Aloha from 1961
Cousin Martha was legendary in our family. I never met her but her presence hovered over us, checking on us to see if we would be worthy of the money she promised to leave my mother someday.
Martha had left her fiance´ at the altar when he made the mistake of offering to take over her finances during the ceremony. The experience left her wary of men, and her wedding gift to my parents was a purse for my mom.
We knew that she went to Hawaii every summer. We rarely went anywhere, so to us, she seemed rich and exotic.
One year she asked my mom if we would like some Hawaiian outfits. We lived in Iowa at the time in a town of 800 people – we wouldn’t have any place to wear these outfits or be able to wear them very much of the year, but my mom, thinking that it was a nice gesture, said sure.
Poor Mom was very surprised when the outfits arrived, along with a bill for $70!
Here we are wearing them.
A little Hawaiian Punch on a bright Iowa day
Who wouldn’t feel great in a dress like this?
We only wore them the one time, but I remember that day. I guess it’s easier to remember something so out of the ordinary.
Here is the little child’s dress today.
Still a gorgeous dress!
The colors are still bright and the fabric still feels sturdy. I guess we got what we paid for!
What a story! This is so funny, the nostalgia and the Hawaii theme—I’ve been watching re-runs of Magnum PI for days now. Something about summertime makes me crave pieces of my childhood. That picture of you in the dress is priceless.
Yes, I can only imagine what the neighbors thought that day! Just remembering childhood summertimes seems like a little vacation.
I loved this! 🙂 The dress is still so beautiful…
Glad you liked it. The craftsmanship in that dress is really nice..
This story is so funny! We all have a Cousin Martha in our family.
So true!
Just DARLING!