Sunbathing Reunion

Door County, Wisconsin, August 1993. Žulė enjoys a little window time. Mr. Irene and I had just driven up to the cottage so we could leave Žulė with Mom while we traveled to San Francisco.

The Adorable Arrival

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

"It's a good game."

Madison, Wisconsin, October 1994. Mr. Irene introduces the tennis ball to Pupa, the puppy. Older sister Žulė shows Pupa how to chase the ball. Pupa later became an expert at tennis-ball games. She excelled at "Boom," a volleyball-like exchange in which we tossed the ball to her, and she flipped it back at us with her nose.

Sunday Paper: Read-It-Later Edition

Suburban Chicago, January 1989. During the two years Mr. Irene and I commuted, Mr. Irene usually visited with my Mom on Sunday afternoons.

Armrest Reunion

Madison, Wisconsin, August 1998. Find a spot.

Our Chirstmas Cards: Photo-Sheet Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2003. We introduced the "photo summary" to our Christmas mailings in 2003. That year, we sent out the summary only, and we did not prepare separate photo cards. Since then, we've mailed both cards and photo sheets.

The 2003 sheet featured our acquisition of Baci and Žulė's passing (the two events may not have been unrelated: Baci's exuberance likely overwhelmed Žulė). The sheet also highlighted some knitting: Mr. Irene models a sweater I knitted for my boss, and Mom wears one I did for the wife of a former colleague.

Our Christmas Cards: Shaggy Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2002. We featured the Poodles in their most common state.

Our Christmas Cards: Solemn Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2001. Was this really the best shot we could find for the year?

Our Christmas Cards: Ornamental Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2000. This is the image of the first "granddogs"—Žulė and Pupa—that Mom still carries in her wallet.

Our Christmas Cards: Dining-Room Edition

 

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1999. By 1999,  Žulė and Pupa were accustomed to posing for the card shot.

(I posted this photo earlier here.)

Our Christmas Cards: Good-Intentions Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1998. We skipped another year of sending photo cards. Our reason in 1998: I was in my third year of law school, and I didn't get organized in time to prepare the mailings. We did, however, select an image we thought about using for the greetings.

Our Christmas Cards: Decorated Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1997. We made an effort that year.

Our Christmas Cards: Three-Sweater Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1996. The sweater I'm wearing was the first stranded ("fair isle") project I knitted.

Our Christmas Cards: Settled-In Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1995. Pupa has grown up, and Žulė enjoys her company.

Our Christmas Cards: New-Arrival Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1994. We acquired a second Poodle once we had settled into our new house. The card featured that puppy, Pupa, and Žulė. This shot, too, took a few takes.

Our Christmas Cards: Haircut-Please Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1992. We persuaded Žulė again to wear Mr. Irene's bowtie.

Our Christmas Cards: First-Home Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1990. Žulė dressed up for the photo session. You may recognize this snapshot because it serves as Mr. Irene's avatar.

Our Christmas Cards: First Editions

Two years ago I posted the photo cards my Dad had sent as holiday greetings. Mr. Irene and I maintained this tradition for nearly all the years we've been married. Unlike Dad's cards, our greetings usually featured an image of our pets. I'll be posting our cards, in reverse chronological order, in the next few weeks.

During our first holiday season, Mr. Irene and I had card-writing fatigue because we had just finished penning our wedding-gift-thank-you notes. We therefore chose templates that featured little space for lengthy notes. We were ambitious in one way, however: we ordered three cards and selected the images based on the recipient's relationship to us and tastes.

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1989. We chose this snapshot for our Lithuanian friends. This Vytis guards the entry to the Lithuanian chapel housed in St. Peter's basilica.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 1989. Dog lovers and close family friends received this image of Meškė and Žulė. Yes, it took several takes to get the pose.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 1989. Most recipients got this snapshot from Lodi, Wisconsin.

Grab a Book: Three-Dog Edition

Suburban Chicago, January 1989. Heidi the Daschund visits again; our Meškė (on the left) and Žulė are in the picture, too.

Did you say "turkey?"

Suburban Chicago, December 1989. Meškė and Žulė try posing for the photo card. Mom covered the cushions with a sheet because the doggies used to scamper on the sofa with muddy paws after they returned from yard play.