Shadow Shot Sunday - Fathers, Kids, Shadows

Tomorrow is Father's Day, perhaps a faux holiday to some, but not to this dad! The weekly meme Shadow Shot Sunday 2 allows for father's day shadows where I found a couple that include myself and the each child - not necessarily of the same era, but shadowy at least :) 

One is our first-born, Allegra, in her first days in our then Derby home, maybe a month old, January 1989. The other pics is son Cameron, where he was a college student at the University of Hartford at age 19 in 2010. Both have the requisite shadows, a dad and a kid. I like this holiday!

Wordless Wednesday - Hotel Pool

On family vacations of yore, the favorite attraction of all for the kids seems to be the pool at the hotel - at least for ours anyway. The year is 1999, our children aged 10 and 8 are frolicking away in this chlorinated oasis...see WW and WW

Wordless Wednesday - Wearing of the green in days of yore

Ah, the memories of when our children were much younger - on St. Patrick's Day 1996. Kindergarten and Second Grade, their green outfits of green paper, plastic and cloth are wonderful emerald fun...See WW and WW

Wordless Wednesday - A new Beginning

A new mom sees the new life with awe and wonder...
Patti with Allegra (R) and Cameron (L). A new beginning...
See WW and WW

Shadow Shot Sunday - Presents and presence

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and holidays go together well. And for the upcoming Christmas, I am reprising these re-edited views of 1994 on Christmas Day, with a shadow or two, of our (then little) children. With presents opened and unopened, the magic of the day for both is apparent :)

Wordless Wednesday - Merry...

Christmas is so often for the children - we are happy at their joy at receiving,  and even happier by our giving. This is from Christmas morning 1993, kids then aged 3 and 5. Joyful we all were, and in this season - still are...see WW and WW

Wordless Wednesday - Thankful for their growing...

Always thankful for our kids - (L) first day of school, kindergarten and second grade; (R), the high schoolers reprising their classic steps nine years earlier...see WW and WW

First day of school, 30 August 1995

Nine years later...much bigger!

Wordless Wednesday - Diplomacy

Nineteen-month old Cameron meets the normally standoffish Tiger for the first time. I'd say the meeting went well! 
See WW and WW

Shadow Shot Sunday - First Christmases...

24 December 1989, E.Windsor, CT

25 December 1990, Derby CT

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 arrives this week near Christmas Day. Naturally in life, parents like to chronicle their children in the holiday for the first time. And given my look back at the past, shadows small and large on Christmases past seem are the theme. Our daughter was eleven months old on her first, however our son was only a month old. Yet the lights and such provided a wonder to both. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all participants in this meme's shadowy world!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Birthday 23

First week, 1990

University of Hartford, 2009

9th Birthday, 1999

UofH Grad, December 2012

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 is back as Cameron celebrates a birthday today - 23 years have occurred since this day in 1990 at 8:52 AM, and our son was born. In fact, the day before was Thanksgiving Day and we were and are thankful for the gift...even though it is his birthday, no celebration today - since he received a nice job offer as a software developer in New York City, he is meeting with apartment brokers in Brooklyn to secure a place to live...As parents, we are quite happy. So a pictorial retrospective is in order. Once a helpless babe, he has grown up with a sense of values, honesty and knowledge. So we celebrate not just a birthday,  but also his continued success...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Learner's Permit

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and reminiscing - these pair up well.

Today, son Cameron is taking the test for his driving lesson at at the DMV in Bridgeport (these days, the driver's license seems to occur at a later age than for me who just couldn't wait for mine at age 16 a few decades ago :).

Yet here, he looks as if he were ready to drive as he handles a set of keys at age 8...actually, on my keychain is a magnet that operated the magnetic door opener and wheelchair lift switches that were hidden behind the taillight lens. 

He looks rather self-assured and confident standing amid the shadows back then. Good luck Cam with those humorless  DMV road testing personnel in mom's Hyundai...

