From Whence and Where

After my Father's Day post showing dad and me, more than one commenter wondered where my height came from. It's a jolly good question, Take a look at this photo.

That's me with all of my living family on my wedding day in 1969. Before we left for the church, I had a friend take a family picture: my uncle (left), mother and father. My dad was the tallest of the three at 5'4". Rounded up, my mother was 5'1" but her brother, my uncle didn't quite make 5'.

And there I am, looming in the background, an aberration at almost 6'2".

From where and whence came I?

My paternal grandfather was also diminutive, somewhat stocky but not tall. Granny may have been taller but it is hard to tell because she had a dowager's hump from polio. My maternal grandmother was certainly not tall. However, my maternal grandfather was somewhat tall, probably 5'10" or maybe even 11". That's my best guess anyway since I haven’t seen him since I was ten years old. 

My kids aren't short, but they are not giants, child 2 probably being 5'10". I should ask them. 

That has made me recall a recent dream about child 2 where they were definitely taller than I. Well, I have shrunk by 3" so we might actually be seeing eye to eye, as it were. I should ask them now, and then we should stand together for a photo when we next meet. They live on the other side on the country, so I don't know when such a get-together might occur. They had a visit planned just a month or so ago, but back problems threw a wrench into the works — their back issue and not mine on that particular occasion.