Eyes are on Vatican City.

Vatican City, May, 1984. St. Paul and the other Apostles watch over visitors.

Twice as Nice

Madison, Wisconsin, March 9, 2013. A friend and I happened to knit similar sweaters for our respective husbands, and the fellows unexpectedly wore the garments on the same night.

Uniformed

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1922. On the left stands Dr. B; a family friend joins him.

Thanks to my friend Ron for making this photo available to us.

Related by Marriage: Recital at the Prudential

In addition to taking private lessons, Mr. Irene performed with an all-accordion orchestra. Mr. Irene joined the orchestra in 1966, barely one year after picking up the instrument. The orchestra gathered for rehearsal at a local auditorium on Saturday mornings during the school year. Arrangements of the hit movie scores of the day were a big part of this orchestra's repertoire—including "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's and "Baby Elephant Walk" from Hatari.

After a string of smaller, local recitals, the accordion orchestra performed at an All-City Recital in November, 1968, sponsored by a major teaching studio, The Music Center, Inc. The Sunday afternoon concert venue would be the auditorium of the Prudential Building in downtown Chicago.

The Prudential recital was a formal affair. Mr. Irene's Parents bought a new accordion for him, and Mr. Irene wore his first rented tuxedo.

Mr. Irene's Parents had decided that the occasion should be celebrated with a memorable dinner after the show. The restaurants at the Prudential, the Gibraltar Room and the Top of the Rock were closed on Sundays. The choice for dinner instead was a swank supper club close to home, The Homestead. The Homestead was in Melrose Park and stood on North Avenue on the northeastern edge of Thatcher Woods. After the show, Mr. Irene enjoyed a festive steak dinner at The Homestead.

Ashley Ricketts and his wife Kathryn established The Homestead in 1964. The Ricketts are a legendary Chicago restaurant family. Ashley's son, Ernest, later managed The Homestead. The Ricketts were long-time residents of nearby Park Ridge. Ernest grew up near the Rodham household, and he was a good friend of a Rodham daughter, Hillary.


Chicago, Illinois, November, 1968. Mr. Irene arrives for the recital and poses with his Aunt Martha and her husband, Wally, in the lobby of the Prudential Insurance Building.

Independence Restoration Day

On March 11, 1990, Lithuania's "parliament declared renewed freedom and independence for Lithuania, after the country had been occupied by the Soviet Union since World War II."

The Chicago office of the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania posted some photos from yesterday's celebration at Navy Pier.

Disconnecting the Conclave

USCCB Blog reports:

Jamming devices will be installed in the Sistine Chapel to prevent electronic eavesdropping. Staff who serve meals at the Casa Santa Marta, where the cardinals will stay during the Conclave, will be sworn to secrecy. Even who said “pass the salt” is a secret. In this electronic age, I worry some cardinals may go into iPad and Twitter withdrawal.

Hey! Conclave proceedings are meant to be secret: the selection "process is designed to prevent any of the details of the voting emerging, either during or after the conclave. The threat of excommunication hangs over anyone tempted to break this silence."

Tracks Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, March 2013. It's easy to see the tracks when we still have snow cover.

We still like to watch television together.

Suburban Chicago, March 1965. Mom and I are in the Rec Room. We sit next to my play table; there's a paint kit on its surface.

A Promising Future

Seligenstadt, Germany, March or April 1948. This is another image of my Parents with a friend shortly before my Parents married.

Sunday Card Game

Brooklyn, New York, 1954. My maternal Grandfather, Jake, takes a break from his card game.

We go to the "Knit In."

Madison, Wisconsin, March 9. 2013. Today we visited the Madison Knitters' Guild 2013 "Knit In"!

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The Knit-In took place at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. The Center used to be a seminary. When I first moved to Madison in 1990, I tried to get a teaching job there. I didn't qualify for a position because I was not licensed for high-school teaching. I took a job at a yarn shop instead.

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The Flag of Vatican City flies on the property.

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In the Center's foyer, there's a curio (not curia) cabinet filled with (mostly) nun tchotchkes.

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Let's take a closer look. The doll on the bottom shelf, at the far right, looks like one of the Dominican sisters who ran my high school. (Have you seen The Singing Nun?)

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The Center's Chapel is light, modern, and inviting.

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We finally arrived at the Knit In's "Marketplace," staged in the center's Gymnasium.

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Although the space was crowded during much of the morning, things cleared out a bit occasionally.

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There were many tempting items, but we kept our impulses in check. We picked up a lovely bag (thanks, Donna!) and some exquisite buttons crafted from cedar wood.

