house with sign above it that says "Zum kleinen Bären Schnellimbiss Bären-Pils". I hope to know what it means and I hope to find people who are familiar with this beer hub in town. That was my grandmother Minna in the middle and my father on the right. This lady with them must be a relative as she resembles my grandmother's earlier photos. ( Who could this lady be? Tante Hildegard.. Tante Claudia... Tante Heidi.. Tante Hannelore?)

 
These next three photos are the ones given to me by my great uncle in 1992. I can imagine it still looks this way now even after we've sold the property in 1993. It looks quaint like a photo in a Christmas postcard, doesn't it?


If you look closer, you can find the beer hub sign on the far left corner again, yet I could not make out it's new business name, I think it's just the same with a new design.


This is my first Sepia Saturday post for my 80s blog. Head more to their site and join us!

The hiatus between October 31st to November 2nd is almost always a family reunion during the 80s. Folks from Manila, Tuguegarao and La Union would all visit our  hometown to pay respects to our departed relatives by offering prayers, as is the Catholic tradition.

I've had precious memories from these visits, being in the ancestral house that my grandfather resided. Folks would take me with them, not only to visit the graves in the cemetery, but more to go around town to visit other relatives in nearby towns. An added plus is staying at our uncles' San Fabian resthouse eby the popularly known Holiday Resort! There were plenty of us families there, I imagine the house with 4 rooms so cramped that some of us had to sleep by the living room / terrace. But the days were so much fun playing boardgames, going to the beach, exchanging knock-knock jokes and getting to know our cousins more!



For a long while since 1983, when our grandfather Roberto De Guzman passed away, it was only me and my Big Sister Cousin Edith  who would visit their graves at the cemetery. The practice was solemn then and we would pass by the Catholic church in the afternoon to offer prayers first before going to the cemetery. At the cemetery we would keep vigil until the sun sets, just exchanging family stories and the latest. I miss that too.

Yes, I miss those times and wish we could have a repeat of those for the next generation (read: my young boys) but then all my relatives are now settled in the US and Australia for good, that I miss their huge crowd sometimes. Yes, I'm the only immediate relative left here in the Philippines, so you could imagine the quietness of the occasion for my family now. And I've also changed with traditions during All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day as we don't celebrate nor participate in it now, except with the clean-up of the grave sites since we converted to Christian faith.

When I visited our town cemetery together with my two boys for clean-up, I knew these tombstones are something to blog about.. so here I am on my entry for Tombstone Tuesday. In the Philippines we use marble tombstones called lapida in the local dialect.


My grandfather Roberto Cortez De Guzman (Born: June 6,1899 - Died: December 1,1983) He lived up to his 84th year of old age. My grandfather and grandmother's ashes were put together, as is the Pinoy custom, in one grave. My grandmother Felicidad De Vera De Guzman (Born: July 24,1905 - Died: February 19,1960) She died from complications due to a bout of asthma. During the rural folk ages, doctors were a rarity in our town that perhaps contributed to her early demise when my mother and her siblings were still in college in Manila.

 

My Aunt Justina De Vera De Guzman (Born September 26,1934 - Died: May 19, 1960) Aunt Nena, as she was fondly called, was two years older than my  mom. She died of heart complications about the time she was working right after college. I recall my other aunts said she had a suitor/boyfriend who was very despondent when she died.

On the same grave is my older cousin whom I've never met Francis G. Paraan (Born: October 18, 1964 - Died: February 18, 1965) He was the brother between my Big Sister/ Cousin Ate Edith and Kuya Rey. Folks said that when he died, the then young Ate Edith cried so much at his funeral that people cried more for her sadness. She wished for another sibling and was blessed with the birth of Kuya Rey

On the same grave is my nephew Gian Carlo Viloria Paraan, son of Kuya Rey and Ate Mimie (Born: March 21,1988 - Died: March 22, 1988) He died from neonatal complications. Faye and I were there when we visited him at the hospital, which was also the same day we took him home together with Ate Mimie's folks.




This is my mom's tombstone: Juana De Guzman Buelchmann (Born: June 12, 1936 - Died: April 13, 1991) (Juane De Guzman Bülchmann) She died from cancer complications. I was only 19 years old then.





Find more at http://www.gravestonephotos.com/public/findfamily.php?name=Bulchmann http://www.findagrave.com/
Lapida Maker

Two hit songs from my 80s adolescent hood for this Music Monday for me,yay!

 The Romantic's "Talking In Your Sleep" was a great hit in the summer of 1984. It was a crowd favorite and I wonder why it personally reminds me of Eat Bulaga's Little Miss Philippines contestant Glaiza Herradura, hmm, now there's another entry to blog about next time :)

"Take On Me" by A-ha is an incredibly awesome music video and a great hit also. It was in early 1985 that the music video was released and often requested on MTV and VH1

Enjoy!






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