How does that sound for a marketing line? I am 99% finished with my first published book, Images of America: Woodlake.
I hate to SOUND so proud, but I AM proud. I can’t believe this is really happening.
In the process, I have found that so many organizations, even schools, don’t know anything about their history, and don’t know where to find the information either. As I dug for Woodlake history, I found some amazing treasure chests of people, who were just waiting for the opportunity to share what they had with someone who could use it. I now have more adorable pictures than I can use, but with permission to share them, they can go to the library and to the museum, where other writers (or me) have access to them. My new friend Robert Edmiston calls me with new finds and new questions. His enthusiasm for this project has increased the fun exponentially.
Sally Pace and I walk often, and she shares new leads almost daily. I love Sally. I have followed them all – more treasures, one of the most recent – Lisa Kilburn who just sent me 155 pictures that her father took. This picture from one of Sally’s birthday parties in the seventies is much too risqué to go in the book!
Ellie Cain took the time to put together a book and send it to friends and relatives. Robert Edmiston shared it with me. I contacted the address pasted in the back of the book, and she emailed me. She is sending me a CD of pictures for my book. Her family will live on, and people will be blessed to enjoy adorable pictures like this one.
This picture was glued on a poster board in 1984. The ink from notes written on the back has soaked through. These pictures were all the church had to share with me. Only one of the 14 churches in our little town have their history written. The little church my first husband pastored – no history that I know of – (but I have tons of pictures that no one knows about). One church took a picture for me, and one church gave me pictures a book and video about the history of their church. Which one got the most face time in our Woodlake history book?
So I see a need, and maybe you do too in your neighborhoods and areas of interest. Organizations need a history. CCSS has one book of our history. Yeah! SJVCSS does not. Huge need! Without history – even if we are still there, no one knows who we really are. I guess that’s good if we are dishonest, but for most organizations, they are just too busy to take the time.
That’s where I can come in. How does that sound for my new business venture? What new ventures are you trying this week?
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
Music for all of us–I’ve been a HISTORY WRITER for a decade now, still astonished at how few people who “make history” care to share it. I recently interviewed one man (semi-famous, reasonably rich even, CEO who led the company that built most of the secuirty software for banks and stock exchanges around the world), and I wanted to ‘tell his story.’ He said, “I don’t save things, no boxes in the garage or attic. Not really interested.” I asked what he was most proud of, and he didn’t hesitate: “No one lost a single bank account or stock dollar in the terrible 9-11 tragedy, even if 80% of America’s Wall Street transactions were in those twin towers. And that’s due to my software!”
I said “”WOW” and asked who all knows that. He said, “my wife knows”
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Great story, Chuck! Music to wives’ ears! 😀 Thanks for visiting my blogs. They are lots of fun. You can tell I use this one a lot more. I’ve cleaned out probably over 100 of the less popular posts. My favorite part is the connections I make through the blogs.
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You have every right to be proud and excited and I’m proud of you too. I can’t wait to see the finished book.
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Me too! 🙂
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A third P.S.
Thank YOU for all the posts, for sharing all your adventures, for being so creative and for your writing- and especially- for your dear friendship which is most cherished by an old toad by the sea.
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See what I mean? Always encouraging me and spurring me on to write more. 🙂
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Purely for self-motivated reasons- I adore and appreciate your work and am addicted and wish to read MORE AND MORE. Like a baby bird begging for grub, it is endless. 😉
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And therein is the reason parents love their children so much. It’s irresistible to have someone needing and begging for your attention! 🙂
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Somehow, this conversation strangely turned around on me
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It’s all about you, Toady! 🙂 🙂
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NO it is about you and your glorious writing triumphs! Soon, I shall be ordering truck-loads of all your latest writes. You shall be strolling down walk-ways, the great Authour, with a jaunty hat and a fabulous pea-coat with the collar turned up, spinning a pocket-watch casually, dancing about the walk-way as book-fans follow in droves. I can see it all so vividly. Really, you inspire me so much. So happy, dear friend. I am avidly looking forward to this book, indeed!
