A Closer Look (Part 79)

Palanga, Lithuania, 1928. This is my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. The girl is my Dad's cousin.

Here's the original post.

Departure

Kaunas, Lithuania, July 30, 1928. The American Consul to Lithuania (front row, third from left) and his wife (holding flower bouquet) leave Lithuania at the end of their diplomatic mission. The Consul wrote: 

The official waiting room at the station was open in our honor and we met the people there who had come to bid us goodbye.  All the diplomats and consuls came, including the Soviet charge d'affaires [Simon Rabinovich] with who we had never had official or social intercourse. All our other friends were of course also present ... Lily received large quantities of flowers and everybody wished us a pleasant trip. Mr. Smetona sent a beautiful bunch of roses with a young lady and one of the President's adjuncts. Photographs of the assembly with us in the center were taken. As the train pulled out, countless handkerchiefs were waving. We were deeply impressed by all these marks of affection and good will on the part of our Kovno friends. Lily broke out in tears as we crossed the Nieman railway bridge a moment later. ... We went to bed early in our two first-class compartments in the German sleeping car.

 Thanks to the Consul's Granddaughter for making this photo and narrative available to us.

Presidential Memento

Kaunas, Lithuania, July 7, 1928. The American Consul to Lithuania wrote, "At five o'clock, Lily and I called on Mrs. Smetona and played dice as usual, after having coffee. Lily bought a photograph of President Smetona a few days ago and she asked Mrs. Smetona to request the President to sign it. The adjutant went to his office and brought the picture back signed."

Thanks to the Consul's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

A Bundle

Location uncertain, about 1928 or 1929. Lily, the wife of America's Consul to Lithuania, admires her son.

Thanks to Lily's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

Farewell Dinner

Kaunas, Lithuania, July 28, 1928. The American Consul to Lithuania wrote, "Mr. and Mrs. Moraht [the German Minister to Lithuania] gave a farewell dinner for us this evening and most of our friends were there. Mr. Moraht made a very cordial speech. After dinner there was dancing. We did not leave until about two o'clock . . . . A photograph of the party was taken just before dinner."

Thanks to the Consul's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

Diplomatic Spouse

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1926. This is Lily, the wife of the man who served as America's Consul to Lithuania between 1926 and 1928.

Thanks to Lily's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

A Closer Look (Part 45)

Palanga, Lithuania, 1928. My paternal Grandfather Vytautas—like most males in our family—tanned easily. Vytautas was 34 years old when someone took this photo. He was 48 when he died.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 37)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1928. My Parents had a stylish teacher.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 21)

Palanga, Lithuania, 1928. Dad already had a characteristic expression.

Here's the original post for this photo.

A Closer Look (Part 13)

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1928. This is my Dad's twin sister, Jonė, at that children's party. Jonė, about five years old here, already had her impish, innocent expression.

Here's the original post for this photo.

A Closer Look (Part 12)

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1928. Here's another example of a child with his "adult face." This is my Dad at the party at which he likely first met my Mom. Whenever Dad showed me this photograph, he noted he was upset at the time because he hated the hat the hostess had assigned to him. People who provoked Dad will recognize this quiet expression of icy contempt and broody warning.

Here's the original post for this photo. Ah! What Dad would have done with digital-photo technology.

A Closer Look (Part 11)

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1928. I still get a kick out of seeing how children often have their "adult faces" at a young age. My Mom was about five years older when she attended this party. Her expression here—namely the upward gaze of her eyes and the paused smile—is one she still retains.

I also love the party hat. Here's the original post.*

*(Dad and his twin sister, Jonė, attended that party, too. Both also show their characteristic facial expressions, but I'll save close ups of them for future "A Closer Look" posts.)

A Closer Look (Part 3)

There's a story circulating about spouses who learned recently they'd met as preschoolers.

We have a story like that, too:

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1928. My Parents attend a birthday party. Here's the original post.

Bring some toys to amuse the baby.

 Near Vilnius, Lithuania, about 1928. Suzanne—on the left—joins her Parents, Sister, and Nephew. (The wheeled cat toy reminds me of the wooden horse.)

Thanks to Suzanne's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Nursery Art

Near Vilnius, Lithuania, about 1928. This may be Valerie, the older sister of Suzanne.

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

Seaside

Palanga, Lithuania, about 1928. Relatives of Suzanne—the wife of my Dad's older cousin, Henry—relax at the Palanga resort.

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

A Stop at the Park

Near Vilnius, Lithuania, about 1928. I believe the young woman is Valerie. She's probably here with her baby and her Parents.

Thanks to the older couple's Great-Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Late Spring

Near Vilnius, Lithuania, about 1928. Suzanne—the wife of my Dad's older cousin, Henry—stands with her family while on holiday.

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

Another Independence Day

Today, February 16, 2013, is the ninety-fifth anniversary of Lithuanian Independence. Although modern Lithuanians also celebrate January 13 as the anniversary of the country's uprising against Soviet occupation, people of the Displaced-Persons generation still commemorate February 16 as the date Lithuania first shook off the Russian yoke in 1918.

Here's footage of the tenth anniversary celebration of Lithuanian independence, in 1928:

The goateed man in civilian dress is Lithuania's President, Antanas Smetona. Smetona's name again is in the news because authorities seek to rebury his body in Lithuania.

("Smetona" is also the Lithuanian word for "sour cream." During Smetona's tenure, the government discouraged people from using the President's name to refer to a dairy product. The preferred word for "sour cream" became "grietine.")

Amber Reeds

Shores of the Nemunas River, Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1928. This handsome fellow is my Dad's older cousin, Vytas. Vytas was the brother of Henry, my Kaunas Cousin's maternal Grandfather.

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