Meet “Hopeless” Eddy, Mickey Van London, and “Glamour” Gallemore. I found them inside a dusty box in a curio shop when Melissa and I were visiting Puerto Rico.
I could spend hours looking through photos in antique shops, especially near old military bases. Sailors take great candids.
Some of my favorite photos are the ones we’d just delete without thinking from our digital cameras.
This photo says Galveston, Texas on the back. Is your grandfather in here somewhere?
Mighty Girl 
After lurking on this (awesome) blog for years, I finally emerge from the shadows to self-promote. HA! But I get excited when I bump into someone who shares my thing for old photos. I am COMPELLED to look at any and all I find at the flea market/junk shop/antique store (and I seem to go to a lot of those). Then recently I realized I had dozens if not hundreds of old images with dogs in them, and I started a weird little blog, http://www.withsmudgeinyard.com. I think it’s right up your alley – hope you have a sec to check it out.
BTW, No. 1 on my life list since I started making my living as a writer years ago has been writing something purely for the fun of it, no deadlines, no thoughts (just hopes?) of anyone liking or not liking it. Finally, at age 37, check!
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These are so amazing. And it makes me kind of sad that they weren’t passed down to family or there was no one to pass them on to. Makes me pine for pictures like that of my Pepaw.
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Really enjoyed this post. My grandpa was in the navy, but not sure if he was ever in Galveston…
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I have been reading your site for several months, and you always find the neatest things! These are amazing photos! Kudos!
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ps… I was inspired by your life list, so I made a cooking life list, which is a real stretch for me since I am cooking-challenged. : ) Thanks!
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These are fabulous. The one of the smiling man sleeping on the beach might be the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.
And speaking of identifying grandpas, I’ve got this old picture of my grandfather with another GI. Does the man on the left belong to anyone?
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Nice gams!
I love old pictures too. My great aunt has quite a collection from when she was young in the 40s and 50s. She and my uncle had lots of parties, so she has many pictures of her friends doing crazy drunken things.
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I am a total junkie for old photos in antique stores. Even though I’ve never found their families, I want to frame them for my hallway. I can use all the faux ancestors I can get. And I am a huge fan of retro ladies having fun or being uber-religious. My collection will freak out my future children one day.
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My grandpa was in the navy, but not sure if he was ever in Galveston…….
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Delete those photos? Oh hell no! They were awesome! Thanks for sharing.
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LOVE these photos. It’s so fun to make up a story about the stranger in the picture.
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Oh, Maggie, those are awesome!
I recently found a lot of old pictures of my family from the 20s-80s. Mostly the 40s and 50s. They’re here if you want to look. I love them.
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a great find! i’d love to own some cute sailor pics.
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Indeed a very lovely find.
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Fun! Made me think of my previous home town of Portland Oregon. Every year Navies from around the world dock for the Rose Festival – and in the old days you could “Dial-A-Sailor” to take one on a picnic or a home-cooked meal. Lots of unintended consequences, but surely good candids.
Cheers http://tinyurl.com/yk4dl8x
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