Half Smile

Suburban Chicago, November 1965. Dad relies on a familiar expression for the self-timer setting.

We are on the trail.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, July 1967. I have that weary-cowboy look. Mom feigns enjoyment.

Rex Relaxes

Verona, Wisconsin, September 2013. He remains alert.

Preoccupied

Toronto, Ontario, December 1959. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, takes a break from the party.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Class Notes (Part 2)

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1934. Friends weren't the only ones who wrote in Mom's memento booklet. Here, Mom's Dad, Jake, drew a "nykštukas" (elf) and wrote, "For memories! From your Dad."

"Lap dancing is a vague phrase: it covers a lot of sins."

News from the home town: The Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo amend their lawsuit against their neighbor, the "Allure" strip club.

Light Reunion

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1966. It's easier to see the snow when we reach a clearing.

A Closer Look (Part 19)

Suburban Chicago, February 1962. This "Closer Look" is not an image I cropped; instead, it's one Dad enlarged and printed. Here's the original post.

An Arrival

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1934 or 1935. Suzanne—the wife of my Dad's older cousin, Henry—introduces her daughter, Kaunas Nina, to a friend.

Thanks to Suzanne's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Poised

Brookfield Zoo, 1975. The Arctic Fox cracks a smile.

Tolerance

Downers Grove, Illinois, Autumn 1963. Here's another shot from the afternoon with a kitten.

Related by Marriage: Welcome Home

Suburban Chicago, January 1959. Mr. Irene's Dad introduces Mr. Irene to the Master Bedroom.

Afternoon Blues

Verona, Wisconsin, January 2013. The days are getting longer.

Back at the Cottage

Door County, Wisconsin, January 1978. Dad has finished the round and returns to the spot from which he started.

The work goes quickly when we work together.

Suburban Chicago, January 1979. It's also more enjoyable when you share a joke.

Check out the "little spruce!"

Fresh Dusting

Thatcher Woods, Suburban Chicago, February 1966. It's safe to walk along the edge.

Thank you for a lovely performance!

Bulger Park, Veterans Park District, Melrose Park, Illinois, February 1966. The pianist accepts the applause at the annual Independence-Day minejimas.

Class Notes (Part 1)

My Mom's schools did not issue yearbooks. The students therefore did not have a publication in which to scribble notes to one another. My Mom and her classmates instead carried booklets—similar to the "autograph books" I remember—in which the friends recorded messages. 

Mom still has her memento booklet. I'll be posting some images from it. Today I start with scans of the booklet's cover, interior binding, and a drawing a friend did for Mom.

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The inscription shows Mom received the booklet as a birthday gift in 1931. Mom still lived in Panemunė at that time.

(I see a sweater design in that weave-inspired motif.)

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Kaunas, Lithuania, February 16, 1934. Mom's friend, "Z.M.," wrote, "A remembrance!"

Uncommon Reunion

Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1964. In the 1960s, we didn't see seagulls in urban areas. We spotted the birds only when we traveled to a lakeside location.

Perception

Suburban Chicago, January 1964. Today, people in their sixties don't look like this, do they?

Related by Marriage: Newly Displaced

Dresden, Germany, October 8, 1944. Danutė and a cousin of Mr. Irene's Dad sat for this photo shortly after they fled Lithuania.

She came back.

Verona, Wisconsin, January 22, 2015. Our visitor again scampers through the backyard.

Don't get all soft about foxes; they're predators, just like coyotes.

A Closer Look (Part 18)

Tambov, Russia, 1910 or 1911. This is my paternal Grandmother Tatjana's younger sister, Elena. She was 12 years old when she sat for this photo. Here's the original post.

Elena's embroidered dress matches the one her sister Natasha wore that day.

Happy Birthday!

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, January 1958. Happy Birthday to my Toronto Cousin!

The partygoers celebrate in the kitchen of Toronto Cousin's childhood home. The refrigerator is very similar to the one we had. The door on the right leads to the basement of the Toronto house. The stairs to the basement were very steep, and I was afraid to walk down them. I used to scoot down those stairs on my butt to avoid falling.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Amber Altar

Lithuania, August 2011. I never before have seen jewelry decorating an altar.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 40)

Kaunas, Lithuania, March 19, 1941. A friend gave this "senior portrait" to Mom, and, on the back of the photo, the friend wrote, "Remember me, too!"

Related by Marriage: Looking ahead to Spring.

Near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Spring 1957. Mr. Irene's Dad admires the blooms.

Roundabout Reunion

Vienna, Austria, July 1971. Visiting a large city is rarely relaxing.

Related by Marriage: Escort

Nativity BVM Church, Marquette Park, Chicago, January 1958. A V.F.W. honor guard leads Aunt Agnes and another relative to their seats.

Midsentence

Brooklyn, New York, 1951. Mom shares a thought as Dad snaps the image.

Crossing, in Three Takes

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Verona, Wisconsin January 21, 2015. A beloved visitor took a shortcut through the backyard today.

A Favorite Gimmick

Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1965. Dad stages a favorite pose—the "stranded" pose.

Happy Anniversary!

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. My Toronto Cousin and her husband, Toronto Al, today celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary.

We know the difference.

Door County, Wisconsin, Spring 1978. There's more than one variety in those woods.

Flower Fashions

Suburban Chicago, August 1962. The "Other Irene" poses for Dad at a Sunday-afternoon party.

Following Instructions

Melrose Park, Illinois, October 1962. I enjoy the Kiddieland ride. The platform can pose hazards.

Five-Star Reunion

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. The hotel was the "Österreichischer Hof" when we stayed there. Now it's the Hotel Sacher Salzburg.

The Brooklyn Ladies

Brooklyn, New York, April 3, 1961. My paternal Grandmother Tatjana's Sister-in-Law, Victoria (second from left), sent this memento snapshot to Tatjana.

Related by Marriage: Bounty

Panevėžys, Lithuania, July 31, 1992. Stacey and his wife host Stacey's older brother, Ignas.

The salad on the right resembles "Babos Vinegretas." There's a plate of Košeliena (ew, ew, ew)—sometimes translated as "Jellied Pigs' Feet," "Chopped Meat in Aspic," or "Head Cheese"—near the bread. The fried pastry mound on the left looks like a "Skruzdėlynas," or "Ant Hill Cake."

Presidential Library

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, California, October 1990. Mr. Irene and I enjoyed the museum. The Watergate exhibit is excellent. I also was delighted to see Tricia Nixon's wedding dress. (The library now markets itself as a wedding venue.)

Raw Material

Door County, Wisconsin, February 1975. Dad considers a piece for the wood pile.

Tolerance

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, July 1967. Mom didn't like horseback riding, but she knew it was an easy way to make me happy.

Wary

Brookfield Zoo, August 1968. It's not surprising my friends found this fellow creepy.

Second-Hand Smoke

Suburban Chicago, 1962. Although I don't seem to mind the smoke in this snapshot, the smell of cigarettes used to make me feel sick—especially in the car.

(I earlier posted two other photos from this day here.)

Viewer

Suburban Chicago, January 1962. My Toronto Cousin watches television during her holiday visit. The White sewing machine and the ironing board still stand in the Rec Room.

Little-Color Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, January 2015. The birds avoid the grey day, too.

Living Room Pose

Suburban Chicago, April 1962. Mom sits next to the black vase. Behind her is the quilted pillow I loved so much. The oil painting depicting a Colombian village hangs on the wall.

The Other Tam

Verona, Wisconsin, January 2015. Here is the second tam I completed this month.