72 years of Jo stories, 1954 to 2026

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Baby Rob, Kay, Jo in Alabama An old snapshot from a front porch: Rob in an orange-and-green striped top is mid-cry on the lap of Kay in a flowered blouse and big glasses, while Jo in a pink flowered blouse smiles from the rocking chair behind them. With: Kay, Rob, Jo

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Christmas w/ Young Santa Rich, Jo & baby Rob An old Christmas print: Mom, in a red turtleneck, smiles down at a wide-eyed baby in a Santa hat and red-and-white striped sleeper, who's holding a wrapped present. Standing with them is Rich in a full Santa suit and hat. With: Jo, Rob, Rich

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2 photos

Disney & Orlando, 1980s Two old prints from the same summer day. Mom, in a denim shirt, is with a young boy in a red Coca-Cola T-shirt. In one they're standing by an animal exhibit with a wooden climbing frame and a tire swing, a crowd watching along the fence; in the other they're cheek to cheek in front of a castle-style stone gateway hung with red and yellow banners. With: Mom, Robbie

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Jo & Robbie 1980s, By a wreathed door in winter An old winter print of Mom and Robbie in a puffy white-and-navy jacket, standing by a pale green front door hung with a big wreath of greenery, apples, pinecones and dried berries. The sun is bright and they're both bundled up and smiling.

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Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin (old print) From an old print: Mom and Rob in a blue Hawaiian shirt and red pants by the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, under the cherry blossoms, with the Jefferson Memorial across the water. Fallen petals are floating along the edge of the water. With: Jo, Rob

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A Christmas portrait from an old print An old snapshot from what looks like a Christmas in the 1980s. Mom, in a dark velvet dress with a lace collar and pearls, is laughing up at Rich in a plaid jacket, who has his arms around her and around a grinning Robbie in a navy suit and tie. Pine boughs and little lights fill the corner behind them. With: Jo, Rich, Robbie

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5 photos

Jo really liked the "pink geese" one, which was also used to help sell the house. PS The title of the October one is "Morning Glory."

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4 photos

I found my photos of our trip on the Mohican, September 1, 2009. We celebrated Jo's birthday.

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3 photos

There were many summers over the years that Jo and Rich took me and some of my friends and family members out for a ride on the lake.

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3 photos

This boat ride happened on July 2, 2011. Liz, who was engaged to Nancy Law's son, brought a friend who didn't realize she should go to the bathroom before going out on the lake. So this trip was one of the most memorable ones because Rich had to open up the bathroom .

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Pontoon ride on Lake George, August 2012 Mom out on Lake George on August 24, 2012, sitting in the back of a pontoon boat near Hague. She's in a white sun hat with a bright striped scarf across her shirt, next to Rich in a white hat of his own, with the wake trailing out behind them. With: Jo, Rich

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3 photos

Labor Day week at Lake George, 2013 Labor Day weekend 2013, up at Lake George. On the Sunday, Mom stopped at a farm stand in Ticonderoga with baskets of peppers, cucumbers and eggplant under a "Buy Local" sign. That evening there was dinner outside on the deck: corn on the cob, fish with roasted cherry tomatoes and a glass of white wine, with the lake showing through the trees. A few days later, on September 5, she was sitting out on a big sunny rock in Hague with Rob and Rich. With: Jo, Rob, Rich

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Jo was a great friend and kind soul. She was a great comfort to me during very difficult times. Richard and I both worked as polling officials, and had the same location assignment once. The hydrangea Jo planted to honor her mother is still looking fabulous. I look at it every day. Even dried, when the sun hits it, it glows. Jo had the best smile, and I'm sure she took it with her to keep using as she saw fit. :)

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Tracy's bridal shower on a sunny patio Here's Mom at a bridal shower, out on a sunny stone patio with the bride-to-be in her white lace dress and "Bride To Be" sash. The bride and the woman in the navy dress are wearing matching purple flower corsages. With: Tracy, Kay, Jo

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Ava & Tracy's baby shower Everyone crowded in for this group photo at a baby shower, with pink balloons overhead and pink paper hearts stuck to nearly everyone's clothes. The mother-to-be in a floral dress is front and center, and there's even a baby in the front row.

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Mom snapping a picture of the baby January 5, 2019, at our house. Mom, wrapped in a purple fleece shawl, grinning as she takes a picture on her phone of the baby standing up at the side of the play yard.

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4 photos

At the Rawlings Conservatory Grandma Jo and Ava at the Rawlings Conservatory: Jo mid-laugh while Ava peers over the edge of the tiled pool, then resting a hand on Ava's curls beside the citrus trees. Ava gazing up at Grandma Jo, and Jo grinning right back. And the two of them by the citrus trees, Ava wide-eyed. With: Jo, Ava

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At the B&O caboose, Memorial Day 2021 Memorial Day 2021, in front of the big red B&O caboose, number C-2222. Here's Mom in her blue print blouse and a white-bearded man in a red shirt, each holding one hand of a curly-haired toddler in an orange top. It was a bright, sunny day. With: Dad, Ava, Mom

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Reading together in the big armchair An April afternoon in 2022. Here's Mom reading to a curly-haired little girl who is squeezed into the big carved armchair with her. Through the glass doors behind them you can see the sunroom, and a copy of The Dirt Book sits on the floor nearby. Broadmead. With: Mom, Ava

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Mom on the carousel in Druid Hill Park Mom waving from a carousel chariot on a Monday in late September 2023, while a curly-haired little one rode a striped horse just ahead of her. This was in Druid Hill Park, near the Maryland Zoo. With: Mom, Ava

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Making clay creatures at the BMA A Sunday afternoon in January 2024, making clay creatures at the Baltimore Museum of Art. A curly-haired little one gave theirs wooden-stick legs and a strand of silver beads, while Mom, in her pink top and a mask, worked on her own with orange yarn right alongside.

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Sunday morning Parcheesi at our house A Sunday morning game of Parcheesi at our dining room table in July 2025. Mom sat in her pink T-shirt with her arms folded, a bearded man in a yellow T-shirt reached in to move a piece, and the youngest player knelt up on a chair over the board. There was a bowl of cherries within reach. With: Mom, Dad, Ava

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4 photos

Scrabble with Mom at Broadmead, October 2026 A Sunday afternoon game of Scrabble with Mom at Broadmead on October 25, 2026. She leaned in over the board on the little rolling table, a man with a long white beard sat on the edge of the bed with the tile box, and a young player in a dark wizard-style robe sat close by, with a big plush horse watching from the pillows. This was eight days before Mom died. With: Mom, Dad, Ava