Snapshot from a Sunday

Schweinfurt, Germany, 1949. Here's an image from the same passeggiata. A fashionable group!

A Chuckle at Dinner

Suburban Chicago, November 1972. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, shares a joke with Mr. John at the party celebrating Tatjana's seventy-fifth birthday.

Weekend Warm Up

Tinley Park, Illinois, June 1967. Enjoy a picnic if the weather still cooperates.

Picnic Lull

Tinley Park, Illinois, June 1966. I think it's time to go home.

Picnic Culture: Relax after the meal.

Suburban Chicago, September 1963. It's even okay to take a nap.

Mom and Dad have set my play table on the patio. My abacus toy rests on it.

Sunday Papers: Montana Edition

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1968. My Godfather, his family, and Mr. John visit us during our vacation. Everyone is sitting outside of our Swiftcurrent Motor Inn room.

It's Christmas Day; be merry.

Suburban Chicago, December 25, 1964. The adults share a joke; the youngsters are in the kitchen, at the children's table.

Picnic Culture: Stretching Things Out

Suburban Chicago, June 1965. The picnic has lasted into the late evening. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, looks like she is about to doze. My Mom probably is thinking about the workday ahead of her.

Picnic Culture: Getting Reacquainted, the Three Takes

Suburban Chicago, June 1969. My Parents host a picnic in our backyard. Let's get reacquainted with the characters. From left: my Godmother, my Godfather, my Mom's best friend Donna, Mr. John, my Godmother's husband, my Godfather's wife, her mother, my Mom, Donna's husband Vytenis, little Irene, my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and my Godmother's father.

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Suburban Chicago, June 1969. A few of the guests move to the living room, where they look at Dad's 1969 black-and-white photo album. The photo that's visible is from my Parent's twentieth-anniversary party; it's posted here.

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Suburban Chicago, June 1969. Although my Mom adapted somewhat to the fashion shifts of the 1960s, she never changed her skirt length. She always wore a mid-knee hem.

A Wedding, in Three Takes

I was preparing a wedding-anniversary post today, and I realized I'd forgotten to extend our wishes to my friend Kris and her husband, who recently celebrated an anniversary. Their wedding was memorable because an historical blizzard hit that day. 

Evanston, Illinois, January 1979. I had no trouble getting to the wedding because I could walk from my dorm to Kris's apartment. Each bridesmaid sewed her dress. We used Ultrasuede fabric to make the garments. Do you remember Ultraseude?!

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Skokie, Illinois, January 1979. It took my Parents two hours to drive from our home to the wedding site. Normally, the trip took forty-five minutes. Mom sewed her dress in another 1970s synthetic fabric—Qiana. When I later moved to Italy, I took Mom's dress with me. I wore it one night to go dancing in a Roman disco. Sorry, but I don't have any photos from that night.

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Skokie, Illinois, January 1979. My Dad and—from left to right—Mr. John and Kris's maternal Grandfather raise glasses in honor of the newlyweds. This photo captures my Dad at his happiest.

Menfolk

Suburban Chicago, Autumn 1961. Some of my Parents' dinner guests—including, from left, Mr. John and my Godfather—step out to our backyard.

Dessert Service

Suburban Chicago, April 1962. The meal must be ending because I've slipped away from the children's table. My Mom looks tired. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, sits near the window with the older women. I earlier posted photos from this gathering here and here.

Picnic Culture: Group Shot

Tinley Park, Illinois, June 1960. I'm perched on my Mom's lap, and my Godfather is behind me, on my right.

Coffee Service

Suburban Chicago, November 1972. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, serves coffee that the party celebrating the seventy-fifth birthday of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana.

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Suburban Chicago, November 1972. Jonė has a little fun with Mr. John, a family friend, while my Mom gets a laugh out of the joke.

Picnic Culture: Patio Party

Suburban Chicago, June 1965. My Parents host my Godmother, my Godfather, their respective spouses, and Mr. John. My Godmother wears the pink dress; my Godfather stands behind her.

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Suburban Chicago, June 1965. By Dusk, my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and my Godfather's Mother-in-law have joined the group. My Godfather holds a piece of artwork that I made for him.

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Suburban Chicago, June 1965. I get a hug from my beautiful Godmother. My Godfather flashes his memorable smile.

Picnic Culture: Spend the afternoon with friends.

Tinley Park, Illinois, July 1960. My Godfather hosts a summer picnic. His wife makes sure everything is on the table. My Mom, on the right, sits next to her best friend, Donna.

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Tinley Park, Illinois, July 1960. Does Mom think this hat will protect me from the sun?

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Tinley Park, Illinois, July 1960. Mr. John, the friend of my Godfather and his wife, introduces me to the backyard. I disliked that sundress. It was white with a red pattern and red piping.

Lifelong, Happy Friends

Schweinfurt, Germany, 1946. My Dad—wearing a Bavarian-style sweater and laughing—stands behind his twin sister, Jonė. On the far right, in the Fedora, is my Godfather. His wife stands on the other side of my Dad, and next to her, looking down at Jonė, is Mr. John.

Officer's Wedding

This is a snapshot taken at the wedding reception of my Godfather. He's the handsome guy in the center, with the two young, single girls laughing on either side of him.

Every officer in this photo is wearing the uniform of the independent Lithuanian Army. This confirms that the wedding took place before the Soviet Occupation.

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1939. The bride stands behind my Godfather's right shoulder, and she looks down at him admiringly. The couple's lifelong friend, Mr. John, whom you've met here and here, stands behind her.

Kill the bee, please.

Tinley Park, Illinois, July 1960. I look on as an adult, "Mr. John," sprays some "Raid" on a flying biter during a picnic at the home of my Godfather.

Sunday Rituals

You've seen this group before. They're still walking around the DP camp, near Block "H."
 
Schweinfurt, Germany, 1949. My Mom stands in the center, wearing the mittens we recently located. My Dad, wearing a hat, stands to my Mom's left.