Marge and I being married in 1960
Marge’s 1961 birthday photo
Marge's 1961 birthday photo
Bob
Author Archives: R. F.
Holiday Season 1978
Memories from past letters of mine. Also commentary now on those memories. We are now into the fall of 1978. The cold and cough season is upon us but nothing serious. I receive the official notification that I am now a Professional Engineer in PA, a goal that I worked on for a year. I was proud of this achievement. I was also proud of getting the truck ready for use as a tow vehicle. I now realized that I included much about Margery. I make what amends that I can here. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Coopersburg PA, Relationships, Uncategorized
Tagged coopersburg, Marge, memoir, Pennsylvania, PP&L
4 Comments
Summer’s End 1978
Marge and I in 1978 were a middle age suburban Pennsylvania couple with two growing children. This post is about summer ending, a week at the beach, minutae of everyday life, hobbies, memories of the past and comments on them in the present. Join us. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Coopersburg PA, memoir, Pennsylvania, Relationships, Summer vacations
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, family, friends, memoir, relationships
6 Comments
My 2019 Christmas Novella
Personal comments and photos about my life here in Las Vegas, NV during 2019; featuring daughters Ingrid and Louise, friends Janet, Dee, and Odile. It was a good year with one minor bump in October when I became ill. The color for the Advent season is blue, signifying hope. I hope you also have had a great 2020 year and look to the future hopefully. Continue reading
Posted in Hospital, ER, drugs, Las Vegas, photos, Relationships, Vegas 2010-2020
Tagged family, friends, life, love, memoir, relationships
2 Comments
Vacation Over
Summer is over now. Marge and the girls have come back from their long visit in the Tampa, Florida area. We did go to the Jersey shore for a week and discovered a very small, very loud Florida frog in the trailer. Marge located him and took him outside and he is now on his own. Some car problems with our 1970 Ford station wagon, house and home projects; the miscellany of life in suburbia. I am looking forward to some business trips and school for the girls will soon begin. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA, memoir, Pennsylvania
Tagged coopersburg, family, Marge, PP&L, road travel
3 Comments
July 1978
Summer vacation time in PA. Trips for me, mostly business related. I had a speaking engagement in Chicago and made a side trip to Dearborn, home of many museums and similar places of interest. I took a trip at Memorial day to Tampa to spend a few days there with a friend and so some sailing in the Gulf. That was a lot of fun. I went to Poughkeepsie, NY to visit a counterpart at Central Hudson Power. Marge and I both went to Williamsburgh, VA as I was going to a trade show of electric utility vehicles. Marge did some shopping and sightseeing. We left the girls at home and had a very nice time together. Pleasure with business, a good combination. I had a new eye exam and also a detailed hearing exam. Some minor problems but nothing serious. I took up the jogging craze and find it is a good way to unwind after a day at the office and get in good physical shape. I took the exam for a Professional Engineering license 20 years after graduation. It was exhausting but I believe I did OK. Future summer plans involve going to Virginia Beach with another couple for a vacation which we are all looking forward to. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Coopersburg PA, Relationships, Summer vacations
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, friends, memoir, singing, vacation
2 Comments
Winter 1978
Unusual, for us, stormy weather in January and February of 1978. This did cause some difficulty for me getting to work in Allentown due to drifting. Home repairs and improvement included putting a new relay in the furnace. That was easy. A harder task was getting up on the roof chipping ice from the flashings and repair interior water damage to the floor in place. Marge and I went to a local dinner theater a few times and also to a local production of “A Dolls House” Very pleasant. Marge’s sister Pat, fiance Adam, and her children Kathleen and Scott paid us a visit. Ingrid and I went to dinner on her birthday and to the movie “Close Encouners” Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Binghamton, Coopersburg PA, memoir, Pennsylvania
