Why My Mother-In-Law Used 629 On Her Luggage Locks

My mother-in-law Fannie Harriet Love Robbins (1901-1987) used 629 for her luggage combination locks when traveling in her later years after she retired from teaching. I did not know the significance of 629 until I began researching her life in genealogy.

Ken, Fannie, and Robbie Robbins about 1948 before Robbie passed away on May 6th

629 is significant because it was the marriage date to her only husband, William Augustus Robbins, on June 29, 1929 at First Baptist Church (American) in Syracuse, NY until his death on May 6, 1948 in Islip, NY where they lived on Rose Street and Grant Avenue. His death was due to a perforated bowel obstruction. He spent 10 days at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, NY. They were married for 18 years, 10 months, and 7 days.

Fannie had taught home economics in central and western New York, in smaller towns south of Rochester, NY including Cooperstown, NY before she married. She also had been a 4-H sponsor in several small towns in central NewYork. Her degree was a bachelor of science in home economics from Syracuse University in May of 1925.

Fannie Harriet Love, Cooperstown, NY about 1926

During her marriage to William Augustus Robbins, she worked as a family case worker, home economics substitute in many school districts in the Islip, NY area, a census enumerator for the U.S. Census in 1930 and 1940, and a pet enumerator for the state of NY. Fannie also was the bookkeeper for her husband's civil engineering/land surveying business. She was a PTA President at Ken's Islip Elementary School and President of the American Legion Auxiliary.

She became a second grade teacher by returning to Syracuse University for two summers while living at her parents' second home on Madison Street after her husband's death. She taught for almost 20 years in the Hauppauge, NY school district as a second grade teacher before retiring.

In 1951 Fannie began traveling abroad with a trip to visit her friends Christy and Judge William H. Roberts in Germany, France, and England. She would continue with many flights and cruises to all parts of the world in the next 20 years.

Fannie's 1951 Passport, pages 8-9. The right side of the passport page shows Fannie was accepted by the German immigration authorities to enter Germany.

 She bought a new set of three suitcases that nested inside each other when she began overseas traveling. Each had the same 3-part dial combination lock. Her son, my husband Ken, told me the numbers on the locks were all the same: 629. He did not know the significance of the numbers until I discovered Fannie and William's (Robby's) wedding date in my early days of genealogy. Then it became clear about the importance of that date in Fannie's mind and her use on her luggage. After Fannie passed away, we became the owners of her luggage and continued to use the set until we donated it to charity about 10 years ago. My only regret is that I did not take a picture of Fannie's set of luggage. It was a black leather-like set with red and yellow banding around the lid of each piece.

Ken told me one story that happened many years before TSA. Someone figured out her combination before a flight to visit relatives in Florida and removed a knife that she planned to use in the family's kitchen in Florida. The official wrote her a note that explained that he/she removed the knife from her luggage.

I doubt that anyone would be given a note of explanation today. Sometimes my checked luggage has been opened and rifled through, but nothing has been taken since I try my best to not put anything of value in my checked bags.

I am grateful to my husband Kenneth Charles Robbins for sharing many of the facts with me that are not able to be documented.

Google+ Presents Problems with Google Picasa Web Albums

A note to all readers of this specific Post about using Picasa with Google+:
I now use Picasa 3.9 with Google+. Over time, meaning from January 20, 2012 when I wrote this article, I have learned how to send my albums to family and friends using the Google+ program.

I believe what we all wish to do is move forward as technology not only changes, but improves the way we accomplish anything. That is why I am posting this note and sharing how I have moved forward with what I have learned and can share with others.

What I have done is to keep my Google+ subscription because as Google+ stated, at least at one time, that if someone totally unsubscribed to their program, that person would not be able to recreate their subscription using their original information. In Google+ I make al of my settings "To Me" and nothing goes out to the circles I created at first. I then work my way through the options for my albums in Google+ until I come to the option that I can send my photos or album via email addresses. I can send the photos or albums as attachments to an email, or I can email the Google+ link for others to open the photos or albums. 

The information below should also still work if you do not wish to see your photos in Picasa upload to Google+ albums.

I have had to work through several problems and processes to possess, retain, and use the best options for my needs to send my online Google Picasa Web Albums to families and friends since upgrading to Picasa Version 3.9 with Google+.

I was too quick to subscribe to Google+ on my laptop that offers the new Picasa Version 3.9 without realizing the consequences of my rush. I did not realize that I would not be able to send Picasa Web Albums to family and friends via email, not be able to post Picasa Web Albums to Facebook, or not be able to export my Picasa Web Albums to my desktop. If you find that my assessment is incorrect, please let me know.

