Monday, January 29, 2007

Kid Anvilcloud

Fun Monday

The Very Nice Man had the notion to get as many people as he could to post some childhood photos today. Hating to be a party pooper, I decided to participate. Any excuse to dig through old photo albums, eh?

With Grandpa and Frisky

I've actually posted the above photo once before: a different version of it, however, back on Halloween, two years ago. I had remembered my first Halloween outing on the the day that Frisky (the dog in the photo) was hit by a car, and I was sent out on my first trick or treating adventure in compensation. I was four years old. You can get the whole story in My First Halloween. Since I have lost track of the previous scan, I decided to re-scan the photo and include it here along with the others. Besides, I think I look very cute in this one. We lived with grandpa and Uncle Charlie at the time, but, although you will see him three times in this blog, I don't have very many photos of Grandpa in the archive, and it is probably the only one of Frisky.

However, I am standing beside Grandad in the following photo. The other two people are Uncle Bill and Aunt Sadie. They were really cousins; my grandmother was their aunt. Because Bill was born without thumbs, his mother pretty well discarded him at birth. He was raised by Sadie's parents (a brother of Bill's birth mother, I believe). Bill and Sadie lived together their whole lives, whatever that may have entailed. This picture was taken in the dining room the grandfather's house in Montreal. The above photo shows the front steps.

With, Bill, Sadie and Grandpa

With Grandpa and Uncle

I think I was either seven or eight in the Christmas when the above photo was taken. I'll guess at seven because I look pretty young sitting there on the floor. We had moved away from grandpa and uncle by then, and they were spending Christmas Day with us. It seems that I got a hockey stick for Christmas. That's Uncle Charlie sitting beside grandpa. Oddly enough, although there may have been other non-short distant relatives in England or elsewhere, grandpa was the only tall antecedent who I ever encountered; my parents and all of my other grandparents were diminutive folks. Uncle Charlie, his son, was the shortest of the lot, however. He was a really nice and fun-loving fellow though, and I have always appreciated the fact that he was in my life. Grandpa lived to be 78 years old, but poor Uncle Charlie didn't make it out of his fifties.

Below, you see me with him, quite possibly at another Christmas. Despite the recurring theme — hockey —— I do look a little older than in the above photo. I'll guess nine or ten. I'm thinking nine because I think I got a bike for my tenth Christmas. Obviously, the photo depicts that we were enjoying a very snowy Christmas that year, but I do remember another Christmas around that time when it was like this year —— no snow, very green. In fact, it rained on New Years in the year that I am recalling. I only remember it because I can recall my mother saying that it rained on New Years Day and snowed on Easter Sunday that year.

With Uncle Charlie

And that's my contribution to Fun Monday. I presume that you'll find a list of other participantsnts at The Electronic Firefly.

21 comments:

The very nice man said...

Just as I thought . . you were indeed a good looking chap (and still are, of course!!).
Thanks for taking part in the fun!

Ginger said...

Great photos, AC, made all the more enjoyable by the explanations.

Anonymous said...

Loved the photos and the stories that go with them. You have inspired me. I am going to dig out my old photos and see what I can do with them.
Old photos are like old memories brought to the surface and revisited. Such treasures.

Anonymous said...

We'd recognize you by your eyes, they never change :). Glad you decided to play along with Erik's little game, I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing and "meeting" some new bloggers for the first time.

My favorite shot is your first one with your grandfather and pup...it's beautiful.

A Novelist said...

Great pictures! Thank you for sharing. :)

Dee said...

Great post. I love the old pics. And if I was not so lazy, I would be inspired to dig out some of my old photos and scan them..perhaps another day. *s*

Granny said...

I love old pictures. I'll have to see if I can find a few more one of these days. I'd posted a few several months ago.

Anonymous said...

Great pictures!

ChrisB said...

thank you for sharing your memories and photos

Turtle Guy said...

Fond memories, indeed!

Anonymous said...

I was just visiting from Erik's. Great pictures and I really enjoyed the music!

Anonymous said...

I've been looking at everyone's pictures today - mostly girlie ones...so, its nice to see a change with the hockey pictures!

Mary said...

Really nice pictures, thanks for sharing them.

Anonymous said...

Those photos are priceless. I especially like the first one for some reason. Just a classic. The stories make them even more special.
How did you put the light blue border around them.
P.S. Colorado National Monument with snow :)

Anvilcloud said...

Swampwitch: The blue border is simply a part of the template code. It changes according to the template. Colorado isn't too far from MV. Are you anywhere near the four corners?

mreddie said...

Thanks for the excellent guided tour down memory lane - enjoyed it. ec

dmmgmfm said...

Wonderful pictures. I really enjoyed seeing them and hearing how they came to be taken.

I also really enjoyed your sidebar music.

Anonymous said...

I love the first photo! What a cutie you were! Grandpa seems quite tall.

I can't imagine abandoning a baby due to no thumbs!

Thanks for sharing that peek back in history.

~Kila

Beccy said...

Great photos and really interesting narrative, thank you for sharing it.

Cathy said...

AC - You do spin a lovely yarn. I'm thinking that this is such a gift for your daughters - the way you're setting down the family history, replete with pictures. I have to wait for cheerier weather before I read the Halloween story. Sad dog stories just do me in. (Gosh - you were a cutie - I'll bet your family spoiled you rotten!)

Peg said...

This is a great group of photos...I'm always partial to guys with hockey sticks...LOL

I enjoyed your writing as well--I must thank Erik for introducing me to so many fantastic blogs, yours included!