Tagged family, friends, fun, history, life, work
5 Comments
January 1978
Marge and I work together on some home improvements in our kitchen. We also joined the church choir; another activity we both enjoy and pleasant together. I went to two utility conferences speaking at one of them. We were plagued by ice storms in the fall but managed to cope with the power outages. Indoor camping one might say. My Mom visited us from her home in Plattsburgh NY which we all enjoyed. The fall season visits us with the flu, though not too seriously. We look forward to the coming year including a trip to Georgia during Easter vacation time. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Coopersburg PA, memoir, Pennsylvania
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, Marge, PP&L
2 Comments
September 1977
Trailer traveling from PA to FL. To the Tampa FL area in July. (NO A/C on the trailer…THINK about that!!) It was my wife Marge’s wish to take some spoken Spanish classes with some people she knew. We both learned some about the life experiences each of us had. Very Good. Very positive. So if you want to go on the road, please join us here. Continue reading
Posted in Coopersburg PA, Marge Writing, memoir, Summer vacations
1 Comment
June 1977
A family memoir of summer life including travel, learning, children and Marge driving the car and trailer down south. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA, memoir, Summer vacations
Tagged children, driving, family, fun
Leave a comment
May 1977
The sunny South, land of Tara and “Gone with the Wind”. Also, Live Oaks and Spanish moss. Our annual Spring vacation where we went to get a head start on spring in PA. The Civil War, aka War of Northern Aggression, started here. View a Park Service video of Fort Sumter history. Join us. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA, memoir, Summer vacations
Tagged coopersburg, driving, family, fun, Marge, vacation
2 Comments
March 1977
Another family memoir, this time in March, 1977. Our vacation plans for a trip South. A sick pet and an orthodontist for Ingrid. Join us. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Binghamton, Coopersburg PA, Marge Writing, memoir, Summer vacations
Tagged children, family, feelings, fun, health, life, pets
Leave a comment
February 1977
Our family life in Eastern Pa in early 1977. Our children, our day to day lives over 40 years ago. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Binghamton, Coopersburg PA, Marge Writing, memoir
Tagged children, family, feelings, life
Leave a comment
Marriage Encounter
Marriage Encounter, an ongoing Catholic program for couples to enhance their relationship through improved dialog. This is our experience. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Binghamton, Coopersburg PA, Marital difficulties, Pennsylvania, Relationships
Tagged dialog, family, feelings, love, Religion
6 Comments
Dec – Jan 1976
Christmas 1976, early snow, auto troubles, auto repair course, Marriage Encounter enrollment Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA
Tagged children, family, fun, health, life, music, students
2 Comments
Winter Wonders 1976
41 years ago, Thanksgiving and Christmas, trips, work, hobbies, cars and familys memories Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown
Tagged cars, children, coopersburg, Dannemora, driving, Marge, misunderstanding, road travel, singing
2 Comments
July 2017, Movie Nights
Favorite films, often Swedish. Ove, New in Town, Dragon Tattoo Trilogy, Pizza, Scotch and wine, whats not to Like? Continue reading
Posted in Summer vacations, Vegas 2010 -?
Tagged drinks, feelings, films, food, fun, life, photos
8 Comments
Furniture fun
Back pain and my journey making my home more livable buying new furniture and discarding old Continue reading
My Stay In the E. R.
A hospital ER, not a place I want to go, but must. ER found nothing wrong with me, but my drugs are a toxic cocktail. I might wake up dead!! Continue reading
Posted in Coopersburg PA, Hospital, ER, drugs, Vegas 2010 -?