The only option given to Google Picasa Google+ users is to send a Picasa Web Album to circles of friends at Google+.

At first, I was frustrated and decided I would delete my Google+ membership. However, when I read the consequences of removing my Google+ membership, I decided against that move.

On January 8 on my Facebook page, I wrote, “Anyone else dissatisfied with Google+ and the fact that if you use Picasa for maintaining your photographs, if you upgrade to Picasa 3.9, you lose the ability to easily locate your Picasa Web Albums?

Instead, pictures will show by default in Google+. For this reason, I thought I would downgrade my Google+ account, not delete it.

Read the following explanation from Google+ Help to understand why I do not want to choose Option 3. Instead, I will choose Option 1 or 2 and hope that will keep my Picasa web folders where I want them. Go to: http://support.google.com/plus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1044503&rd=1
Downgrade from Google+ - Google+ Help

“If you want to disable Google+, you have several options, ranging from temporary to permanent.

Option 1: Change your profile visibility settings to hide everything except your name and photo from public view. With this option, you can hide the content that appears on your profile without deleting or losing access to anything you've already created. The stuff you've shared will still be accessible by those you shared with.

Option 2: Downgrade your Google+ account, which will delete your profile and remove your Google+ posts, circles, and other content. You'll still be able to access Gmail and most other Google services.

Option 3: Delete your Google account. You'll lose access to all Google services and existing data requiring a Google Account. If you use Gmail, your Gmail address can't be reused.

To downgrade your Google+ profile:

Sign in to Google+.

Click your full name or email address in the Google bar.

Click Account settings.

Click the Account overview tab.

Click Delete profile and remove associated social features.”

In the end, I did not choose to use Google+ Option 1, 2, or 3 to disable, downgrade, or delete my Google+ account.

With Picasa Version 3.9 I cannot send my Picasa Web Albums to anyone unless they have signed up with Google+. There is no option to send web album invitations to people who have email addresses, without other social media. There is also no option to send web albums to another social media presence such as Facebook or Twitter.

Another flaw I discovered with Picasa Version 3.9 and Google+ is that I cannot download a Google+ Web Album to the online Picasa program.  I processed my imported pictures to a Google+ Web Album before creating a folder for those pictures on the online Picasa program.

My solution now is to retrieve the original pictures from the My Pictures Folder on the C Drive and import them into the online Picasa program again. I am thankful I can “start again” and choose some pictures to send to Facebook, export some to the desktop on my laptop or desktop computer, or order some from online vendors.

What gave me the idea of returning to Picasa Version 3.8 is that Picasa Version 3.8 remained on my desktop. I discovered that I can use the email, Facebook, export, and Google+ options with Picasa Version 3.8. I can send my Picasa Version 3.8 Web Albums that are viewable on any computer I sign into, with Picasa as email invitations.

Here is my solution: So far I have "fixed" my Picasa problem with Google+. I installed the previous version of Picasa that will allow me to send my Picasa Web Albums to family members via email address. The newest Picasa download version does not give the option to send invitations to view Picasa pictures using family or friends' email addresses, only to Google+ Circles.

Here is the website I used to go back one version to find Version 3.8 on January 18, 2011: http://www.oldapps.com/picasa.php?old_picasa=22%3Fdownload

Download Picasa 3.8 Build 117.41 - OldApps.com

The description from www.oldapps.com is as follows:

“Picasa is marketed as being easy to use and it offers many one click effects such as color enhancement, red eye reduction and cropping. Other features include slide shows, printing and image timelines. Pictures can be organized into albums. Albums can be organized into collections. Pictures can be rearranged in albums by drag and drop. Images can be resized and exported for external use, be e-mailed or printed. There is also an integrated facility to order photo prints.

One fundamental principle of Picasa is that it never overwrites original images. This means that any changes applied to images using Picasa are stored only as differences relative to the original file, and only appear within Picasa. To see any changes in other software, the user must Export the images.”

At some point, I will probably look for Download Picasa 3.8 Build 117.43 as it was the latest Picasa 3.8 Version that included:

• Fixed importing from scanners.
• Fixed Backup and Restore creating duplicate .ini files

according to the Picasa and Picasa Web Albums Release Notes:

http://support.google.com/picasa/bin/picasa.google.com/support/bin/static.py?hl=en&page=release_notes.cs

I am not an Internet whiz kid by training or guru by experience.  I share this information in case it will help someone else who is having the same difficulty. Please make a comment if this helped you, or if you have a different solution to my problem. I appreciate your input.