A Weekend in the Reeds

 Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, about 1949. Toronto Al's Dad, Vladas, considers the turn.

Thanks to Vladas's son—Toronto Al—for making this photo available to us.

Come ashore.

Nemunas River, Lithuania, about 1939. Dad comes ashore after parking his kayak.

Summer approaches.

Near Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1930. Boating along the Nemunas River was a popular family activity in the 1930s. Here, relatives of Suzanne—the wife of my Dad's older cousin, Henry—set off for an afternoon ride.
 
Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Sunday "Drive"

Shore of the Nemunas River, about 1920. Many family photos feature boat rides along the Nemunas River or people standing along the reedy riverbank and shoreline. Here, relatives of Suzanne—the wife of my Dad's older cousin—embark on a short ride.

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

"In My Beloved Garden"

Those are the only words Natasha, the younger sister of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, wrote on the back of this photo:

Penza, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, Summer 1958. The composition here reminds me of this photo and this one.

Thanks again to my dear friend, D, for translating the text from Russian to English.

Reeds Reunion

My Dad was very fond of his older cousins, the brothers Vytas and Henry.

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. This is a later image of Vytas as he stands on the banks of the Nemunas River.

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

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.

The Delta of the Nemunas River

My Mom's paternal Grandfather, Cody Sr., worked in the Customs House in the city of Tauragė, Lithuania. His children often visited Cody and his wife, Wanda, at their home in the border town.

Mom frequently summered near that house, in the small city of Panemunė. Cody Sr. kept a rowboat in Panemunė along the banks of the Nemunas River. My maternal Grandmother, Jadzė, enjoyed taking my Mom out on the river in that little boat. Jadzė packed a lunch, and she and Mom would row out to a sandbar, where they swam, tossed a ball in the water, and picnicked.

Nemunas Delta Region, Panemunė, Lithuania, about 1927. Jadzė and my Mom get ready to row out onto the river. 

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Whenever I hear this story, I think of the Wisconsin River, the sandbars along it near Spring Green, and the dangerous undertow of the current!

I have always had a visceral fear of bodies of water, so this does not seem like "fun" to me.

 Nemunas Delta Region, Panemunė, Lithuania, about 1927. Mom enjoys the river.

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Mom still marvels at the beauty of that part of Lithuania. I learned recently that it makes up the delta of the Nemunas River.

Today, the area lies within the Nemunas Delta Regional Park, and it is a destination for eco-tourists.