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.")

Vintage Photo Collection ...

... from my Parents' home town, Kaunas, Lithuania:

The scenes in these images are familiar to my Mom. She remembers when the streets still were unpaved, and she recalls how thrilled residents were when the city purchased a fleet of  "Volvo" public buses.

The vocalist here is Antanas Šabaniauskas. Šabaniauskas was a popular crooner during the years of Lithuanian independence.

A Man and his Friend

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1922. This is Dr. B, another acquaintance of my friend Ron's family. The German-Shepherd dog seems relaxed, even if it wears a peculiar leash. Check out Dr. B's shoes and his white gloves.

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

When people want to compliment a cat, they say it "acts just like a dog."

Suburban Chicago, Summer 1963. The neighbors' Siamese Cat relaxes with me.

Practice

Suburban Chicago, June 1962. After my Parents bought a piano, Mom often relaxed by practicing to play. She initially did not take lessons; she rather started out by teaching herself. Mom often spent several hours at the keys each weekend.

They still try to rewrite history.

Russia's ambassador makes some controversial observations on the eve of the ninety-fifth anniversary of Lithuanian independence.

Click on the "Deportation," "Displaced Persons," or "Siberia" tags below.

"What's a 'car seat'?"

Suburban Chicago, December 1959. It's time for another ride in Dad's VW Beetle.

"His intarsia sweaters this season were grumpy as well, including a cardigan knit with a motif of snarling wolves and a crew-neck with an ominous black bird."

"Mr. Bastian can mope and listen to Morrissey all he likes, but his clothes are still adorable, especially the sight of a model wearing a whole-head-covering gray cable knit hat with three-dimensional ears attached."

Do you want to knit "three-dimensional ears?" Follow the "Lamb Ear Tutorial."

Looking Ahead

Near Seligenstadt, Germany, 1948. Spring arrives, and my Mom looks forward to her wedding day.

Meetings can be tedious.

Near Schweinfurt, Germany, about 1948. Here's another view of a scouting meeting at camp. My Dad is second from left.

Dinner-Guest Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, January 2013. Baci keeps an eye on the action.

February Lady

Kaunas, Lithuania, February 23, 1943. It pleases me when old photos feature precise dates. This woman is another friend of my friend Ron's family. Is she holding a large mum or a small gourd?

("February Lady" is also a popular knitting pattern.)

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

Related by Marriage: Car Talk

Suburban Chicago, April 1960. Mr. Irene's Mom wrote, "[Mr. Irene's] first car" on the back of this photo. Christmas has come and gone, but Mr. Irene continues to enjoy his pedal car. Mr. Irene plays in the living room of his childhood home; you can see the mailbox slot on the wall behind him.

Funky draperies sure were popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Palmsanlage Ivy

Erlangen, Germany, 1946. My Mom and her medical-school roommate greet their photographer from a window near the university campus.

Mule Deer



Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1972. What big ears you have!

The shoveling is done.

Suburban Chicago, January 1962. Mom has finished clearing the driveway, and snowflakes continue to dust her hat and forehead.

A Photo from Home

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1968. My Dad's cousin Henry stands along side his Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—and his wife, Suzanne.

I've always found this image touching.

A Lasting Impression

Kaunas, Lithuania, early 1940. This is my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas, in one of the last portraits of him taken before the 1940 Soviet occupation of Lithuania.

There's plenty of room to roam.

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1966. We are ready to hike: I have my walking stick, and Mom has her knitting bag.

Related by Marriage: Basic Training

Fort Knox, Kentucky, 1950. Ignas, the older brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, stands on the grounds of Fort Knox, the base at which Ignas completed part of his basic training.

Simple Joys

New York, 1950. My friend Ron celebrates a happy day with his Mom and a family friend. All three were recent arrivals from a Displaced Persons camp. Ron recalls that the friend gave him his only toy, the doll he holds. The doll had only one eye.

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

Old Photos ...

... from Old Russia.

Two Views from a Gondola

When I lived in Venice, I took only one ride in a gondola. Serendipity produced that ride. I had been traveling back to Venice from the Italian Alps, and the person who sat alongside me on the bus was an aging gondoliero. He insisted I couldn't leave Venice until I had explored the city from its canals, and he treated me to a free ride around the lagoons.

Venice Italy, June 1984. The gondoliero skillfully navigated the dark, narrow canals.

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Venice, Italy, June 1984. Things do look different when one sits in a gondola.

A Little Fish

Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1964. I've looked at this photo many times, but it wasn't until I scanned it today that I saw myself in the image.

Sunday Gathering

Suburban Chicago, January 1967. Members of our suburban Lithuanian enclave gather for another Sunday-afternoon dinner. You may recognize people in this snapshot: Vytenis, the husband of my Mom's best friend Donna, looks at the camera on the left; Donna leans toward the table on the right; Lily stands in the back, watching over her guests, and; my Mom sits in the back, on the right, looking at the other guests.

Sunrise Reunion

Venice, Italy, January 1984. When I used to travel abroad—back when I liked to travel—I found sunrise the most comforting time of day because it was familiar, predictable, and lovely everywhere.

Winter will be a memory soon.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, July 1961. I often wore summer hats because Mom sought to shield my face from the sun. Dad and Mom each got a photo with me that day.

Campsite established.

Camp Aušra (later Camp Kretinga), Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada, Summer 1959. The boys summering at the Lithuanian camp are proud of their tent work.

