It Must be Genetic

6th Edition of Smile For The Camera




Show us that picture that never fails to bring a smile to your face! An amusing incident, a funny face, an unusual situation. Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that tickles your Funny Bone and bring it to the carnival. Admission is free with every photograph!







I almost did not participate in this edition. I did not have a photo I thought funny when I looked at it. Until I got an email from my very own "Mummy Dahling." It seems that she read my post on setting goals. The email contained no words, only this photo.



I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants! I'd better tell you a little about "Mummy Dahling" so you can be in the groove of it. My mother is a lovely woman, a little uptight, a lot of prim and proper and can give Martha Stewart a run for her money. I have never seen my mother without makeup on, her hair done and dressed as the occasion is befitting. Her motto is when you look good, you feel good. Sent me to ballet classes, Wendy Ward Charm School, and the list goes on. I have never lived up to her expectation of "class".



Until this photo arrived, I never thought my mother had much of a sense of humor. I am sure that the photo came without words from her so that if I ever wanted to discuss it with her, she could claim she didn't have any idea what I was talking about.



For those who didn't read my post on setting goals here is a quick explanation of why I find this so funny: I rode on a kiddie ride in front of a grocery store - my mother is trying to show me that she kinda of did the same thing before I was even born.

Crowning Glory

The word prompt for the 5th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Crowning Glory. Show us those wonderful photographs of hairdos and maybe even a few don'ts. Don't limit yourself to just hair fashion through the ages, got a great photograph of a hat, helmet, bonnet, or some other interesting headgear?

Well have I got a hat for you! Pay no attention to that silly looking 13 year old girl with the crooked glasses who just had her confirmation. It was 1970 and I didn't know any better. The real star is the Monsignor's chapeau. See that open space in the middle? Where the Virgin Mary is? Well, I distinctly remember there being a different picture in there, several different pictures.

I think it was one of those "Saint of the Week" hats. You know, he rotated the photos according to the Catholic Ecclesiastical Calendar.

I'll bet on the weekends, he puts his fishing license in there.

(I am so going to hell for this one!)LOL

I Smile For the Camera Submission

The 4th Edition of Smile For The Camera takes its word prompt from the Ace of Hearts. What photograph do you consider "My Favorite Photograph," the one that has won your heart.

Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that is your favorite family photo or that photograph you've collected and wouldn't give up for a King's ransom.

One of my most cherished photographs is this one. Stanley Edmund Beffort, my father. He was born in Salina, Kansas in 1935 to Edmund Robert Beffort (who died 2 weeks after my father) and Myrtle Mae Borgstadter. He passed away in 1988 at the age of 52. Being the eldest child, I was asked to say something about him. I remember waking up the night before the service, horrified that I didn't know anything about him. Not really.

My father was a sales rep for Samsonite Luggage and had a huge territory to cover. He left the house on Monday morning and we didn't see him again until Friday night. I don't remember him ever talking about his life.

About a month later, I received a box in the mail. It was from one of my father's brothers. Inside were photographs of my father from the time he was born until the day I was born.

OMG! My father had been a kid in the olden days! There was a picture of him on a pony, the yearly photos from grade school, etc. But this one is my favorite. I never knew that he was a towhead. He had dark brown hair when I met him. In this photo, he and my oldest son at the same age could be twins.

I now know that my father was not only a Boy Scout but went on to become an Eagle Scout. He graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Salina and went to K State University in Manhattan, Kansas where he met my mother. He belonged to Phi Kappa Fraternity while at college.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him and wish that I had known him better.