As many of you know, two of my uncles passed away last fall unexpectedly. During the process of understanding these two deaths and dealing with them in my head, I fondly remembered something from my childhood that has stayed with me through the years.
My family lived next door to my uncle Max and my aunt Janice. Once my mom went back to work, my aunt babysat me after school. I felt like I spent a lot of time at their house. It was where I first met "Santa". I remember coming to their house after school the day the Challenger exploded. It was where I first saw what had happened. I remember playing with their cats growing up. I remember coming to their house after falling in a huge mud puddle after school. And so many other memories that I can't begin to tell here. And I specifically remember reading Richie Rich comic books at their house. As an adult, I remember back to that time with fondness - sitting in the basement living area reading my cousins' old comic books. There was something so innocent about that time in my life.
Five summers ago, Lee and I went to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. If you have never been, it is a must-see. Part of the Richie Rich movie was filmed there, and even though the movie was a little hokie, it stirred an interest in Richie Rich again that was suppressed. But time moved on, and life got in the way.
When my uncle Max passed away last year, I talked with my husband about all of my memories about him growing up. And for some reason, even though they weren’t my uncle’s, I kept bringing up those Richie Rich comic books. It was something I could tangibly relate to good memories.
I began researching, and there are over 1600 Richie Rich comic books that were produced. Being the nerd I am, I created a spreadsheet of the series name, volume, and date produced of every book. My husband, the bigger geek, then turned that into a database for me. Earlier this year, I began obtaining Richie Rich comic books, and I now have about 80. A long way from 1600 but still a start.
I have always been a collector and actually participated in the Collections project in 4-H – postcards, bookmarks, Barbie dolls, lighthouses, Marvin the Martian memorabilia. (I love(d) Marvin!) Through the years, I have let my collecting fall by the waist side. I truly only collect magnets now from all of the places I visit. They hang on the side of my refrigerator. The Richie Rich collection will take me quite a bit of time to complete. But, that is okay. It helps me remember a very safe, innocent time in my life that I do not wish to forget. Perhaps one day my daughter will understand as I hope to tell her about those who have went before us and those she never knew.
My family lived next door to my uncle Max and my aunt Janice. Once my mom went back to work, my aunt babysat me after school. I felt like I spent a lot of time at their house. It was where I first met "Santa". I remember coming to their house after school the day the Challenger exploded. It was where I first saw what had happened. I remember playing with their cats growing up. I remember coming to their house after falling in a huge mud puddle after school. And so many other memories that I can't begin to tell here. And I specifically remember reading Richie Rich comic books at their house. As an adult, I remember back to that time with fondness - sitting in the basement living area reading my cousins' old comic books. There was something so innocent about that time in my life.
Five summers ago, Lee and I went to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. If you have never been, it is a must-see. Part of the Richie Rich movie was filmed there, and even though the movie was a little hokie, it stirred an interest in Richie Rich again that was suppressed. But time moved on, and life got in the way.
When my uncle Max passed away last year, I talked with my husband about all of my memories about him growing up. And for some reason, even though they weren’t my uncle’s, I kept bringing up those Richie Rich comic books. It was something I could tangibly relate to good memories.
I began researching, and there are over 1600 Richie Rich comic books that were produced. Being the nerd I am, I created a spreadsheet of the series name, volume, and date produced of every book. My husband, the bigger geek, then turned that into a database for me. Earlier this year, I began obtaining Richie Rich comic books, and I now have about 80. A long way from 1600 but still a start.
I have always been a collector and actually participated in the Collections project in 4-H – postcards, bookmarks, Barbie dolls, lighthouses, Marvin the Martian memorabilia. (I love(d) Marvin!) Through the years, I have let my collecting fall by the waist side. I truly only collect magnets now from all of the places I visit. They hang on the side of my refrigerator. The Richie Rich collection will take me quite a bit of time to complete. But, that is okay. It helps me remember a very safe, innocent time in my life that I do not wish to forget. Perhaps one day my daughter will understand as I hope to tell her about those who have went before us and those she never knew.
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