Shrove Tuesday

Here are some Lithuanian customs for the day. (Here's a photo from a 1923 Shrove Tuesday. And here's a recipe for those traditional pancakes.)

ADDED: Here's our recipe for "Pončkai." You probably think of them as "Paczki."

A Closer Look (Part 43)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1923. This is my maternal Grandfather, Jake. This is the only photo in which I see a resemblance between him and Mom.

Here's the original post.

A Recovered Image

My Mom's friend Joy sent this photo in the early 1990s.

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1923. This is my Mom.

*     *     *     *     *

 On the back of the photo, Joy wrote:

 Dearest [Irene's Mom],

This is you!

This photo is historical. It was with me in Siberia in my photo album. It endured all of our sufferings along the shores of the Laptev Sea. It was there for all 17 years of the deportation. Then the photo returned with me to Lithuania in 1958, and now it is in America! 1991.

A Closer Look (Part 30)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1923. My maternal Grandmother Jadzė lost one of the earrings she wears in this photo. The earring fell down the same well into which her bracelet tumbled.

Here's the original post.

One More Original

Radviliškis, Lithuania, 1923. Here's another original image. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, sits with her twins—Jonė and my Dad. Here's the cropped version I posted earlier.

A Wider View

I recently posted photos (here and here) that my Dad had cropped during his restoration of the original images. 

Here is another original snapshot; Dad's slightly altered image is here.

Radviliškis, Lithuania, 1923. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, introduces her twins—Jonė and my Dad—to her mother, Nina K. This photo differs only a bit from the one my Dad restored. The blankets (rugs?) are more visible here; I wonder if Tatjana used them as bedding for the twins.

A Matched Set

Radviliškis, Lithuania, 1923. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, cuddles her twins—my Dad and Jonė. This photo was taken at the time Tatjana's Mother, Nina K., visited from the Soviet Union. The wins were a handful for their father, too.

Leopard Spots

Lithuania, 1923. Here's a friend of Ron's family posing in her favorite winter coat. What thoughts crossed her mind?

Thanks to my friend Ron for making this photo available to us.

Cold-Weather Fashions

Lithuania, about 1923. Here's a friend of Ron's family posing in her winter finery. That looks like a sheared beaver coat. Compare this coat and Dora's attire from about the same time period.

Thanks to my friend Ron for making this photo available to us.

Getting Around

Kaunas (probably), Lithuania, about 1923.  My paternal Grandfather, Vytautas, likely took this photo of a relative as he stopped to shop.

A different, tree-lined street.

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1923. My Dad treasured this photo, but I don't know whether the horse-drawn carriages transported relatives, or whether Dad just found the scene picturesque.

Sunday Paper

Radviliškis, Lithuania, 1923. My paternal Grandfather, Vytautas, catches up on the day's news.

Sunshine for the Twins

Radviliškis, Lithuania, 1923. My Dad—the one on the left, in shorts—stands on the steps with his twin, Jonė. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, sat with them for this photo on the day they celebrated a visit from Tatjana's mother, Nina K.

A child enjoys tea time with the adults.

It's a good idea for children to learn manners by having tea with the grownups.

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1923. My maternal Grandmother, Jadzė, on the far right, balances a teacup and saucer while she looks at her husband, Jake. A family friend sits next to Jake, and Jake holds the friend's young son.

Three Generations

My Great-Grandmother, Nina, received permission to leave Soviet Russia to visit her new grandchildren. As far as I know, this is the only time Nina saw my Dad and his twin sister, Jonė, and it is the last time Nina was with her daughter, Tatjana:

Radviliškis, Lithuania, 1923. On the left, Jonė sits on the lap of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and on the right, my Great-Grandmother holds my Dad. This snapshot probably was taken on the same day as this photo. Dad is still wearing those cute booties.

Tatjana is wearing more modern, 1920s clothing, and Nina is wearing a nineteenth-century styled widow's dress.

A Handful for Any Generation

Radviliškis, Lithuania, 1923. My paternal Grandfather, Vytautas, holds his twins, my Dad (on the left) and my aunt Jonė (on the right). When I see old photos of my Dad, my Mom, or my aunt Jonė, I always am startled by how fully developed their facial expressions were at such young ages.

Did people back then just hang out in their army uniforms and boots? My Dad is wearing boots, too!