Sunday Drive: Anaheim, California - 1948

I've been sorting through the hundreds of color slides taken by the parents who raised me and there's still a lot to share. In honor of the Easter basket they gave me in 1951, I decided to post more photos of these two vehicles belonging to the Neals. You can see the 1948 Plymouth "Woodie" station wagon here and Jimmy's work truck, possibly a 1935 Dodge, here.

The Neals owned a motel in Anaheim and they were enlarging it in 1948 when Dad and Jimmy were working together on a project which you can read about here. 

[From my personal collection]

I love the billboard ad for Acme Beer and there's a wonderfully informative history of the brewery here.

[From my personal collection]

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: On the Way to San Felipe - 1951

In 1951* the Curreys and Neals drove down to San Felipe for Christmas. On the way they saw this abandoned Buick and stopped to check it out.

[Jimmy Neal inspecting overturned Buick alongside the road to San Felipe.]

San Felipe was a bit less "developed" in 1951.

[Our red truck and the Neals' woodie make it easy to locate their campsite.]

[Dad, Jessie and Jimmie Neal hanging out at San Felipe.]

[Once again the red/black Dodge truck stands out.]

[In this photo it's the woodie you see.]

This photo is labeled "Andys Cave house - Bought Shrimp, Dec. 1951.

[Andy's Cave House, San Felipe.]

And this was the meat market, flies and all.

[All photos from my personal collection]

I was 4½ that Christmas and so I have some vague memories of this trip.


*A paved road to San Felipe had just been completed which is undoubtedly why we went there this year. I think Mother and Dad may have visited that part of Baja California before World War II but this marked the last time we went to Mexico.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Curreys and Neals

A further search on my part has brought to light another shot of the Neal's 1948 Plymouth "Woodie" station wagon, this time with Jimmy behind the wheel, his wife Jessie and one-year-old me standing with Bernice Grenfell Currey (the mother who raised me).  

[Compton, California 1949, from my personal collection]

If you'd like to see what a similar car would cost you these days, look here.



© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Neal

Jimmy Neal and his wife Jessie drove their 1948 Plymouth "Woodie" station wagon for a long time. This photograph was taken in 1949 and also affords a rear view of Jimmy's red work truck parked alongside.*

[From my personal collection]

Although they lived in the Los Angeles/Riverside area, they owned a cabin at Lake Morena, east of San Diego, and when I was little we would drive out to visit them** when they were in residence and I remember the wagon parked in front of their place.

*You can see Jimmy at the wheel of the truck here.
**Probably a few times on a Sunday in the blue Cadillac pictured here.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.