The Postcard Stories, Part 2 - The folks back home

This post springs from the box of 600 or so picture postcards that my Aunt Ina collected and that have been passed to me. The story focuses on 3 cards that my Aunt Lou Amma mailed back to her sisters on two separate occasions.

The first two cards were mailed by Lou Amma from Mexico, specifically Villa Acuna, Coahuilla, Mexico. They are addressed to her younger sisters, Ina and Cora Bramblett, my aunt and mother, respectively. The date, as near as I can tell,  is August 8th, 1921, just over 95 years ago. Ina was 12 years old at the time she received this card. My mother was 14.

 

The message is: "We slept on Devil's River last night and are now in Old Mexico.We drove out in the hills about 10 miles. Have much to tell about our trip. Love, your sis, Lou Amma"

The message is: "We are lunching in Old Mexico having the most wonderful time. Are leaving for San Antonio shortly. Be sweet, Lou Amma.

The questions that come to mind are, "What is Lou Amma doing in Mexico, and who is she with?" I'm guessing that she and her companions camped at Devil's River; it's still fairly undeveloped, some 60 miles from the Texas/Mexico border. In 1921 Lou Amma was 21 years old at the time, and single, since she didn't marry until she was 32.

It was about this time that she began working for the Canadian (Texas) Orphan's Home, which later became Tipton Orphan Home. Perhaps this was a "Trip abroad" before settling down.

Still single in 1928, Lou Amma must have had a yen for travel. This card was postmarked July 11, 1928, in Cody Wyoming.

The message is: "Say Ina, how would you like to be along with us? We are ready to go over the Beautiful Cody Road into the park (Wed noon). I can't begin to tell you what a big time we are having. The picture on the face of this card is of the Wind Canyon that we came through yesterday. Love, Lou Amma"

These cards are especially interesting to me because they show me an aspect of a family member that I was never aware of. When I was growing up, Aunt Lou Amma and her husband, Benny Armstrong, were down-on-the-farm people. Literally. It was a big deal to carve out enough time to come spend a couple of days with my parents. There were cows to be fed, chores to be done. No time for gallivanting around. Or so it seemed.