Vickie rescues Susanna....

This one piece of luggage was from an expensive set that my mother and father purchased when we were in Europe. It was one of the very few 'tangible' items left from when we were a family. It contained many of my mother's belongings from when she was evicted from the apartment. Which included all of the home movies (8mm reels) from our South Pacific/European stay that she kept in that piece of luggage for many years. She treasured them. She saw them only once when a friend came over to our Eighty Duece apartment with his 8mm projector in the mid 1960s. Until the late 90's when I was able to transfer them to VHS/DVD. I then showed them to her when she was in a nursing home in Los Angeles. I video taped her amazement at seeing them as well as getting a much needed explanation/narration of where, when and who. Although I was there, I was very, very young. Ahh, the 'good old days.' The letter below was also found in this last vestige of our family.


Vickie's letter to Susanna::
(Please try to read this, it is telling)

Moved to New Milford, Conn. and started the band “Cheeba” with my ex-Sugar Blues mate Howard. Made good music. Got a job cleaning cars (a used car “reconditioner”), driver’s license, got a loan for a car, traded that for a van (The Cheeba Van), Even got married for a few months. When it came to ‘Eighty Deuce’ I was a success story. I’m sitting; Howard is on the right with the orange pants. 1974

Connecticut band 'Cheeba.' I'm sitting.

Next was 'Oreo.' Below-I'm sitting, middle.