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har har I can’t help smiling at the picture you paint. So unlike me, but delightful anyway. 🙂 I hope you are not disappointed. It’s a gossip book about very few people who are still alive! Yesterday I learned about logging using oxen teams in the 1880s. My 95 year-old interviewee obviously wasn’t there either, but he had pictures of his father who was. 🙂
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I LOVE it!! Sounds like JUST my cup of brine! I cannot wait to dip into it. I loooove logging stories, all of them. I will be infatuated. Especially logging using oxen teams. I really look forward to reading about that. I just wish I could see the interviewees, their faces and expressions, their character and quiddity, up close, vivid and alive, as they tell these stories…oh lass, you MUST be enjoying it immensely, indeed!!! And don’t worry about fitting into the picture I have painted. I can train you 😉 I’m very good at this sort of thing. You’ve seen my work with Sir. 😉
I may have trouble training you how to do the jaunty Authour-Investigator-Spy dance, however. I usually fall down whenever I attempt any dance.
Did you know about 17 people stopped the other day because I was photographing a flower silhouette against the backdrop of streaming traffic? They thought I was a corpse, as usual…even when I haven’t actually fallen down, people just assume I have. That is how natural it is for me…well YOU know how it is!
I am really, really rambly today…
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In the case of me, I probably would have fallen down. I’ve only broken one camera lens that way! 🙂
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Hey hey! I remember!! I almost broke my first the other day. The camera was in its cam-bag and the bag suddenly sprang to the floor. One foot. I heard a very disturbing sound. It was the sound of a violent crack and of splintering glass and of the entire earth shattering. ONE FOOT. It was the one time I had not put any reinforcement around the lens. Well, I opened it up to discover it was the lens filter that did all the exquisite splintering; my lens, unharmed. Grand too. It is my precious one 😉 It did need to be removed by an expert as the thing had completely warped and crumpled around the end of the lens. So off to the camera fellows I went. They awaited with smiling and sympathetic faces, as if I was a poor, poor thing that just could not help herself in all the dismal situations she gets tangled up in, in life…in fact, they always seem to look at me like that…hum…
AJST
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I had that happen the other day, too, but no breakage this time. I keep a filter on my lens for just that reason! 🙂
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Har har har of course! I’m glad your lens was not damaged, either. I guess we HAVE to have filters along with caps because of our…exuberant and sudden “dance” moves that can break-out at any time 😉
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Marsha, I cannot even describe to the smallest degree the level of excitement I feel in anticipation of your book, and how proud I am, and how much you’ve inspired me with this. I cannot WAIT to read this book, to delve into a rich and fascinating history you so avidly put together; all those faces so real and tangible to you, coming from the living people you found in your trawls; people with stories they so ardently longed to tell with no medium until they found you.
This is a glorious idea for a biz venture, as well. Commendable and exciting and greatly needed. I am just in utter astonishment. I am so thrilled for you, so excited. BRILLIANT to say the least, my dear authouring friend. Congratulations!!!
P.S. You must have a tawny pea-coat and a fine little fedora for these delving investigations- pea-coats and jaunty hats go so swimmingly well with research. 😉 CHEERS!
ST
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Actually, I would like to order a new light down jacket to replace the one I wear everywhere – even right now sitting in the my sunlit office in sunny California. Yes, it feels like a sweater, and I have washed it so often that it has a little rip where the down is coming out. I thought it was a little spot on my coat and I tried to scrup it off. Pretty soon white feathers started pouring out of my coat. 😦 Thank you for your enthusiastic comments. You can’t imagine how much it means to have a friend like you who makes such encouraging book report posts! Thanks for being my friend. 🙂
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My dear Marsha- it seems we’ve BOTH been pelted with feathers lately. I had a run-in with a swan the other day. She decided to cover me entirely in white down as she preened on my face. I kid thee not. I was sprawled in the grass, she swanned up and suddenly I was choking on feathers as she attempted to turn my head into a nice nest for the night.
I blogged about it slightly. More information in the comments than in the posts- as usual 😉 but you can see a photo of the dear swan that adopted me, there.
Anyhow, I am still in utter amazement. I am just so thrilled for you.
And SO looking forward to your new pea-coat purchase, to come. Nice and jaunty. Very noir for your new investigative work. P.I. Marsha. I LOVE it! Then I can photograph it sometime when I visit, or when we move out there. OOO we can practice taking very noir black-and-white authour page photos!! YES!!! I cannot wait. 😉
P.S. That sunlit office there sounds beautiful.
Another P.S. I LOVE writing on your blog, dear friend. Many more blathering comments to come! Cheers,
Autumn Jade
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Great idea. History belongs to who writes it!
