Joan’s Adventures in Babysitting
Twin toddlers, a disastrous diaper incident, and the panic of not remembering which boy wore the hernia belt — Joan's babysitting gig at her cousin Lorraine's house didn't last long.
Bob McGaffin
The Machine Shop
A two-week machining project at his girlfriend's father's shop turned into a life-changing decision — when Michigan State finally came calling, he'd already found something he loved more than farming.
1948 - Other Jobs with Uncle Bud
Other Jobs with Uncle Bud. After graduation in 1948, while I was
1940s Vacation to Chicago
A borrowed car, no interstate highways, and a silent Rudolph Valentino film — one family's road trip to Chicago's south side, where two close friends reunited and the kids posed in an old car at the museum.
1947 - Working on a Truck
From ‘The Adventures of The McGaffin’s As We Remember Them’ — a family memoir begun July 17, 2003.
1946 - Post-War Years
After their mother lost her battle with cancer, the McGaffin family scattered — one sister chased a boy to Milwaukee, and the rest moved in with strangers just to get by.
The Osterhus Sisters Growing Up
A flying squirrel once helped itself to a pie cooling on the windowsill of the Osterhus house on Magnolia — and that's how the family ended up redesigning their windows.
Working at the Parking Lot
From ‘The Adventures of The McGaffin’s As We Remember Them’ — a family memoir begun July 17, 2003.
Early 1940s - Osterhus Family Vacation
On a sweltering drive to Lake Chetek, two sisters searched every roadside teepee for moccasins they never found — and Ruth spilled orange pop down Dad's back. His response has been conveniently forgotten.
Mickey
Mickey Mickey was an Irish setter that was a beautiful dog that
Life at 625 Rockview Avenue
At 625 Rockview Avenue, forgetting the basement water heater meant a dramatic burst of steam — and in a house still cooled by an icebox with deliveries from the Iceman, daily life ran on its own unhurried, unpredictable rhythm.
The 1940s Begin
From ‘The Adventures of The McGaffin’s As We Remember Them’ — a family memoir begun July 17, 2003.