In June 1983, I left my three children in the care of my mother and sister while Mike and I attended a bankers’ convention in Sun Valley. I liked to visit the quaint little shops in the resort, one of my favorites being the children’s shop. Of course, Sun Valley caters to the rich and famous and the little outfits for fast-growing children were out of my price range.
Summer was fast approaching, though, and 16-month-old Hallie, our last child and only daughter, was in need of a swimsuit for our frequent outings to the beach at Hells Gate State Park. I fell in love with a cute little suit in pink and white checks with ruffles on the bottom, but it was way too much to pay. It just was.
But on the sale rack was a little suit marked down – way down -- to $15. It was very plain – deep blue with hot pink trim – but I decided it was something I could afford to take home to my little girl.
Little did I know at the time how cute that little suit would be when stretched over that little person. And little did I realize at the time that it was just her style. (Hallie likes a feminine style without frills.) It made my day when a woman walking the beach took one look at her and chuckled in delight. “That’s the cutest thing on the beach!” she said.
[The photo is one of my favorites -- Hallie on the beach at Hells Gate State Park at 18 months, summer 1983. Behind her in the light blue trunks is her big brother Clint, who was 3.]
8 comments:
My hair looks so red in that photo. If only I could have stayed that cute!
So good for Hallie to hear the story of her blue swimsuit. What an adorable little girl. The photo is a precious memory.
How very cute!
It's easy to lament that children grow up, but it's right that life happen according to plan. I thought Hallie was a charming little girl and she grew up to be a charming big girl -- intelligent, strong, healthy, making her way in the world -- and attractive, too.
I'd call that a "verbal hug."
I'm down at Bruder Bear's and Dan has his computer up and running. I could not miss a chance to comment on this post.
I love the picture of Hallie and she is adorable in it. And she's still adorable!! Okay, maybe she doesn't want to be called adorable, but she's truly a beautiful person--inside and out! And I'll bet Nick would have a thing or two to say about her cuteness. :-)
P.S.--love the story about the suit, too. Did you save it as a keepsake?
Hi Chris! Hope you're having a great time at John's. What's for supper?
I think I especially admire Hallie because she's a woman at home in her world, something that escaped me. On the other hand, I suspect my mother might have said the same thing about me because I could solve problems that overwhelmed her.
The little blue suit? Some lovely things were stashed away in Hallie's baby keepsake box, but I'm not sure that the suit is there. It might have been passed along for some other little girl's benefit.
What's for supper? Well, we've had yummy barbecued beef sandwiches, chicken enchiladas, and last night we had flat iron steaks. Tonight we're heading to a wedding reception for the daughter of some friends of John and Karen and John will be frying up eight turkeys for it later this afternoon. The food is wonderful and abundant!! :-)
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