Edit: Patti called at 10:46 EST (GMT-4:00) indicated that he passed :) Although the humorless DMV tester said that Patti needs new tires on the Hyundai :(

SOOC - Greetings

Straight out of the Camera - SOOC - is back and I revert to a print from 1992 and then nineteen-month old son Cameron. At a family event at the home of my sister, he decided to introduce himself to her cat Tiger, a very stand-offish being as I recall. Here the cat seems very accepting of the small person so perhaps I had guessed wrong about Tiger...or the cat liked small people better than big ones. The feline would not say, alas...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Merry 1993

3-year-old Cam, 24 Dec 1993

Nearly 5-year-old Allegra, 24 Dec 1993

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 this week falls within the Christmas holiday - and this is a holiday that really inspires parents giving - and children receiving. As ours have grown nicely these days, I'll return to the old days of 1993 and the extended family Christmas Eve at my sister's home in East Hartford. The kids were ready I'd say...

Ruby Tuesday - Graduate

University of Hartford - Alumnae (2010) and Graduate, 12 Dec 2012

Ruby Tuesday 2 is back as I return to yesterday and a special event - the graduation ceremony of son Cameron. This is a perfect ruby as the colors of the University of Hartford are Red and white. The programs and gown details have that brilliant cover. I chose the view of Cameron and Allegra, she also a graduate of the same U of H. The prints were taken on the on-campus Lincoln Theater...Cam gets his degree in computer science and he will do well with those software development - however, he is a person of character and honor and will do even better with those. Congratulations!

Ruby Tuesday - Parents last weekend

At the University of Hartford that is! Our son and software expert Cameron will have enough credits to graduate in December, so the last Parents Weekend is the last. Perfect for Ruby Tuesday 2 also as their colors are red and white. At the BBQ luncheon, it was quite cool but at least sunny - and the favors on the table were young and not-quite-in-bloom ruby mums. On the tag on the plant is noted Hawktober weekend in honor of their mascot, Howie Hawk. A bonus ruby is the new addition to Hillyer Hall, its ruby detail adding some angular style to the classroom building. A nice day of family and food (in that order)...

Tina's Pic Story - Seasonal Orange

Tina hosts the fun themed weekly meme Pic Story, where we pick the photos to match the weekly theme - this week she has chosen the theme Orange

These are scans from 1998 or 1999 and showcase our Halloween decorations in the front of our home. Of course, pumpkins are an orange-y harvest color. The pumpkin fellow is actually full of fallen leaves to fatten him up and wears different headwear. Other orange highlights surround Mr. Pumpkinhead here too...

The costumes were easy - Cameron is a blue M&M, and Allegra's dance outfit from the previous dance recital in June - so she always had a costume ready in October. Thanks for the memories kids!

Wordless Wednesday - Vacation is over

So we remind ourselves of vacations past where kids enjoyed the hotel pool and the biggest decision of the day was which restaurant we were going for dinner...see Tina and Joy

Whimsical Windows

B-24 'doors', dad and Cam...

Toby hosts the fun meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors where we look for portals of seriousness or mirth...these pictures are taken from film prints from 2001 at the New Haven airport and it was a static display of WWII bombers. These were taken at or inside a Consolidated B-24, produced in 1943 and restored in the 1990s.

Allegra at the 'window'

Above, then 12 year old Allegra looks out a gunner's  'window', 10 year old Cameron (and dad) are standing under the bomb bay 'doors'. This old plane flies to contemporary air shows and is open for inspection. Perhaps and maybe, a hint of whimsy too...

Wordless Wednesday

Parents feel that their children may still be kids even at their advanced ages of 23 and 21. They may grow, although our sentiments are still in the 1990's...see WW at Tina and w/Joy

1997

1992

Last year...and much bigger

Tina's WW - Two year old tots

The kids were two years of once, and birthday parties were held to celebrate with cake, presents and fun...see Tina's WW!