Loose Moose

In Vilnius.

Spring?

Verona, Wisconsin, April 2014. This morning's weather confused Mr. Robin.

We reach Gunsight Pass.

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1970. We're on our way to Sperry Chalet.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 21)

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, March 19, 1965. Friends of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, celebrate their forty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Looking-Ahead Reunion

Madison, Wisconsin, June 2003. Last night's storms led me to think about summer gardening.

Sunday, at the Oak

Near Tauragė, Lithuania, about 1940 or 1941.  My Dad's two friends rest during a visit, I believe, to Raudonė Castle. The women may be sitting next to the Gediminas Oak.

(On the other hand, they may be here instead.)

Most children enjoy a birthday party.

Suburban Chicago, April 1961. Here's another photo from the same party. Happy Birthday!

Nestled

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1970. Here's another view of the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.

Spring Cleanup

Door County, Wisconsin, June 1977. Dad enjoys the mowing task.

Saturday Parade

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1951. That's Toronto Al's Mom. One of the things that delighted me about Toronto was the city's streetcars.

Thanks to Toronto Al for making this photo available to us.

The Egg Way

The city of Palanga decorates a boulevard with Lithuanian Easter eggs.

We're listening.

Verona, Wisconsin, April 10, 2014. What pretty ears you have!

"Putin is not finished."

Says the Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States.

The work moves outside when the weather warms up.

Toronto, Ontario, June 1959. Kadis, the husband of my Dad's twin Jonė, chats with a neighbor.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Young and Tired

Schweinfurt (or Stuttgart), Germany, about 1947. This is how my Dad looked at about the time he enrolled at Hohenheim University.

Evening Ride

Lake of Bays, Ontario, Canada, July 1969. It's still when few boats are on the water.

Let's take a ride in the dinghy.

Near Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, July 1957. Mom waits for Dad to start up the boat.

Related by Marriage: Ready to Serve

Camp Pickett, Virginia, April 14, 1951. Mr. Irene's Dad finishes his basic training.

Tearing Down Mr. Gorbachev

"Russian MPs call for Mikhail Gorbachev to beprosecuted for 'allowing' the collapse of the Soviet Union."

Gurgling Reunion

Near Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, July 1956. Things keep moving.

Hillside Cemetery

Hintertux, Austria, July 1971. We've stopped to have a picnic.

Hello, Friend!

Kaunas, Lithuania, January 24, 1940. My Mom's high-school classmate presents a photo. This was the era when it became fashionable for young women to acquire custom-made folk costumes.

She'll sleep with her mouse.

Suburban Chicago, Summer 1970. Gigi won't let anyone take the mouse.

A Red Coat

O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, March 1963. I had seen the photos Dad took when JFK spoke at the O'Hare dedication, but I only now saw this clip among our home movies. That means Mom likely went to the event because she was the one who usually did the filming.

Ciao, Sailors!

Genoa, Italy, 1930. The fellow on the left is Dolfo, my Best Friend's father.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Spring Tourists

Venice, Italy, April 1984. The crowds swell on the Rialto Bridge during the Easter holiday.

Parked

Door County, Wisconsin, August 1980. That's the 1979 VW Rabbit Dad bought when he passed the Buick Skylark to me. The Rabbit is also the car on which I learned to drive stick.

Keeping Count

Door County, Wisconsin, June 1980. My Mom and her best friend, Donna, are knitting outside.

"When I was a boy, all the best meat went to Moscow. … We used to say that Lithuania had exploding pigs. After the explosion, only the ears, tail and feet were left."

A guide explains Soviet-era life to a tourist bicycling through the "Baltic backwater."

 

Mom remembers how the Soviets exported Lithuanian products—butter, pork, and geese—to Russia. In turn, trucks labeled "Food for Starving Lithuania" arrived from the Soviet Union. The trucks were filled with watermelons.

Move quickly.

Verona, Wisconsin, April 4, 2014. This herd runs through our yard nearly every evening.

Sunday Paper: Saturated Edition

Suburban Chicago, Spring 1963. Mom wasn't giving up on the reading lessons.

Related by Marriage: Protégé

Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1942. Mr. Irene's Dad poses with the manager of the family farm. 

Before World War II erupted, the plan was for Dad to assume the role of running the farm.

Find the right spot, in three takes.

