Holidays and birthdays make me feel nostalgic. I started thinking of my own father, and feeling grateful for the great men who came before me. My dad sent a bunch of pictures that weekend. He must be thinking of his own father and his family that has passed. Here are some of the images he sent, that I wanted to record here.
This is my first birthday. June 1984. From left to right, Marcus Cameron Pipkin age 4, Grandpa Abraham Ralph Pipkin age 69, Me (Allison Brooke Pipkin Hite) age 1, Maryn Elise Pipkin age 3. Mom made this cake. It’s an angel. I remember seeing it in a recipe book somewhere in the house when I was growing up. There are actually lots of picture of it somewhere. I think she was proud of it. I love this picture. |
Chirstmas 1987. We are in the old house on Hamilton in El Centro. I was 4. Check out my Care Bears nightgown. As always, there were always a million gifts everywhere. Mom and Dad…and SANTA, were always SO generous at Christmas. The crazy scrawny tree in the background is cracking me up. That little snail on the couch is a Keyper. I loved that thing! Maryn age 6 and Cameron age 7. My hot cute mama, Wendy Sue Barainca Pipkin was 33, younger than I am now. On her lap is Brandon James Pipkin, age 2, looking cute and amazing as ever he did. I am not sure if they knew it at the time, but this would be a year of change in the house. This would be our last Chirstmas at the house. Mom was 4 months pregnant with Krystin. By the next summer we would be moved into our new place on Lenrey Ave. |
The woman on the far left, I am not sure who she is. The two in the matching jackets are Ralph and June Pipkin. June Pickett Pipkin is my dad’s mom. This looks like its got to be sometime in the 70’s, out in an area of the Imperial Valley called Superstition. I think . Her purse is seriously so radical. I love that their names are embroidered onto their jackets. Grandpa was an avid sand dune racer. My dad spent all his weekends out there or Glamis. I wish I had a better picture of the dune buggie. |
Four generations Left to Right: Leland Pickett, June Leland Pickett, Leland Pipkin (My dad’s oldest Brother), Christian Pipkin (My oldest cousin). |
Grandpa Ralph Pipkin and my Uncle Alan Pipkin. I think it was about 1973-around the time my dad got home from his mission. Grandma Pipkin fasted every Wednesday for years and years that my Grandpa Pipkin’s heart would soften and he would get baptize. He did at last choose to do so. Alan, his youngest son, Baptized him. |
Top Row: The kids, Kathleen Pipkin Arnold, Alan Pipkin, Ralph Marcus Pipkin, Leland Pipkin. Middle: The Mother, June Pipkin Bottom: The Father, Ralph I’m again not sure when this was. Lee never came to town, I really only remember seeing him a hand full of times in the Modesto in the summers and NEVER in the valley. Grandma was alive, so it was before June 1982 when she died. Kathy is pregnant, the image below seems to have been in the same time period so it is probably Partick Arnold, her third son. If so it was probably 1981. They already knew grandma was sick. Grandpa decided to have surgery. Mom said of this time, that Grandma was furious with him. That she, Grandma Pipkin said, “No one can be sicker than Ralph!” |
Top Row: Unknown old woman, (Behind) Christain Pipkin, Susan Jimenez Pipkin, (Behind) Alan Pipkin, June Pipkin holding Cord Arnold about age 1, Kathy Arnold, Lee Pipkin (Behind) Marc Pipkin Holding Cameron Pipkin about age 1, Wendy Pipkin. Front: Grandpa Ralph Pipkin, Ann Pipkin (Leland’s Wife) Spencer Arnold, Steve Arnold (Kathy’s Husband and father of all of her children). |
Denise Murphy Barainca (My maternal grandmother), Wendy Barainca Pipkin, June Pickett Pipkin. I think this is the Oakland temple. So it must be after my mom and Dad got married. My mom told me once that she got endowed and married on the same day, and that it was a mistake. Too much all in one day to really think about and deal with. 🙂 |
June and Ralph infront of their trailer. They would take it out to the dunes on the weekend. |
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Top: Kathrine (Katie) Pipkin age 14, Maryn Pipkin age 18, Allison Brooke Pipkin age 16, Stephanie Jensen, Krystin Macare Pipkin age 11, Jamie Pipkin age 10. Bottom: Allison Hansik, Chelsea Pipkin age 8, Lauren Jensen age 8.
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Chelsea Savannah Pipkin’s Baptims. I think 1999, the year Maryn Graduated, she was already at Ricks, she came home from school wearing glasses. 🙂
Christmas 2011 at Kathy’s house. I was pregnant with Mirah at the time. Across: Brandon James Pipkin age 26, Me Allison Pipkin Hite 28, Chelsea Savannah Pipkin age 20, (Behind) Joseph (Joe) Pipkin age 29, Krystin Macare Pipkin age 23, Spencer Arnold age a million ;), Maryn Pipkin age 29. This was before Kathy was sick, Alan on the other hand was already acting crazy. But before he was living in the park. Joe and his wife Jennifer had just had their twin boys. This picture seems very recent, but so much has changed. |
Chelsea age 1 and Krystin age 3. This probably about 1991 I would imagine. Halloween. |
Maryn’s 13th birthday. January 1994, |
I’m not sure when this was, or who the couple on the right are. But this is young Ralph and June. |
This is another picture from the same time as the 2 above. Aunt Sue before kids. Cameron, Kathy Pregnant with Patrick, baby Maryn at the time, and Mom. |
December 2001. Christmas Eve morning. All of the family met at Bucklin park in El Centro to take Family pictures. Alan, Sue, Kathy, Cord Arnold. Again, this doesn’t feel like that long ago. I just want to cry. |
The outstanding memory of the day, is this photographer in his funny pancho. I never saw any of the pictures he took. These are the pictures from my camera. Top: Krystin Pipkin, Marissa Nicole Pipkin, Kristi Arnold (Spencer’s Wife), (Behind) Spencer Arnold, Katie Pipkin, Me Allison Pipkin, (Behind) Joe Pipkin, Jamie Pipkin (Looking away), Maryn Pipkin. Middle: Cord Arnold, Patick Arnold, (Above) Chelsea Pipkin, Brandon Pipkin. Bottom: Cameron Pipkin |