The '55 Lemons

Isn’t it funny how some things stick in your mind, and sometimes you can’t remember what you had for lunch a couple of days ago?

When we were cleaning out my grandmother’s house, I picked a silver plate, engraved, award tray out of the “garbage” pile. The tray reads, “Los Angeles County Fair, 1955”. With it was a ribbon, announcing a first place win for “lemons” that year. My grandfather was a farmer. He grew mostly avocados and citrus in Escondido, CA, when I was a child.

I took the tray and it hangs in my hallway here at our house and I think about my grandfather and the lemons every time I walk by. My mom told me stories of how her mom and dad (my grandparents) would take them to Los Angeles by car every once in a while when she was young, about a 2 hour drive (evidence in a few pieces of Los Angeles and Rose Bowl ephemera that I also rescued). I remember seeing old photos of my grandfather standing proudly with his produce, and I can remember a few times when we went to the orchard to light fires (contained) in the fruit trees during cold weather..and I even remember the hustle and bustle of picking fruit to get it to packing! I remember my father and my grandfather talking non-stop about rainfall in inches and wondering about the trees. It was an awesome time in my life.

“The ‘55 Lemons” Click here to purchase.

These bright yellows remind me of those lemons..and also a little bit of the grapefruit he grew! When I finished this painting, I took the tray off the wall and tried to polish it a bit. It’s heavily tarnished, but the polishing released some of the smell of my grandparents home into the air nearby….and that brought back many great memories.

Thanks for stopping by today.