Perrysburg Part Deux

The new house at 120 East Seventh St., was where the Gravetts grew and flourished for decades.

Colonial was the decorating style of the times and so Dodie found sofas and chairs in quaint prints and retro styles, accessorizing with tables of maple with lots of turned wood.

Ed found a new passion in the basement of the house, building furniture -- mostly cases for the Heathkit stereo systems he assembled -- but also some storage units still in use today. From the Johnsons -- Ed's middle name was Johnson -- he must have inherited the furniture gene, because his work was careful, well-finished, and detailed.

Dodie found lamps and decor to light up the new living-dining room, with her hand-made cafe curtains in the big, multipaned front window. She had a window box hung and kept it blooming with petunias and ivy each summer.

The family acquired the first of what would be a string of station wagons -- always Fords, still -- which just fit in the garage. Ed began work on a patio behind the garage door and installed clotheslines for drying. There was a burn barrel in the back corner of the yard, near the apple trees on the other side of the fence.

A sense of humor, sometimes dark but always evident, made for some great moments, laughs, and a few photos like this one of Marilyn in mustache and captain's hat. Later, she would go for the cowboy look with a fringed skirt and vest, boots, hat, and six-gun in holster.

Ted favored flannel shirts, baggy jeans, and an authentic Davy Crockett coonskin hat. Dorothy, always slim and fit, dressed in shorts and pedal pushers in warm weather and skirts in cooler seasons. Ed was just plain dapper, always stepping out to work in tidy suits -- glen plaid, seersucker, or tan serge -- with cotton shirts ironed by Dode until Sally was old enough, natty ties, and good-looking shoes.

Ed and Dodie had to share the family Ford, but with the convenience of a small town, most of the weekday shopping could be done on foot.

Sally rode her Roadmaster blue bike with a front basket, Ted had a small bike with training wheels, and Marilyn inherited the family tricycle. Riding bikes on the sidewalk was a normal part of every temperate day. On Memorial Day, bikes, trikes, wagons, and cars were decorated for the annual parade that started on Louisiana, headed down Front Street, and wound up at the cemetery.

NOTE: As I write this, more memories come to mind. I could go on and on. However, I think there are probably lots of stories and snippets from those P-burg years in your memory. If you think of something, send it to me as email or a comment and I'll post it.

More to come.