Monday, March 09, 2009

RUBY VAN RUBY BABY

Serina showing off our beloved Dodge Tradesman.
It had formerly served as a firefighter van for B.A. jobs at our cornerstone factory Statoil-Hydro aluminum. The sirens were removed, but boy did we feel tough riding that v8 giant.
Still two years, with chocolate ice around her mouth, Serina is looking comfortable behind the steering wheel. We're celebrating Seventeenth of May, our day of Independence.
Serina is so proud, because her dad's a teacher. That means she's allowed accompany him and participate in parades for school children.
She's wearing her first of many bunads, our national costume.

Little did she know that we were twice as proud.
So in fact were all the parents and grandparents for generations, since the 1840ies.
A special greeting from Bob Dylan and Mamma for today:
May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.


Originated by MaryT, check hers for today.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great look back for Ruby Tuesday and the little girl is so cute in her red outfit...Happy Tuesday.. Michelle

Ralph said...

How about this - you have mentioned your Dodge Ram Van, now we can see it! My first wheelchair van was the 1989 Dodge Ram. Yours looke better for RT and every other day in this striking RED!

Serina is a doll, beautiful. The outfit reflects a heritage we don't see much of in the USA. The continuity of family tradition is really nice!

Columbo said...

I loved the posting and commentary. Great Ruby Tuesday to you.

Mojo said...

What a great story! And a great van too. And your Ruby Baby is adorable!

Eaton Bennett aka Berenice Albrecht said...

Hi Felisol,

What a gorgeous girl and enormous Ruby Tuesday van. Many blessings to you and yours. Happy Ruby Tuesday!
Eaton. :)

I just got your comment on my RT, we do love him very much. xxoxx

Silently Mine

Unknown said...

love your photos...very vintage!

have a great Tuesday!

Anonymous said...

Reading about your RUBY RED Dodge RAM Van reminded me of the blue & white Dodge van I drove for almost twenty years. Serina's adorable ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

Jim said...

Hi Felisol, I did my RT after you peeked in. Sorry 'bout that.
I like your red Dodge Van. I notice that even the door handles are red.
Sereina has always been a cute girl hasn't she. She seemed to accept her red boots. I am glad you saved the picture for so long just for this Ruby Tuesday. :-)
..

eastcoastlife said...

That's a huge red van and a pretty little girl in her first national costume!

Deb said...

This is awesome! How cute she was!

Dora said...

Wow! Dunno that she knows how to drive it. SO smart! ;)

Carletta said...

The red van is perfect for Ruby Tuesday but more than that is the presense in the photos of your adorable daughter. The big red boots to the native costume - precious memories to treasure.

I love this Bob Dylan song.

John Cowart said...

Does Serina ever get embarrassed over your showing all her baby photos?

She looks ready to drive to a fire in this one behind the wheel.

EG CameraGirl said...

Serina was so cute when she was little. Love her pretending to drive the van. ;-)

You have lovely memories!

Leora said...

Little Serina is so precious. She looks beautiful in her costume. Enjoy!

Amrita said...

Serina - the pretty little Red Riding Hood posing in the Norwegian national dress looks so cute.
The scarf is so cute.

You van looks very strong and sturdy, just right for firefighters.

The blessings in the poem and lovely. Thank you Felisol.

Constance said...

I had to chuckle when I saw your van! In 1984 we bought a new DODGE Conversion Van. At the time it was really sharp looking! Within the first year, Dave's dad fell asleep behind the wheel on their fishing trip to Canada. He hit an exit sign, ripping the canoes right off the roof and damaging the van. God's hand was definitely there protecting them, it could have been SO much worse! Since it could be driven they finished their trip and we had it repaired. It never held its paint after that! The paint just started cracking and then falling off in big chunks! We owned it for 17 years and by the time we traded it in for our CURRENT van (FORD) we were calling the DODGE "The War Wagon".

We use a van when we go on our big vacations because we fill it with camping gear, backpacks, food and kids! We have been SO packed and the kids wedged in so tight you'd think we need a crowbar to get them out!

Now we're down to just our son Charles and it's likely this year will be our last "family" vacation for a while.

I will miss those days but at least I have the memories!
Connie

Jada's Gigi said...

Great pic for the day. I loved my vans when my kids were young too. Serina is a doll!

Catherine said...

Serina is so cute in her Red traditional costume. As every little girl wearing something different.

And to end this post, you remind me this wonderful song. Even if it's 17h30 here, you make my day !
"May your heart always be joyful", looking at Ruby Tuesday like this one, it'll be joyful for the day.

Terry said...

Dear Felisol.
Who would have known that all these years later your little princess would have made a perfect Ruby Tuesday for the Teach!
I am wondering how many Sunday School kids that great red van would of held?
Must of been a real gas guzzler, eh?
I wonder how many lives it saved when it served as a fire van?
I think this has been one of my favourite of your Ruby Tuesdays my Felisol!.....Love Terry

Dianne said...

the van is huge! and very red but all my attention went to the beautiful Serina

Jackie said...

Felisol this is just so precious!! she is a beautiful little girl. LOL..we use to have a white Dodge van!!

What a wonderful share....I am still smiling.

http://shinade.blogspot.com/2009/03/ruby-tuesday-and-speedys-chicken.html

Happy RT:-)

Unknown said...

What a sweet little girl. And I love the name Serena.

I'm also a huge Dylan fan. That's such a special song.

Love,
Pagan

Robin said...

Her bunad is perfectly coordinated with the van :). She looks utterly adorable, and the chocolate-covered mouth is the perfect accompaniment.

Amber Star said...

The van is so very red that at first I didn't realize how red Serina's outfit is. She is adorable and especially with a little chocolate on her mouth. What cool Ruby Tuesday photos!

Annie Jeffries said...

Wow. That is a lot of vehicle for a little girl. Looks like she is handling things just fine though. Hugs, Annie

Debbie Petras said...

Serina looks adorable! When I was growing up in New York, my parents took us to Brooklyn on the 17th of May because they had a huge parade to celebrate. The Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn was like little Norway. Most of the immigrants from Norway lived in that area. It was always so much fun! I still think of Norway on that date and of course, my dad reminds me each year too.

Thank you for all you share with me on Heart Choices. I always love to read your comments. I wish I could reach across the ocean and give you a big hug. :) You've become very special to me, my blogging friend.

Crown of Beauty said...

great picture, brings warm memories to warm the heart. and the dylan blessing is just so right. May God keep your lovely daughter safe in His hands as she now grows up in a different world. You have taken good care of her, Felisol.

Gattina said...

Real sweet pictures !

Debbie Petras said...

Felisol, I wanted to let you know that I tagged you for a meme on Heart Choices: http://www.heartchoices.com/2009/03/7-things-people-dont-know-about-me.html.
Please participate only if you enjoy this kind of thing; no pressure. It's a way for people to get to know you better.

donna said...

Serina is precious...

am catching up on your posts....so sorry about your trees....

and what a thrill about Dylan



blessings
donna