With the approach of my mother's 90th birthday, I wanted to do something that would bring her a little joy.  Since she is quite infirm and living in a nursing home, away from the life she has known, I decided to resurrect echoes of her life in 1939.  Searching through a myriad old photos, I found the ones shown below.  At the time Mom, Esta Horner Huntley, was 19, and Dad, Harry Huntley, was 24.  On the left is Dad's mother, Ida Lorene (Renie) Centers Huntley.  She is holding my brother, Wes.  On the right is Dad's sister-in-law, Mable Lehnherr Huntley.  The other photo is of the Huntley home in Bangor, Oregon where Dad spent part of his childhood.  Bangor was eventually incorporated into the city of North Bend, Oregon.  The house is long since gone.  Where it once stood is a parking lot adjoining a mall.

I've taken artist's license with the painting.  Some of the details in the photos were blurry or lost completely.  I either ad-libbed or left them out.  I found other photos and used them for reference as well.

As I painted my parents a lot of emotions came to me.  When Dad died in 1983 they had been married 46 years.  They were good to me.  I always knew they loved/love me.  They did the best they could to give me what they thought I needed to learn, grow and love.  I love them, always.