We had quite an exciting morning with our Little T. First we went on a safari ride at Great Adventure. It was a great morning to go because it was overcast (not too hot for the animals) and early enough that they'd be out roaming around...well, except for the big cats. They always seem to be sleeping!





Don't let Little T's expression fool you. He looks quite serious a lot when he is studying something and he enjoyed looking at all the animals. Some got a little too close for his comfort, though, and when that happened, he'd shut his eyes tightly!


Tomas showed us his ride-on jeep when we brought him back home. He was a little shy at first but he's quite proud of it. We had a great morning!

He Did Hold Me!

I thought I had all the pictures of me as a baby and toddler but then realized my mom had given me an album full of pix. I looked and sure enough, there are tons of pictures from times I don't remember! :D One of the best surprises was pictures of me with my grandfather--and he's actually holding me!

Obviously, these pictures were all taken the same day as the ones I posted earlier. Here is my dad with my grandparents and me.

I was christened in April and my godparents were my Aunt Joyce and Uncle John, my mother's brother and sister-in-law. Here I am with my grandparents.

My dad holds me, flanked by my Aunt Joyce and Uncle John.

My parents are quite a handsome young couple aren't they?

My Grandparents

Here are my grandparents as I remember them. They'd moved from their big house to this little cottage. My grandma had to give up her grand piano and was so sad about it. None of her grown children had room for it either and so she had to sell it. They don't look thrilled, do they?

I remember my grandfather was dour and stern and so I rmeember he always looked grumpy. My grandma, though, usually smiled for pictures.

This is more the way I remember my grandma. She loved her garden! Grandma is a mixture of heritages. One side of her family has lived on Long Island almost from the beginning. She was related to the Smiths and Ketchams, two prominent Long Island famillies.

She is also descended from a French Huegenot, Ruel Rulon. His brothers smuggled him out of the country by hiding him in a wine barrel headed for "the colonies". He landed in Barnegat NJ and went on to found a family that eventually included my great-grandfather, a lighthouse keeper.


Here Grandma looks very serious again but she's in her kitchen. I thiink she loved this room best of all. You can't tell it from this picture though!


I don't know a lot about my grandfather except that:
He was from Arendal, Norway; was a fisherman and a carpenter (hmmm); was a Seventh Day Adventist and read from his Bible daily; was totally against guns; had two deaf sisters, was hearing impaired and suffered from diabetes; and raised sunflowers. He just loved them. I learned from my grandma's diary that he was an abusive man, beating on not only Grandma but his own children as well.

I'll write more stories as I remember them.

Little Me

So now I finally make my appearance on December 19, 1954. I was two weeks late which meant that Mom brought me home around Christmas. She told me later it was very busy and she had trouble getting my grandmother to help. Grandma was very busy with all the Christmas preparations, Mom complained, and there was baby me crying and crying. Oh dear. At least I'm not crying in this picture.


My Grandma was the most important person in my life other than my parents. I loved going to see her and was very attached to her.


Here is my mom and me...


and my dad and me. My parents look so young, hardly more than kids themselves! Things were different in the 1950s, though, and they were considered mature adults at 24 and 25.


Here I am again with my grandparents. Although I remember my Grandma hugging and kissing me, I don't remember my Grandfather ever showing any affection. He was very cold and aloof and pretty sick by the time I developed any memories of him.

I was fascinated with our Christmas tree. I believe this picture was taken in 1956, when I was around 2 years old. I loved all the pretty lights.

In 1956, my parents were struggling and it was hard for them to make ends meet. My father was and is a proud man and never liked to ask for help from family or a handout. That year, my mother told me they couldn't afford to get me any presents but that she'd saved up all these Campbell's soup labels so that she could get me a doll. She said that I looked so sad that year and they felt guilty. I don't know...I think I look pretty happy in this picture. I think Mom's guilt may have been getting the better of her.

1957 was a much better year in terms of Christmas. I loved my rocking horse and spent hours rocking back and forth.


I got another gift earlier that year, one that I think I was not so pleased with at first: a baby brother, Peter Jr. I remember going to see my parents at the hospital after my brother was born. I wasn't allowed inside so my grandparents stood with me on the lawn while Mom and Dad appeared in the window with baby Pete. I don't think I was very impressed at first.



Later, though, he became more interesting and I liked him a whole lot better. The quality of this picture is terrible, I know, but I wanted to show the contrast of feelings I had for my brother when we were just babies.

Beginnings

I started this blog with the idea that I'd go back and find pictures to blog about...pictures from my life.

I used to have pictures of my great-grandparents but those old photos have fallen apart and are gone. I think that's why I want to do this blog.



Here are my maternal grandparents at Seagate in 1915. They were married the following year on October 21, 1916. When this picture was taken, my grandmother was around 19 and grandfather was around 21. They were so young!

My grandmother was born here in the United States. Her family had been around since before the Revolutionary War. My grandfather emigrated from Norway. I still have family living there.




By 1927, Grandma was the mother of five children. I can't even imagine that! When I was her age, I hadn't even had Billy yet! My mother was born in 1930 and so she isn't in this picture. The baby is my aunt Betty and the four boys are (starting from behind Grandma's head) my uncles John, Russell, Gilbert and Bjorn.



Here is my grandfather with the kids. He doesn't look so terribly stern does he? Yet he was and he used to scare the dickens out of me! He was always gruff and cold. I don't remember him ever hugging me. On the other hand, my grandmother was always warm and loving.



This is a picture of my grandfather's younger sister, Ruth. She still lived in Norway and was in touch with us for many years.





Here is my grandmother on my dad's side of the family and her brother. I'm not sure where or when the picture was taken. My grandmother may have been as much as 10 years older than my other grandmother. I'm not sure where her brother ended up but my grandparents emigrated here from Ireland during the turn of the century. My grandmother was a super in her apartment building in the Bronx. I'm not sure about my grandfather; he was blinded by glaucoma. Sounds like A Tree Growns In Brooklyn, doesn't it?

Of all four grandparents, I know the most about my maternal grandmother thanks to her stories and thanks to members of the family interested in geneaology!