Cindy's Blog

My home on the web since 1995

  • Easy-Bake Oven
    Easy-Bake Oven

    The photo below was taken about 1965. As I recall, this was an Easy-Bake Oven tea party. I wish the oven were in the photo. But we are eating whatever it was we baked with a light bulb! This was taken at the old Winterkorn homestead at 175 Lake Street, Waltham, MA. The old gas stove in the background had to be lit with a match. You can see an old match holder in the upper right corner.

    left to right: Cousin Sandy, Cindy and Sue
  • I think this photo is from Christmas 1959, because I look to be around 2 years old. This photo was taken at the famous Grover Cronin’s Department store.  This was THE place to shop in Waltham, MA, back in the early to mid-1900s. “Cronin’s,” as we called it, had the REAL Santa Claus, who would fly in by helicopter, and he was the main event for the annual Christmas Parade on Moody Street.  Most kids who grew up in Waltham at that time had one of these photos.
    Sadly, Cronin’s went out of business in 1989, mostly because of large shopping malls.  Ironically, the shopping malls are now going out of business.  Who would have thought? The sight of the old Grover Cronin’s is now condominiums.

  • December 7th, 1941, is a day that will live in infamy. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to visit Oahu this year. My great-uncle was there that day and witnessed the attack from Ford Island. His family still lives in Honolulu and invited us to visit.

    Of course, the one question people ask when you visit Hawaii is, “Did you go to Pearl Harbor?” Yes, we did. Here is a photo of the USS Arizona Memorial, the most poignant symbol of the attack and the greatest loss of life.

    Post about Pearl Harbor Day from December 7, 2021.

    More photos from our trip to Hawaii.

  • The Bissells appeared in the November 2025 issue of the DDS newsletter.

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  • I’m a saver. I have a box of school “art” treasures that the kids made. I also have my old art folder from middle school. No one in the family has any artistic skills; autistic, yes; artistic, no. I finally decided it was time to clean out some of my collection, but before tossing, I made digital copies. I thought this watercolor would be great for Thanksgiving, a Cindy original from around 1970. Happy US Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, ENJOY!