Thanks to the Madison Knitters' Guild for organizing such a nice event. And thanks to my friend for creating another memorable outing for me and Mom.

Hoarfrost Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, March 2008. It's pretty while it lasts.

Roadside Walk

Near Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1964. Mom and I take the shortcut to town.

Russian Roots, Revisited

Tambov, Russia, about 1905. I posted a photo of Pavel and Nina K.—the parents of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana—when I first started the blog. The image was one my Dad had rephotographed. Dad had zoomed in on the subjects' faces, cropping out a good part of the photo.

I recently found the original print stored in the envelope called "Babos šeima Rusijoi"—Grandma's family in Russia. I post the image here: the original gives a better view of my Great-Grandparents, sitting in front of their house. Pavel has a newspaper on his lap, and Nina K. holds some work; I wonder if it's mending.

Related by Marriage: A Gentle Face

Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1935. This is Mr. Irene's Great-Grandfather, Michael. You saw him earlier here. Michael—born in 1895—was the father of Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica.

Michael's brother had emigrated to Chicago as a "first waver."

March Shore

Door County, Wisconsin, March 1980. Things are starting to melt.

A Touristy Walk

Venice, Italy, November 1, 1983. Most Italian businesses and libraries—like the Archivio di Stato, where I worked—close on All Saints' Day. The best thing to do is to take a long walk.

Rock Stop

Near Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, July 1957. My Parents have paused during a boat ride, and Mom ventures onto the shore.

An Old Memory

Probably Munich, Germany, about 1949. My friend Ron (the baby) shares tea with his Parents and a family friend at the Displaced Persons camp.

Thanks to my friend Ron for making this photo available to us.

The Howling Wolf

Lithuanian legend maintains that an iron wolf howled in Grand Duke Gediminas's dream. An interpreter told the Grand Duke the dream was a sign that Gediminas should build a castle on a hill, and that a great city would arise around the site. The city grew into Lithuania's capital, Vilnius.

Wolf imagery remains ubiquitous in Lithuania. Here, a howling wolf guards the entryway to a beauty salon ("dalės salonas"):

Lithuania, August 2011. The door-stop wolf is a typical example of folk-art woodcarving.

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

An Impatient Subject

Suburban Chicago, Spring 1961. My Dad snapped a lot of photos, and I used to tire of the process. The manual adjustments took time, and I was impatient to transition to another activity. This image captures me just as I am ready to end the photography session. Dad already had taken a number of photos that day; you can see them here, here, and here.

My Favorite Couple

Suburban Chicago, February 1965. Mom and Dad sit in the living room. Mom is wearing an unusual item: a store-bought sweater. It was powder blue.

Pack your needles.

The TSA addresses knitting needles: "[k]nitting needles are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage."

I am not planning on flying to any destination, but it's good to know the rule.

(I favor Skacel Addi Laceã circular needles. They feature "[a]ggressively tapered all-brass tips.")

Lake Level

Door County, Wisconsin, October 2012. This photo, taken from the Lake Michigan shoreline, illustrates how much the lake's level receded since the 1970s. The water used to reach the tree line; now, one walks about 200 feet from the trees before one reaches the water.

Thanks to my friend Anna for making this photo available to us.

Fresh

Venice, Italy, November 1983. Morning commuters shop at the Rialto market on their way to work.

Looking back.

Our "Poppy" now is an adult; soon she will celebrate her second birthday. She still is as spirited as she was when we brought her home:

Related by Marriage: Photo Booth

Suburban Chicago, September 23, 1965. Mr. Irene slips into the photo booth for a portrait.

Habits

Lithuania is "the most stork-dense of all the [E]uropean nations." The stork is the country's national bird. When our family traveled to Europe in 1971, my Dad got very excited each time we saw a stork pair because the birds reminded him of home.

Storks, who used to return to Lithuania after a wintering in Africa, are changing their migration habits. Will they become the seagulls of the European continent?

Near Šiauliai, Lithuania, August 2011. Another stork perches on its nest.

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

Conclave Crasher

"'Fake' bishop gatecrashes top secret meeting as cardinals prepare for pope vote."

"The 19 Most Excited Photos Of Iditarod Racing Dogs"

Mush!

"See what you missed?"

That's what my friend, V, wrote when she sent along this image from yesterday's "Kaziuko Mugė:"



Lithuanian World Center, Lemont, Illinois, March 3, 2013. The sign on the left that reads "Valgykla" directs visitors to the cafeteria. Kugelis! Cepelinai!

Thanks to my friend V for making this photo available to us.

