Dad, at the Fountain

Brookfield Zoo, 1965. I'm not very good with the Brownie camera, but Dad appreciates my effort as we stop near the fountain.

A Cloudy Sunday at the Zoo

Brookfield Zoo, June 1965. It's early afternoon, so Dad and I are headed home to eat the midday meal that my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, has prepared. I'm practicing photo taking with the old Brownie camera. Two years later, I will receive a new camera.

Windy

Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1965. Mom sets down her knitting needles and holds back my windswept hair.

Blue Hike

This is one of the first photos I took with my Brownie camera.

My Mom wears an elegant, mohair cardigan that she knitted. She also duplicate stitched a little floral adornment in angora yarns. We went shopping at the fabric department at Marshall Field's to find wool in the exact shade of blue so that Mom could sew a skirt to match the sweater.

She knitted a similar cardigan in red mohair. You'll soon see a photo here of that sweater.

Mom removed her Wayfarer sunglasses for the photo. She was in charge of shooting home movies, and she's got the movie camera bag in her hand.

It's a weekend day because my Dad is not wearing a tie.



Morton Arboretum, Illinois, Autumn 1966. Don't you think they'd pass for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip if a few Corgis were biting at their heels?

The New Camera

In 1967, my Parents bought a "big girl" camera for me. It was a Canon with automatic exposure settings, but the user still had to focus the image. The Canon replaced the old Brownie that I had carried on most visits to Brookfield Zoo and to other places, especially during the holidays.

Here are a few of the first images that I took with that camera:

Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1967. My Dad and my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, stand on Michigan Avenue.

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Brookfield Zoo, Summer 1967. Dad sits near the beautiful pool at the center of the zoo.

A Crèche without Controversy

We visited the life-size Nativity display at Amling's Flowerland every December. Looking back at those photos now, I realize what a big impression the little Bethlehem made on me.

Melrose Park, Illinois, December 1965. It's a good thing I brought my Brownie camera.

Melrose Park, December 1965. This is my favorite place to be at Christmas time.

Melrose Park, Illinois, December 1965. I seem to have a sense of the meaning of Christmas.

Sunday at the Zoo

My Dad took me to Brookfield Zoo nearly every Sunday. We usually made the short drive to the zoo in the morning, while my Mom made her daily rounds at the hospitals. By the time she was done with those visits, Dad and I returned home, and my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, had dinner ready for us. Like most Europeans, we ate our main meal at midday.

This photo is unusual because here, Mom joined us at the zoo. That made this visit a special outing.

 

Brookfield Zoo, December 1966. Mom is not carrying a large pocketbook; that's her gold, vinyl knitting bag. It's still in constant use. I hang onto my Brownie Camera.

Santa Fake

A kid knows an imposter when a kid sees one.

Don't pretend to be something you're not, especially when you sit on a throne of lies.

Suburban Chicago, December 1965. I know when to back away from a faker, even if he tugs at my waist. I am wearing fair-isle mittens, and I carry my Brownie camera.

Where I spent most Sundays.

My Dad enjoyed taking photographs of animals. Nearly every Sunday morning, he packed me up, and he drove the short distance from our house to Brookfield Zoo. Because we went so frequently, he and I rarely did the "touristy" things other people did at the zoo. For example, we didn't go to the porpoise show very often, and we rarely visited the lion house. Instead, we'd spend hours watching one type of monkey or another, waiting for just the right shot.

The one indulgence my Dad allowed me every Sunday was a visit to the Children's Zoo. There, I could interact with baby animals and even pet a number of them. I remember that feeling of excitement as we used to approach the gates of the Children's Zoo. Even today, just thinking about it, I recall the smell of the baby goats and the sawdust.

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, once implored my Dad to take me to church on Sundays instead of to the zoo. He responded, "She'll learn more about God at the zoo."

Brookfield Zoo, June 1965. I cradle a white rabbit at the Children's Zoo. My Mom knitted the white cardigan that I am wearing. I have a strap around my neck because my Dad had given me a "Brownie" camera with which to start taking photographs.