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: Cheerful

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

Related by Marriage: Together

Suburban Chicago, November 1967. Mr. Irene, Uncle D, and a group of cousins and friends gather in the living room. It looks like someone has a crush on Mr. Irene.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 44)

Würzburg, Germany, about 1946. Here's Uncle D, the younger brother of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandmother, Veronica.

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.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 14)

Würzburg, Germany, December 7. 1948. Mr. Irene's paternal Great-Uncle, Uncle D, addressed this photo to Mr. Irene's Dad: "For my most beloved son [Mr. Irene's Dad]; a remembrance from your Uncle D. Signed on the seventh day of December in the year 1948 at the DP Camp—Northern Kaserne, Würzburg-Lell."

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: 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.

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.

*     *     *     *     *

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

Related by Marriage: Displaced, but reunited.

Germany, 1947. Mr. Irene's Dad and his brother Ignas—both standing—reunite with a cousin's family, their Aunt-by-marriage Danutė, and Danutė's husband, Uncle D.

Related by Marriage: Also Served

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, 1942. Mr. Irene's paternal Great-Uncle, Uncle D—the brother of Mr. Irene's Grandmother Veronica—served in the Lithuanian Army during the years of independence (1918-1944). Many men of his generation had military careers.

Uncle D's uniform is identifiable because it has epaulets, and the Lithuanian coat of arms, the Vytis, is on the cap.

Related by Marriage: Almost on the Boat

Post-War Germany, March 26, 1949. Mr. Irene's Dad, standing on the left, joins the relatives with whom he will emigrate to the United States. Standing next to Dad is his brother, Ignas. Seated are Uncle D—the brother of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandmother Veronica—and Uncle D's wife, Danutė.

The group sat for this portrait on the same day Mr. Irene's Dad and Ignas had this photo taken.

Danutė was the family's source for pickled mushrooms.

Related by Marriage: I'll behave if you let me wear a cowboy hat.

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, Spring 1964. Mr. Irene stands in Uncle D's backyard with his Parents and Uncle D's wife, Danutė. Chicagoans will recognize the familiar style of the apartment building in the background—featuring tan bricks and glass-block windows.

Mushroom hunting is a sport.

"Mushroom hunting is probably Lithuania’s second most popular sport, after basketball."

Many Eastern European countries share a cultural affinity for mushroom picking. Mushroom recipes ripple through Lithuanian cuisine; Lithuanians even bake cookies that look like mushrooms. (There's a recipe in this book.)

I've always been nervous about eating wild mushrooms. I make an exception for morels because it's easy to identify them. Otherwise, I stay away. For example, Danutė—the wife of Mr. Irene's great uncle, Uncle D—used to harvest wild mushrooms in Indiana and Michigan. She then pickled and canned them. Everyone got several Mason jars—filled with the slimy preserving liquid and rubbery mushrooms—each time they visited her. I never tasted them: not even from the jars Danutė gave us on our wedding day. Or from the jars family found squirreled away in Danutė's basement after Danutė died.

I went mushroom picking one time, and I then was accompanying natives who'd been differentiating mushrooms for nearly a generation.

Choosing the wrong mushroom can be deadly.

Door County, Wisconsin, Spring 1978. Get some safety training before you go hunting.