Starter Bartering

National Geographic, June 1968
National Geographic, June 1968

Barefoot Mexcaltitán pre-schoolers practice the art of the bargain as Luz Maria gets aggressive toward Green Dress, whose lowball offer for their fruit has insulted the entire Ruvalcaba family. Twin sister Martha Estella bears a bowl of coquitos de aceite on her head, patiently enduring the exchange and the heated voice of the alpha twin.

I Love A Parade

Nat'l Geographic, June 1968
Nat’l Geographic, June 1968

Youngsters enjoy popular music in a Fourth of July parade, following by foot or by tire. Antique cars, marching bands, and floats entertained spectators in the Bar Harbor celebration, culminating with fireworks on the pier.

 

And Then It Goes Kaboom

Yen and Noel Brinkley selling fireworks 1970s (Austin History Center)
Yen and Noel Brinkley selling fireworks, 1970s (Austin History Center)

A little detective work found this later blurb from The Anniston Star, March 9, 1980:

Yen has been in this country since 1968. She came here to visit friends, and that’s how it happens that Noel Brinkley, after 3 years in Vietnam, met the Vietnamese woman who would become his wife in Elgin. “And to think that I lived within a block of her during the last year I was in Saigon,” he said. When they decided to get married, Brinkley said, there was some opposition “not so much from my family as from hers. In Vietnam, you see. Americans have a bad reputation when it comes to marriage. Vietnamese have a saying that Americans change wives like they change shirts.”

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

America by Summerville
America by Summerville

A soldier from the 369th Infantry is welcomed home with a chicken dinner after the end of WWI. Germany had signed an armistice agreement with the Allies on November 11, 1918 (Yes, that is Veteran’s Day), and the troops were returning from Europe. I think his smile says it all.