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

Related by Marriage: Army Buddies (Part 7)

Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, 1952. In this "Army Buddies" snapshot, a fellow soldier writes, "To My Bestfriend From Joe."

Carnevale, This Year

Last year, I posted a series of Venetian Carnevale snapshots. I haven't forgotten about the celebration; I just exhausted my supply of Carnevale photos.

Here's a look at a more subdued Carnevale, or "Shrovetide"—in Lithuania:

Follow the scent.

Door County, Wisconsin, December 1978. Gigi engages in some early-morning tracking.

An Encounter with Izzy

Although I favor the Poodle breed, I am very fond of Papillons. They're quick, clean, energetic, and affectionate. Many Poodle breeders consider Papillons wonderful "retirement dogs:" Papillons are almost as smart as Poodles, but Papillons don't require intense grooming.

"Izzy" is a fine example of the Papillon breed:

 Verona, Wisconsin, December 2012. Izzy gives me her full attention.  

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The Papillon is "a small, sociable dog with great enthusiasm" that can "channel its inner Napoleon:"

   

    Adorable!

School Picture

St. George's Parish Elementary School, Bridgeport, Chicago, September 1937. This is Mr. Irene's Mom's first-grade, school picture.

Ringlets

Lithuania, November 9, 1924. This is another friend of Ron's family. This woman looks modern, unlike many subjects of early-twentieth-century portraits.

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

"Photo of the day"

Gina Lollabrigida.

Side Street

Suburban Chicago, January 1975. Things get tricky when the side streets aren't plowed adequately.

Grab a Book: Living Room Edition

Suburban Chicago, Spring 1962. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, reads in the living room, but she's not sitting in her favorite chair. I earlier mentioned mentioned that colorful pillow.

More Snow

Suburban Chicago, January 1962. I may have made this snowman on my own. I suspect I used one of my Dad's pipe-tobacco canisters for the little guy's hat.

Historical Hairstyles

Janet Stephens is the hairstyle archaeologist.

Videos here. Brava!

(I love the simple style Ms. Stephens sometimes sports.)

Cat Nap

Downers Grove, Illinois, Spring 1965. This photo provides more evidence that my Mom likes cats.

Stalin World

Grutas Park.

(Interviews conducted in ... Russian.)

Supervision

Suburban Chicago, April 1958. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, oversees a birthday party in our kitchen. The copper-colored canisters with the black lids are still in use.

Related by Marriage: Remember the Chef

Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, 1952. Mr. Irene's Dad—in his crisp uniform—poses with his closest friend, the base's head cook.

Musical Props

Lithuania, September 9, 1921. The instruments may not be functional, but I'll bet the wristwatch is.

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

Purposeful Flash Mob

"Since 1955, Loes Veenstra has knitted over 550 sweaters and stored them in her home on the 2nd Carnissestraat in Rotterdam. The sweaters have never been worn. Until today."

Formation Reunion

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, July 1966. When I was little, I thought this formation resembled an ice-cream sundae.

Gigi needed some exercise.

Suburban Chicago, January 1970. The spruce my Parents planted grows a little faster than I do. Striped scarves and matching hats were quite the items that winter; I got this set for Christmas, and it was navy blue and gold.

Dad started experimenting with the self-timer.

Near Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, July 1957. Dad has just made it into the frame, and Mom's gesturing about the shot.

Winter Ready

Penza, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, October, 1961. Natasha, one of the two younger sisters of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, wrote, "To my unforgettable, always beloved sister Tanjusha. Be healthy, be happy. I give you a big, big kiss."

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

This looks a little risky.

Thatcher Woods, Suburban Chicago, February 1966. It looks like the Des Plaines River has frozen.

Don't you find the view absorbing?

Mackinac Island, Michigan, July 1961. We've arrived at Mackinac Island, but I am not interested in the scenery.

Mom's knitting bag resembles the plaid valise Barbie carried in the early 1960s.

A New "KGB"

Knitting Gentlemen of Boston.

Related by Marriage: Basic Training

Fort Belvoir, Kentucky, June 1952. Ignas, the older brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, takes a break from basic training. On the back of the photo, Ignas wrote, "Well, I'm picnicking with a beer bottle on a Sunday afternoon."

A Handsome Group

Lithuania, about 1922. Members of the Lithuanian Army gather for an informal portrait.

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

"Lithuania shivers as Russia ramps up heating costs."

"Splitting from the Soviet Union was easier than leaving this heating system."

This spot welcomes graffiti.

Ephraim, Wisconsin, July 2000. We're visiting The Hardy Gallery, where anyone can leave a mark.

A Tolerant Llama

Brookfield Zoo, Illinois, 1961. A llama at the Children's Zoo endures my embraces long enough for Dad to snap this shot.

Weekends are a good time to catch up on houshold tasks.

Suburban Chicago, April 1964. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, mixes a Babka while my Mom works on some mending.

Camp Games

Camp Aušra (later Camp Kretinga), Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada, Summer 1959. Another volleyball game is underway at the Lithuanian summer camp.

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

Do you think I'll blend in if I sit in this shoe?

Suburban Chicago, February 1964. One of our hamsters perches in a Lithuanian tchotchke.

Snow Walk

Door County, Wisconsin, March 1978. Gigi accompanies my Mom and a friend as they explore Detroit Island.