8 Comments
A Tale of Two Obituaries
Life and death, sex and solitude, remembrance, log cabin, childhood memories, small towns, reconnecting Continue reading
Posted in Relationships, Uncategorized
Tagged death, family, feelings, friends, life, photos, restaurants, sex
4 Comments
The falling leaves-1976
Fall, camping, children, cars, electronics, fishing, audiology, teaching films courses, Sacramento Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Binghamton, Coopersburg PA, Summer vacations
Tagged camping, cars, children, driving, family, friends, fun, Hearing aids, pets, photos
4 Comments
Summer Solstice Soliloquies
family life in 1976, photos, Dad’s death,Lake Placid, summer vacations, ham radio, ages and stages Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA, Relationships, Summer vacations
Tagged death, driving, friends, Ingrid, memoir, photos, road travel, summer
4 Comments
Presidents Day ’76
February, the confusing Washington’s birthday holiday, MLK, race riots, car repair, health, vacation plans Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown
Tagged Beverly Hills, cars, emotions, health, Marge, misunderstanding, PP&L, relationships
2 Comments
November News – 1975
Allentown November, very proper British clothes, car wreck, our music interests, ending in Thanksgiving. Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Coopersburg PA, Uncategorized
Tagged cars, children, church, driving, health, hobbies, life, music, Religion
2 Comments
May Memories – 1975,Holiday, Wallenpaupack, Trailering Home improvements
Wallenpaupack holiday, Nichols family plot, Hancock, NY, Beverley Hills home, upgrading, new chairs, trailering, High school musicale Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Pennsylvania
Tagged children, church, coopersburg, driving, family, featured, life, memoir, music, PP&L
2 Comments
April Fools – 1975
Travel trailer vacation, Florida, Disney world, Weekie Watchie, St Augustine North Carolina,bad weather, home again Continue reading
Posted in Coopersburg PA, Relationships, Summer vacations
Tagged children, driving, family, feelings, fun, history, life, vacation
2 Comments
March 1975, Health, Teen Age, Music, Spring
March 1975 in Coopersburg, health, birthday, guitars, woodworking, films Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Coopersburg PA
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, featured, films, Marge, memoir, music
2 Comments
Feb. 1975, Flu, Florida, Family, Guitar, Electronics, Furniture
Mid winter in PA, Flu, Florida, Trailer travel, Guitar, Electronics,Furniture Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown, Coopersburg PA
Tagged coopersburg, driving, family, friends, health, Marge, memoir, music, PP&L, road travel
2 Comments
Jan 1975, national economy, holidays, travel plans, new and old hobbies
A new year is upon us. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem better than last year. For us as a family the situation appears OK. Nationally is a different matter. One month we hear of a tax surcharge, than a tax rebate. … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA, Relationships
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, emotions, Marge, marriage, memoir, PP&L, singing
Leave a comment
Nov. ’74 – Home Improvements, Music, Teeth Bands and Braces, PP&L
I started the month more or less anticipating my birthday. Getting perilously close to 40, a few years to go. The living room is in pretty good shape at this time. The new furniture arrived, and also a rug from … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, health, Ingrid, memoir, music, Pennsylvania, PP&L
2 Comments
July 1974- union strikes, major flood, trailer camping
Summer ’74 is definitely with us now, and for me an unusual experience, working as a helper on a line crew. A line crew installs and maintains the wiring from the electrical distribution system to the last customer. Was this … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown
Tagged Beverly Hills, children, dining, emotions, featured, Marge, memoir, misunderstanding, PP&L, Storms, trailer travel
4 Comments
Easter Vacation 1974
I think that a slight change in style is proper. My sources, other than memories, are letters and notes from the time period in the blog title. I am trying to correctly represent that by writing in the past tense … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Allentown
Tagged coopersburg, dining, driving, health, Marge, marriage, memoir, Moravian church, travel trailer
5 Comments
April 1974
March surely did go out like a lion this year. We had about an inch of snow on March 31, but it didn’t last long. The snow flakes were big and wet, came down hard for a few hours and … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, driving, featured, marriage, memoir, road travel
Leave a comment
Marching Along – 1974
Spring is springing, a young man’s thoughts turn to Love, and a middle-aged man thinks about his trailer. March 74 certainly came in very lamb-like. I was sick again in February with the flu, more severe in February than January. … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA
Tagged Beverly Hills, cars, clothes, driving, friends, health, Marge, memoir, PP&L, road travel
6 Comments
Another New Year – 1974