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You are exactly right, and I people don’t own their histories, they get left behind, I think. 🙂
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That is so wonderful, Marsha! Congratulations. It must be very rewarding to see the fruits of your hard work. 😀
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It is really exciting. I rummage through the file every day changing things here and there, still writing a few captions as I get new pictures. I have about 10 pages left, but hundreds of pictures to choose from now. Every day I find a new treasure or talk to a new person. It’s been amazing. But you are a master researcher and writer – you know what it’s like!!!!! 🙂
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Ditto what everyone else said. You should be proud. Writing a book is no simple venture. Congrats!
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Thanks so much Jilanne! Your encouragement means a lot! 🙂
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And so you should be proud, Marsha. Well done to you.
I adore the image; you look very happy, to say the least.
The title says it all; makes it very easy for selection purposes! 😉
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Good, I want to make it easy! My husband and I were attending a bologna feed to support the Woodlake Foundation. The idea was to dress as 1950s, for lack of a better word, “white trash.” My husband went all out, including fake gross teeth! Then, of course, he had to try to kiss me! YUCK! I like clean teeth! 🙂
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I wasn’t about to comment on the fella you are with; thought discretion was the better way. 😉
Though now I think what a fabulous bloke he must be to participate so fully in a fun event – even to the fake teeth – good for him! 😉
Once again, a hearty congratulations for all your effort.
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He’s a pretty great guy. We will celebrate 20 years in June. 🙂
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Congrats for that, too… 😉
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Well done Marsha ! I love all these old photographs especially the last one 😉 A lot of work and probably new friends have come from your book. Well done ! xox ❤
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Thanks Ralph. Some of the pictures are so adorable. I love the kid pictures. Yes to both of your observations. I am so grateful to the many people who have shared photos, time, stories, ideas, names. The book practically writes itself, but getting the pictures and the stories and a bit of research takes time. 🙂 I can’t wait until it comes out!!! Thanks for being such an encouraging and awesome friend. 🙂 xox 🙂
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How exciting, fun and interesting, Marsha! Congrats! Although, you totally had me at the picture, I wasn’t sure I’d even read the story. 😀
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Pictures tell a lot – if we pause to look at them long enough, and with a thoughtful mind. 🙂 We teach students how to analyze history through pictures. You end up noticing so much more that way. 🙂
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You’re so awesome, Marsha!
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Awwwww – You’re more awesome! 🙂
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Very exciting! I am pursuing this too -trying to find clients to do personal histories for organizations, businesses and of course– people!
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Yeah! You’ll have to let me know how it goes. It’s amazing how many organizations haven’t taken this on for themselves!
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Great stuff Marsha, do what you enjoy and you love it! only one more percent to go! Go for it! You can be proud of yourself!
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Thanks so much, Ute. Thanks for always being so supportive and being a great friend. 🙂
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Congratulations, Marsha. It sounds like you’ve had heaps of enthusiastic co-operation from many Woodlake folk. Well done to you on the 99%. Very exciting to be almost there. 🙂
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Thanks Sylvia! Thanks for all your support and encouragement. It means a lot! I am excited to be almost finished! 🙂 On to the next project!
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That’s fantastic! We have a few books like that – old pictures of a few areas of NYC.
Seriously, Congratulations!
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Thanks Guap. I appreciate your encouragement! 🙂 Thanks for being a friend. 🙂
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Love the Title. I pray it will bring great joy to your life and preserve history before the people are gone who can share their stories. Your prospects are endless.
Linda LaFleur 559 564-2485
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 19:10:46 +0000 To: linda.8441@hotmail.com
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Thank you, Linda! Don’t you love that picture of Sally’s BD party from Bud Kilburn?? I’m going to start with a history of Kiwanis!!!! There is nothing on our website! Sally says Tony knows something. Ellie Cain’s book shows that Mr. Millen was a member of Kiwanis in the 1920s, and his wife Muz would cook the food – enough for 50, and only 15 would show. So the president at the time stepped in, and said people better RSVP. Doesn’t that sound current? 🙂
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This is super wonderful Marhsa!
You should be proud. It sounds like you have been truly enjoying this venture. And – that’s makes it even more fabulous!
{Hugs}
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Thanks, Rosy! I really have been enjoying it. Thank you for always being here to bolster me up and encourage me. I appreciate it soooo much! 🙂 You are a dear friend. 🙂
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