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Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Alberta, Canada, July 1972. A Bighorn Sheep kid reaches her resting place.

Saturday on Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1943. The woman in the center is Louise, my Best Friend's mother. Two of her sisters, Annie (left) and Rose (right), walk alongside Louise. Louise's third sister, Mame, must have taken the photo.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 20)

Kaunas, Lithuania, January 10, 1940. Mom still has the "senior portraits" her high-school friends gave her.

Options

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1972. We take a break before making the choice.

I resist bedtime.

Suburban Chicago, April 1961. I am stubborn, but Mom knows how to distract me.

Grandmother's Pride

High Park, Toronto Ontario, July 1960. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and my Toronto Cousin visit a colorful spot.

"You’re right, there’s practically fucking 95 percent of our citizens in 'Miamiland'."

Russian diplomat jokes about a pretext for another invasion.

"As a politician, he always benefited from extremely low expectations. As he would say, people constantly misunderestimated him."

George W. Bush paints Putin, and CNN's John King draws a parallel between Bush's presidency and his art.

Marina Reunion

Chicago, Illinois, April 2007. I remember when construction of Marina City was completed.

I never met a dog I didn't like (Summer 2007)

University of Wisconsin—Madison, July 2007. Ivy visits me during a summer day at the office.

Summer Lane

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1962. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, and her husband, Kadis, have arrived.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

" 'What can we suggest to our American colleagues? To spend more time outdoors, practice yoga, separate their food groups and perhaps watch comedies on television'."

Russia's deputy foreign minister explains how Americans can overcome their "childish tantrums" about the annexation of Crimea.

Raudonė Castle, Identified

 

Near Tauragė, Lithuania, about 1940 or 1941. This is Raudonė Castle. Thanks to the reader who identified it.

Castle Tour

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. We're blending in with the other tourists.

Hello, From a Friend

Kaunas, Lithuania, January 31, 1940. Mom's high-school classmate gave Mom this keepsake.

Choppy Reunion

San Francisco, California, August 1993. We're on our way to Alcatraz.

Warmer Days

Near Kaunas, Lithuania, 1936. Kaunas Nina enjoys all kinds of weather.

Thanks to Kaunas Nina's daughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Seven Days

Kaunas, Lithuania, June 8, 1940. The girls in Mom's high-school class sat for this photo seven days before the Soviets launched their first occupation of Lithuania. Mom is in the second row, third from right.

The Smaller Parts

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1966. Flowers make up bear grass.

Our Amusing Visitor

Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1964. Our cottage's Čipūlis picks up some peanuts.

Related by Marriage: Happy Training

Near Fort Knox, Kentucky, 1950. Ignas, the older brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, enjoys an activity during his basic training.

An Animal in Every Shot

Evanston, Illinois, October 1979. That cat enjoyed sitting in my favorite chair.

Sunday Lakeshore

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1979. The family of my friend Kris—her Dad Vytenis, one of the Heidis, her maternal Grandfather, and her Mom Donna—visit my Parents.

Sunday, with Poodle

Rockford, Illinois, September 1962. The Rockford Poodle naps on her owner's lap. (Here's another photo from the same visit.)

Keep Moving, in Three Takes

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Verona, Wisconsin, March 2014. A quick run brings them closer to their destination.

Savoring a treat.

We rarely had "junk food" available at our house. Soda was on hand only when we entertained: Dad used 50/50 or Canada Dry Ginger Ale to mix high balls. Potato chips appeared only during birthday parties. I so envied classmates who had little bags of Fritos and Jay's Potato Chips tucked in their lunchboxes. The absence of "junk food" didn't arise from a focus on healthy eating. After all, Tatjana often cooked with instant soup and Jell-O. I think we didn't keep "junk food" in the house because that was the type of food Americans, not Lithuanians, ate.

 
Mom occasionally accommodated my taste for American-style snacks. She sometimes let me select a "$100,000 Bar" or a Slo Poke during our Thursday trips to the grocery store. She also occasionally indulged my favorite after-school snack: a glass of Hawaiian Punch and a bowl of deli-counter potato salad.

Suburban Chicago, March 1964 . I'm watching television in the Rec Room as I sip a treat. I'm drinking from one of those tumblers from the Jewel Food Store.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 19)

Lithuania, 1936. This is the mother and sister of Kadis, the husband of my Dad's twin sister, Jonė.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.