January 30, 2015

January 29, 2015

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. Suzannethe wife of my Dad's older cousin, Henryintroduces her daughter, Kaunas Nina, to a friend.

Thanks to Suzanne's Granddaughtermy Kaunas Cousinfor making this photo available to us.

January 26, 2015

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!"

January 24, 2015

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.

January 23, 2015

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.

January 21, 2015

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.

January 19, 2015

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."

January 18, 2015

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.

January 17, 2015

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 sickespecially 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.

January 15, 2015