SharivilleLife stories from Shari

We had a really interesting fun and picture taking day.  We drove into the little town of Sibley where Jerry was born.  We went to the cemetery to visit the family plot.  Took pictures.  Think it was an emotional moment for Jerry, seeing the names on the grave stones.  We looked all around the town, nothing going on.  Around here on Sunday, everyone goes to church first then football or golf, we thought about church but thought it probably would be too quiet for us now.   know what I mean, Mary? Everything else is closed up.

We drove to the 4 corners where Jerry spent his first 3 yrs.  The old gas station building is still standing, believe it or not.  He and his mom and dad lived behind the gas station that his dad ran.  Actually, its called the Shabondais Corner, as that was the owner.  His dad got involved with the moonshiners at the time because it was a main corridor at that time during the depression for bootleggers. He died when Jerry was 3, that was very inconvenient, so his mother and her younger sister pooled their money and grabbed Jerry, caught the train and headed for the land of milk and honey, where else , California.  They ended up in Englewood .  Mind you this was the middle of the Great Depression 1933 – 1936 when they left for California. Today brought back memories for Jerry because he has only come back here 3 times to visit family and now this time has been 50 yrs later.

We drove around the beautiful country side to admire some of my beautiful America.  Theres lots of fields of amber waves of grain.  Lots of charming old derelict barns, mostly now abandoned and left to the harsh elements of Iowa’s winters.  Some must be over 100 yrs old, and I wish they could tell me some of the history they have seen.  Some still have the old corn cribs intact.  Old barns I just love. I have some great pictures of them.  The wind is howling today and it looks like an early winter here.  Wonder how much more these wonderful old barns can take before collapsing? I will not let them be forgotten, they will go into a scrapbook for future generations to admire,  I’m sure Angie will pass them along.   More later,          Hugs,      S and J