Reminisce

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1985. My Mom and my Godmother catch up.

Sunday Ride

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1980. My Godmother and her husband spend the weekend with us.

Fish Boil: It's a meal of boiled fish.

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1980. We treat my Godmother and her husband to a traditional Door County meal.

Imagine the beach.

Near Seligenstadt, Germany, 1948. Make the most of the location.

Christening

Sacred Heart Church, Melrose Park, Illinois, December 1958. My Godmother's husband must have taken this snapshot; recall Parents and Grandparents do not, in our culture, attend baptisms.

Welcome, Summer

Near Seligenstadt, Germany, 1948. Find your summer spot.

Related by Marriage: The Godparents

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, January 18, 1959. Mr. Irene's Godparents, Martha and Anthony, admire the new arrival.

Wedding Day

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1939. The Parents of my Mom's Goddaughter marry.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 58)

Seligenstadt, Germany, about 1949. My Mom's friend has a passport photo, and she is ready to emigrate.

Before the Party

Suburban Chicago, December 1965. My Godmother and her husband pop in for a visit on their way to a ball. I remember the dress vividly; the bodice was ivory and the skirt was gold. The gloves made a big impression.

Sunny

Seligenstadt, Germany, about 1946. Mom had some cute sunglasses.

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!

Wait for one hour after you eat.

Suburban Chicago, June 1974. My Best Friend and I know it's safest to wait before we go swimming.

Picnic Culture: Patio Storytelling

Suburban Chicago, June 1969. The woman standing, wearing sunglasses, is Godmother. Standing on the left is my Mom; my Mom's best friend, Donna, sits on the left.

Guidance

Seligenstadt, Germany, about 1947. My Mom's friend leads her daughter.

A Good Start

Seligenstadt, Germany, about 1946. My Mom's goddaughter sits in her mother's lap.

Thanks to my Mom's goddaughter for making this photo available to us.

Holiday Weekend

Suburban Chicago, May 1970. I earlier posted photos from this afternoon here and here.

Poolside

Suburban Chicago, May 1970. It's still too cold to swim.

The Elders

Suburban Chicago, Spring 1970. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and my Godmother's Father pose during (what I think was) a Mother's Day visit.

It's too cold to go swimming.

When I was little, I thought every vacation spot should feature a place to swim. It wasn't summer unless I could take a dip. Most of our vacation destinations (with the exceptions of Cape Cod and perhaps Lake of Bays),* however, were not good places for swimming.

Of all the spots we visited, the one least suited for swimming was Glacier National Park. The shores are rocky, the water is icy, and the lakes are deep. My Dad nonetheless indulged my insistence on testing the Glacier-Park waters.

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1966. My Dad and my Godmother's husband help me explore Lake MacDonald. My Godmother briefly tests the water, and she decides it's too cold.

*I don't count Union Pier as a "vacation destination." That was a one-day, or weekend, spot.