Related by Marriage: Sunday Picnic

Suburban Chicago, June 1980. Everyone looks more relaxed in this snapshot.

Related by Marriage: Don't encourage them.

Suburban Chicago, early Autumn 1980. Mr. Irene's Dad, Uncle D, and Danutė feed the pests.

Related by Marriage: Summer Visitor

Suburban Chicago, June 1980. Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas, visits the Chicago branch of the family. He's at the head of the table. Mr. Irene's Mom sits on the far left, and Aunt Danutė takes charge of serving (even though she is not the party's hostess). Anthony sits to Ignas's left.

Related by Marriage: Cheerful

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965. Everyone enjoys Ignas's visit.

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.

Related by Marriage: Forget about the leftovers.

Marquette Park, Illinois, November 1965. Let's have some rye bread and sausages instead.

Mr. Irene's family visits the home of Uncle D and his wife, Danutė. The occasion is a visit from Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas. Left to right are Uncle D, Mr. Irene, Ignas, Mr. Irene's Mom, and Danutė. Mr. Irene's mind wanders as he thinks about the likely, upcoming trip to White Castle.

Here's another snapshot from that afternoon. Thanks to Ignas's daughter—Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Related by Marriage: Confirmation

Suburban Chicago, May 1968. Mr. Irene is ready to depart for his Confirmation ceremony. Although Mr. Irene and I grew up in the same suburb, he and I attended different parochial schools. My classmates and I wore our uniforms at our Confirmation. (The woman sitting on the porch is Danutė, the wife of Uncle D.)

Related by Marriage: Decorating

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, June 1980. Mr. Irene's Parents visit with Uncle D and his wife, Danutė. I earlier posted photos of this dining room here and here.

Related by Marriage: Extended Family

Lithuania, about 1938. Ignas, the brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, stands in the back, on the right. The woman on the far left is Danutė. the wife of Uncle D.

Related by Marriage: Squeeze In

Suburban Chicago, 1967. Mr. Irene's childhood home was small, and it had no dining room. When Mr. Irene's family entertained, they sometimes set up a table in the living room. Here, Mr. Irene sits between Cousin I and Danutė, the wife of Uncle D. Cousin I's Dad, Anthony, stands next to Mr. Irene's Mom.

Related by Marriage: Families travel together.

Probably Poland or Germany, September 18, 1944. This is another photo that is in rough shape because Danutė—standing here with a niece—carried it, folded, in some belongings while she was a Displaced Person. The blue ink from the writing on the back has bled onto the image.

 

This photo was taken about six weeks after the women fled Lithuania.

Related by Marriage: A Sunday Visit with a Twist

 

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965. Mr. Irene and his family visit with Uncle D and his wife during Ignas's visit to Chicago.

Adjusted

Brighton Park, Chicago, Illinois, 1949. The family of Mr. Irene's Dad settled into a new life shortly after arriving in Chicago. Here, Uncle D—my Father-in-law's maternal uncle—visits with the family's sponsor and the sponsor's wife. Uncle D's wife, Danutė, sits on the far right. (Did you see a "flat-screen TV" when you first looked at this photo?)

Thanks to Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Related by Marriage: Familiarity

Marquette Park, Illinois, December 1967. Mr. Irene and his Parents visit at the home of Uncle D and his wife, Danutė.
 
First-generation offspring of Displaced Persons should recognize this scene.

Related by Marriage: Wedding Tunes

Probably Würzburg, Germany, about 1946. This is the wedding of a cousin (the bride) of Mr. Irene's Dad. The woman to the right of the groom—in folkdress—is Danutė.

Related by Marriage: Another Look

Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, September 1, 1951. To date, I've only posted one colorized photo. Recently we came across this one of Mr. Irene's Dad. It may look familiar because I earlier posted the original version. Mr. Irene's Dad gave this portrait to Uncle D and Uncle D's wife, Danutė.

Transitions

Yesterday's post about my Toronto Cousin's folkdress left me thinking about the different costumes I'd worn over the years.

My first "adult" folkdress was one of the mass-produced garments created for the population of Lithuanian baby boomers living in North America. I wore that garish, green folkdress for many years, before my family decided I could transition to the heirloom ensemble. I never had a good headpiece, so I continued to wear the crown from the green folkdress into adulthood.

I recently saw a photo of Mr. Irene's great Aunt, Danutė, at her wake. Her family chose to bury her in her magnificent folkdress. 

Here's how the green folkdress looked when I wore it to a choir performance:

Suburban Chicago, Winter 1975. I didn't like the blouse that was part of the green folkdress set, so I instead wore the one my paternal Grandmother had embroidered.

Related by Marriage: Easter Dinner

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, about 1954. Mr. Irene's Dad, second from right, sits with a cousin and other family members at Easter dinner.

Related by Marriage: Pocket Square

Lithuania, about 1939 or 1940. This is Mr. Irene's Great Aunt, Danutė. Danutė is the woman who pickled and canned wild mushrooms.

Belated Anniversary Wishes

Mr. Irene's Parents yesterday celebrated their fifty-fifth wedding anniversary. I had other things swirling through my head, and I didn't even remember the date until Mr. Irene reported that he had congratulated his folks.

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, January 11, 1958. Martha, the older sister of Mr. Irene's Mom, is the bridesmaid on the left. Had I gotten married in 1958, I would have chosen those dresses for my attendants. Beige is my favorite color.

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Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, January 11, 1958. The couple's families stand on their respective sides of the newlyweds.