Monochrome Madness #70 — Cruisin’ on ‘Boats’ From the Past

This week’s Monochrome Madness is hosted by Brian from Bushboys World. He has chosen a theme of Boats. I’ve gone through my archives searching and thinking about what Boats I would use for this challenge especially since Boats has been a theme in the past for one or two challenges.

Thinking of family, I decided I would take us on a cruise to the past, clear back to the 1970’s and beyond. These are ships/boats that at least one person in the family has been on. Sometimes it was just to tour and other times it was to take a ride and enjoy the scenery. Ready to begin our cruise?

Our first stop is at the Port of Los Angeles off the coast of California on August 10, 1979 …

This is a sailboat my dad took a photo of with his 35mm camera while he and my mom toured the Port of San Pedro. For you information, the “Port of San Pedro” is the main section of the Port of Los Angeles, called “America’s Port.” The Port of Los Angeles is one of the busiest and most significant seaports in the United States of America.

Cruisin’ on (actually not cruisin yet) to August 9, 1979 we Showboat paddleboat loading up with passengers to experience an afternoon on San Pedro Bay. It is docked at the Ports O Call Los Angeles in between tourist runs.

I’m not sure if my parents took the cruise or not, but I imagine they did embark upon the Showboat and had a lovely time cruisin’ around San Pedro Bay.

Cruisin’ on to January 1, 1979, my parents took a trip to Germany to visit my brother and his family. During their visit, being the dutiful host, my brother showed him all the fascinating places to see and do in his area where he was stationed in the United States Air Force.

The River Cruise Boat is a passenger vessel specifically designed to give scenic tours on rivers such as the Neckar in Heidelberg. It allows passengers (like my parents, my brother and his family) to enjoy the views of historic landmarks from the water.

After all that cruisin’ we go back a few more years when we boarded a boat/ship together. Taking a look at July 1, 1974, my parents and I drive up to Long Beach, California to tour The Historic Queen Mary. Yes, I actually got to tag along on this trip. I had just graduated high school at The Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park in San Diego, California.

The Queen Mary is a historic British ocean liner. It is permanently docked as a floating hotel, museum, and tourist destination attraction. The Queen Mary officially retired from the ocean and made its final voyage in 1967. It arrived at its permanent location in Long Beach, California on December 9, 1967. The ship is rather large and impressive. By the time we toured her she had already undergone massive renovations. During its renovation, the engines were removed and the space was converted. She opened for public tours in 1971. It didn’t begin welcoming overnight guests until 1972. After major expansions including the Grand Hotel, 1974 marked the true official celebration of its opening operating as the Queen Mary Hyatt Hotel.

Cruisin’ on back another couple of years we come to July 1, 1972. This time we leave the west coast on vacation to drive the southern route cross country from San Diego, California to the Carolinas. After meeting up with my dad’s father, his sister and here family, we caravanned down to Stone Mountain, Georgia. Why go all the way to the Carolinas before traveling back down to Georgia? Why to spend time with family, of course. Actually, we all needed a rest from all the miles and miles of traveling before sightseeing with everybody.

The trip to Stone Mountain Park included my parents (2), my brother and myself (2 more), my Aunt & Uncle (+2), their four children (+4), and my paternal grandfather (+1). Did you get all that? Add them all up and you get 11, 5 adults and 6 children all bombarding upon the Stone Mountain Park attraction.

Inside Stone Mountain Park is Stone Mountain Lake where visitors could board a classic paddlewheel Boat. At this time there were two (2) large commercial paddlewheel boats in operation. One was named the Henry W. Grady and the other one pictured here named Scarlett O’Hara Riverboat. The commercial paddle boats ceased operation around 2017-2018. They were officially retired due to their advancing age, the immense amount of maintenance required, and growing safety concerns.

Fun times were to be had make in the day cruisin’ on lakes, rivers, and oceans. Today’s cruises may seem to appear a little bit different, but actually not much has changed besides the type of boat/ship one chooses for a cruise.

I will leave you with one last final ship, one that brought my maternal grandfather home from France after World War I. Possibly the USS George Washington, or one similar to it.

The USS George Washington was originally a German ocean liner which was seized by the United States during World War I. It was converted into a crucial troop transport vessel. After the Armistice, it played an incredibly important role in bringing hundreds of thousands of American soldiers home from France, just like my maternal grandfather.

This image is from a picture postcard that belonged to my maternal grandfather and later given to me to add to my post card collection. When it was first given to me in the late 1960’s I didn’t realize the significance of this photo and the ship that was portrayed in it. Now, I treasure it always.

The end of our Cruisin’ on Boats from the past has come to an end. Hope you enjoyed cruisin with me.

Click on images to enlarge.

Brian’s Monochrome Madness #70 Boats

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness #70-Lots of Little Boats

Photo Credit: Copyright ©️Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved. The final one ©️Deb L. Waters given to me by my maternal grandmother.

God Bless. Have a fantastic weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.