The Twins

Verona, Wisconsin, September 9, 2015. We got a better look at the young ones.

Campus Steps

Hohenheim University, Stuttgart, Germany, 1946. My Dad's classmates gather for a lunch break.

A Familiar Expression

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1943. Here's another image from Mom's photo sitting.

Island Reunion

Delos, Greece, April 25, 1976. It's a quick stop on the way to Turkey.

Class Notes (Part 19)

Kaunas, Lithuania September 27, 1934. In this Class Notes entry, my Mom's friend wrote:

For memories from Julia.

The Nightingale is a beautiful little bird
May it sing for you
a happy tune.

Written in the second class.

Caption: "I'm carrying gifts for you!"

It looks like stickers were popular in the 1930s, too.

Related by Marriage: Welcome

Vilnius, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1983. Family members greet Mr. Irene's Dad upon his arrival in Lithuania. The man to the right of Mr. Irene's Dad is Stacey.

I wonder if the photographer intentionally included the lurkers on the right in his frame.

Color Variation

Verona, Wisconsin, September 2015. I designed only the colors of this tam; it's a variation on the "Amaryllis Hat" (designed by Mary Ann Stephens) I had finished last month. I used 11 shades of Jamieson's "Shetland Spindrift."

This tam, too, will be part of the silent auction for the "Sparkle of Hope" event.

Relaxed

Near Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, July 1954. Dad was 30 years old when Mom took this photo.

Mary-Jane Shoes

Suburban Chicago, October 1959. Dad lets me explore the playground during our visit to the park.

Rainy Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, July 2015. The day started out this way.

Admire the New Arrival

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1934 or 1934. Suzanne introduces her daughter, Kaunas Nina, to a neighbor.

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

Related by Marriage: Mostly Menfolk

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965. Everyone gathers at the home of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandparents to celebrate a visit from Uncle Ignas. From left to right: Mr. Irene's maternal Grandfather, Stanley; Mr. Irene's Dad; Uncle Ignas; and Mr. Irene's Mom.

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

Exploration, in Three Takes

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Door County, Wisconsin, August 1975. Gigi looks for crayfish.

Weekend Baking

Suburban Chicago, June 1976. The box of saltine crackers indicates we're making a peculiar torte. It consisted of multiple layers of unsalted crackers held together with a buttercream made from butter and chopped, dried fruit. The torte was very popular in the 1970s among Lithuanians. The recipe mimicked the more complicated preparation of a "Napoleonas."

Here's the recipe, as I wrote it out back then:

Water Skiing

Near Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, July 1959. Dad tries a new sport.

Labor-Day Tourism

Charleston, South Carolina, September 1988. Mr. Irene and I spent one day in the city that year.

Related by Marriage: Still

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, July 1993. Mr. Irene's Dad visits with the Granddaughter of his younger brother, Stacey. This photo captures how I imagine the Lithuanian countryside to look.

Sunday Paper: Holiday-Weekend Edition

Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada, July 1956. Mom stays close to the cottage.

Arrive, wait, catch up, and woosh.

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Verona, Wisconsin, September 4, 2015. The doe keeps an eye on the twins.

Purposeful

Suburban Chicago, 1965. Shortly after I posted today's "A Closer Look" photo, I came across this image. Tatjana asked my Dad to take this snapshot so she could send it to our relatives who lived behind the Iron Curtain. This picture reminds me of the original, 1912, photo on which I based the "A Closer Look" post.

A Closer Look (Part 49)

Tambov, Russia, 1912. I had not noticed the bow in the original post.

Dinner-Party Reunion

Oregon, Wisconsin, October 2015. Our hosts picked some beauties from their garden.

A Beginning

Chicago, Illinois, September 30, 1944. Friends of Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt, Martha, gave Martha this memento.

Class Notes (Part 18)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1934. An anonymous artist contributed to this Class Notes page. I wonder if my Mom's maternal Aunt, Dora, drew this still life.

September Tour

Taliesen Estate, Spring Green, Wisconsin, September 2007. It's a quiet tour.

Headed Home

Central Illinois, June 1972. We've finished the field-trip dinner, and we board the buses.

You've seen the chaperon earlier here. The adult with her back to the lens is one of the mod nuns.

A Lost Sheep

Big Ben needs a sheering.

Merino wool is the nicest fiber with which I knit. Cashmere is delightful, of course, but it wears poorly, and it pills because it is so delicate.

Now, a company is marketing merino-wool activewear.

Related by Marriage: "Howdy Folks!"

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, December 1962. "Howdy Folks!" is how Mr. Irene's Mom captioned this photo of Mr. Irene and his maternal Aunt, Martha.

Weary

Verona, Wisconsin, September 2015. Summer is wearing on this gal.

Cooling Off

Colombia, September 1954. My Dad's friend Casey and his kayaking companion jump in. Casey wrote, "We're in the lake already."

The Life Box (Part 24)

Suburban Chicago, August 1964. I record my memory of the ride on the big boat.

The Adorable Arrival

Columbus, Ohio, September 18, 1986. My Žulė assesses me the day after I brought her home.

I return after the first day of classes.

 

Urbana, Illinois, September 1980. I did my most productive studying in this room. The book on the "sliding bed/couchy thing" is for a course about twentieth-century Russian history. (Russian history was one of my four fields in graduate school.) An engaging professor taught that class. I was sorry to learn he recently died.

Related by Marriage: Back to School

Suburban Chicago, 1965 or 1966. Mr. Irene is ready for another school year.

Show Coat

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, August 2012. "Dėl grožio reikia kentėti" is an expression heard often in our house. It means, "For beauty, one must suffer."

A Young Immigrant

Seligenstadt, Germany, about 1949. Here's the passport photo of my Mom's goddaughter. Her mother wrote, "This is the photo we had taken to include with her documents."

Nice, smocked sweater!

I'll wait in the car.

Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, July 1971. I found this trip exhausting. By the end of the month, I only wanted to focus on reading Arthur Hailey's Airport.

August Garden

Door County, Wisconsin, August 2008. It's a good place to relax.

An Important Sunday

Howard Lake, Minnesota, May 21, 1950. Friends of my maternal Grandfather Jake wrote, "Our first Sunday in America."

This couple also attended my Parents' wedding.

Zoo Ready

Suburban Chicago, May 1960. This was one of my happier days.

Rainy Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, August 28, 2015. Dad was right.

"Amaryllis Hat"

Verona, Wisconsin, August 2015. Mary Ann Stephens designed this tam. I liked the pattern because it reminded me of Lithuanian motifs (in particular, the tulips).

Every time I say "amaryllis," I think of "The Music Man."

A Closer Look (Part 48)

Tambov, Russia, 1910 or 1911. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, was about 14 years old when she sat for this photo.

Here's the original post.

A Grackle Gathering, in Three Takes

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Verona, Wisconsin, August 27, 2015. Dad believed a gathering like this was a prediction of rain.