Vacation Casual

Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, July 1957. My Dad is ready for a boat ride, but he's still wearing argyle socks.

Squeeze onto the couch.

Brooklyn, New York, 1954. My maternal Grandfather Jake, on the right, fits into the frame.

Holy Helper, Batman!

"A mystery man dressed as Batman demonstrated the same crime-fighting skills as the caped crusader when he handed over a suspect wanted for burglary in Britain."

A Day of Rest

Brookfield Zoo, April 1974. What thoughts cross this magnificent animal's mind?

Mousy

Suburban Chicago, September 1961. It's good to play "make believe."

Related by Marriage: "The Baby Doll Polka"

Live polka music was a staple of Chicago's postwar entertainment scene. In the 1950s, radio and television polka programs flourished. Many European ethnic groups shared a love of polka music. Polka was a vehicle for lively social exchanges among the newly arrived Displaced Persons in Chicago—and their first- and second-generation neighbors. Polish-American musicians in postwar Chicago dominated the city's polka style, playing distinctive up-tempo original compositions and arrangements that featured the accordion, clarinet, saxophone, guitar, and drums.

Eddie Korosa, born in Chicago in 1918 to Polish and Slovenian parents, was a leading polka button accordionist, composer, and bandleader. In 1951, Korosa wrote his signature hit, "The Baby Doll Polka" and recorded it with his band, the "Merry Makers." Listen to the original Balkan label recording here.

This is the sheet cover for the piano accordion arrangement for the song, published in 1954, the same year Eddie Korosa opened the "Baby Doll Club" on Western Avenue at 73rd Street. Located on the southeastern edge of Marquette Park, the "Baby Doll Club" was a favorite Saturday night destination for Mr. Irene's Parents before they moved to the suburbs. This tune made it into Mr. Irene's accordion repertoire in about 1968. Mr. Irene still uses the original sheet music.

Eddie Korosa's widow remembered that the "Baby Doll Club" accommodated 500 people, with a long bar that seated 100 patrons. Live music played six nights a week. Korosa hosted his weekly radio polka program live from the club, too. He was known for leaping onto the club's bar, playing and singing. The "Baby Doll Club" closed its Marquette Park venue in 1980, but it soon reopened in new digs near Midway Airport. It lasted more than twenty years at that location.

Eddie Korosa was an acquaintance of Mr. Irene's Father: they were fellow legionnaires in the Don Varnas American Legion Post, headquartered some 8 blocks north of the "Baby Doll Club." Eddie helped sponsor many local polka bands, like the Lithuanian-American group that formed at the Don Varnas Post and played at Mr. Irene's Parents' wedding celebration.

ADDED: Here's a photo of the Baby Doll Polka Club's interior.

Players

Oak Park, Illinois, Autumn 1965. The Fenwick High School football team prepares for a game.

Starved Rock Reunion

Starved Rock State Park, Utica, Illinois, Autumn 1963. The park is all about the rocks.

Suspenders

Suburban Chicago, April 1962. The colorful pillow makes another appearance.

Courtship

Probably Degendorf, Germany, about 1945. These are Ron's Parents when they lived in Germany as Displaced Persons.

Thanks to my friend Ron for making this photo available to us.

It's not very sleepy at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Ice boulders wash ashore at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Little* Casimer's Fair

It's Kaziuko mugė time!

If you'll be in the Chicago area tomorrow, pop over to the Kaziuko mugė at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont.

Here's a look at Kaziuko mugė in Vilnius:

*Why do we say "Little" Casimer's Fair? Because we love diminutives.

Still Fishing

Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1965. Ours is the only boat visible on the lake.

A Shore Walk, in Three Takes

Door County, Wisconsin, March 1976. My Mom, Vytenis, and Donna have walked to the shore. The lake levels were much higher then; the water reached the tree line, and fine pebbles lined the beach.

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Door County, Wisconsin, March 1976. Ah! Gigi accompanied the walkers.

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Door County, Wisconsin, March 1976. My Dad was a true charmer.

Related by Marriage: Share a Laugh

Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1961. Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt Martha and her husband, Wally (both seated), enjoy a joke at a picnic.

The Littlest Scout

Schweinfurt, Germany, about 1945 or 1946. This is my Dad—in his scouting uniform—visiting with a friend's daughter at the Displaced Persons camp.

Skin Deep

"Lithuania’s Embassy in London has said the use of Lithuania’s name at a beauty pageant Miss USSR in the United Kingdom and invitation of Lithuanian girls to take part in it shows disrespect for Lithuania’s independence."