When I was young, my grownup cousin, Sandra, tried to describe what a movie theater was like. She said a bunch of people could sit in rows, all facing the same direction, and somehow everyone could watch a movie on a giant screen. How could they see over each other’s heads? I couldn’t picture it.ContinueContinue reading “Big Screens and Bigger Memories: My 1970s Movie Adventures”
Category Archives: Joy Washburn Gillis
Frozen Pillows and Porch Ice Cream: Summer Evenings with Mom, Dad, and Taffy Cat
Summer evenings in Miami were hot and muggy throughout my childhood in the 1970s. The hotels along the beach blocked the ocean breeze. The inland neighborhoods wilted in a steamer. But we had a beautiful evening rhythm in our home, buoyed by the sweet scent of the jasmine hedges that wandered through our neighborhood ofContinueContinue reading “Frozen Pillows and Porch Ice Cream: Summer Evenings with Mom, Dad, and Taffy Cat”
How Our Family Experienced World War II
I was born in the late ’60s, so obviously I was not around during World War II. But my parents were. My dad, Bill Gillis, never talked with me about the war, although I know he served in the Coast Guard in Miami. He was 26 years old when America entered the war. My mom, JoyContinueContinue reading “How Our Family Experienced World War II”
When Rain Came through Miami
Growing up in Miami, I got used to storms. Fast ones. I could smell the rain coming. It was a distinct scent that clung to the screen door. A storm was on the way and would arrive within minutes. In the summer, we could count on a daily afternoon storm. It blew in quickly fromContinueContinue reading “When Rain Came through Miami”
Mom’s First House
When I was very little, we lived in Biscayne Park, and we would go to visit my grandmother, Eunice, just a few minutes away in North Miami. Sometimes I would stay over at her house on Friday night and spend Saturday with her. I always loved spending time at her house. It wasn’t until IContinueContinue reading “Mom’s First House”
Wish I Could Have Met My Grandfather
I wish I could have met my grandfather on my mom’s side. I understand why that didn’t happen. But I wish it could have been different. When my mom, Joy, was five and her younger brother, Hal, was three, their parents (Eunice and Edgar Washburn) divorced. My mom’s dad moved from Miami to West PalmContinueContinue reading “Wish I Could Have Met My Grandfather”
Gillis & LaSenius Thanksgiving Traditions
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Today I’m remembering some of my family’s traditions from years ago. The Gillis family lived in Miami, Florida for a while. I’ve seen photos from the late ’60s, when I was two and three years old, where family gathered with us for a Thanksgiving meal: my aunt and uncle, Florence and CharlesContinueContinue reading “Gillis & LaSenius Thanksgiving Traditions”
Exploring Generations 