Here we are again, now in 1974. I didn’t get around to writing until the end of the month for some unknown reason now, probably the Christmas rush, celebrations, etc. One of our Christmas day rituals was turning the house … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, driving, hobbies, life, love, marriage, memoir, Pennsylvania, relationships, road travel, taxes, trailer travel
2 Comments
Notes on November -1973
November ’73, I am now a year older, but still under the figure of 40, another decade in the odometer of life. And so far it has been a good life. For us, this was a month of trips. The first gasoline crisis … Continue reading
Posted in Coopersburg PA, NY
Tagged Beverly Hills, coopersburg, emotions, friends, health, hobbies, life, love, marriage, memoir, PP&L, relationships, Trailers
2 Comments
Summer Time – 1973
The Date: August 15, 1973. The Place: Coopersburg, PA. August here is usually hot and muggy, this day being no exception. Not like NY where we could get by with large window fans and we are so thankful this house … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA, Relationships, Summer vacations
Tagged beach, Beverly Hills, family, history, life, marriage, memoir, Pennsylvania, PP&L, relationships, road travel
2 Comments
Independence Day – 1973
I had the day off since 4th is a holiday. Louise’s birthday is the 6th so we all celebrated a day early. Seven years old already, how did that happen? Of course, we had birthday cake and presents and altogether … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Pennsylvania
Tagged children, coopersburg, life, love, Marge, memoir, New York, PP&L, relationships, vacation
8 Comments
Springtime For Frantzens – 1973
No, not Springtime For Hitler, that’s been done, but about me and my loved ones. I took a business trip to Oklahoma at the end of April. A local vendor of construction equipment was having a show in Oklahoma City and I … Continue reading
Posted in Coopersburg PA
Tagged coopersburg, dining, emotions, family planning, friends, hospital, Hydro electricity, mall, Marge, memoir, PP&L, Susquehanna, Trailers, tubal ligation
4 Comments
Great Expectations – Our First Trailer Trip
I am shameless in appropriating titles, though we did in fact have great expectations for our first trailer vacation. The time was April 1973 just preceding Easter of that year. We made a trial trip to Lancaster PA to get an actual … Continue reading
Posted in Coopersburg PA, Pennsylvania
Tagged Atlantic coast, coopersburg, driving, emotions, Marge, memoir, Myrtle Beach, road travel, trailer
6 Comments
On The Road…In PA
Apologies to Jack Kerouac but I couldn’t resist. Marge and I have discussed buying a travel trailer. Really, it was my idea but of course it was a joint decision to make. I have no idea why, it just seemed … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA
Tagged emotions, life, Marge, marriage, memoir, PP&L, relationships, road travel
4 Comments
Orphanage of Marge
I want to reprise a bit from the earlier long quote about the Charismatic Movement. It does still exist in different forms, but I don’t believe here (LV). Marge had made some very bad decisions in our early life and was … Continue reading
Posted in Marital difficulties, Pennsylvania
Tagged abandonment, anger, archetype, coopersburg, depression, emotions, friends, loneliness, marriage, memoir, misunderstanding, orphan, Religion
6 Comments
PA 1972 – 1973
Back to the Pa. suburbs at Beverly Hills. We did make a trip in December to spend time with Marge’s sister Pat and her family in Penn Yan, NY. The weather was cold for December, but reasonable for January though … Continue reading
Posted in 1970-1980, Coopersburg PA, Marital difficulties, Pennsylvania
Tagged Air Force, Beverly Hills, Charismatic movement, entertaining, food, God, insecurity, PP&L, relationships, Religion, singing
6 Comments
R. F. & M. F. – End of Chapter
“MY GRANDFATHER’S CLOCK” Words and Lyrics Henry Clay Work “My grandfather’s clock was too large for the shelf, So it stood ninety years on the floor; It was taller by half than the old man himself, Though it weighed not … Continue reading
Posted in Marital difficulties, Relationships, Vegas 1980-1990, Vestal
Tagged clockwork, college, death, driving, emotions, grief, life, love, Marge, marriage, memoir, mind prober, misunderstanding, National Guard, Personality testing, relationships, road travel
2 Comments
Mind Probing Marge and Bob – Sex
Sex!! where would we be without it? Of course, you wouldn’t be at all, unless you were conceived miraculously. Christianity, Buddhism, aboriginal beliefs, and other religious systems have similar tales, so that idea is part of our Jungian collective unconscious thereby explaining the mystery … Continue reading
Posted in Marital difficulties, Relationships, Uncategorized
Tagged emotions, fun, hot tubs, love, Marge, marriage, memoir, mind prober, misunderstanding, mood, relationships, sex, Spring Fever
2 Comments
Mind Probing Bob & Marge – Personal Interests
Time. Time and time again. What is time? My dictionary first defines time as a noun : the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole; when used differently time is a verb, … Continue reading
Posted in Marge Writing, Marital difficulties, Relationships, Syracuse University
Tagged emotions, friends, hobbies, Marge, marriage, memoir, mind prober, music, New York, relationships, SAT, singing, Syracuse University, time, work
6 Comments
55 Years Together 