Easter: Family, Friends & Fun

Cousins: Ashley, Myself, Alyssa, Will & Amanda.

That light you see isn't sun flare.  It's our grandparents shining their love upon us all.

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This Easter Weekend, I was lucky enough to have brunch with my parents at their house, stop by my buddy Steve's house to enjoy his kitschy decor and have Steve accompany me to my Aunt Susan and Uncle Mike's house.  Scott was hosting an Easter Egg Hunt, so he couldn't join us.  I really would like to photograph that some day.  In the meantime, here are some snaps from my holiday...

A blue orchid that I brought to my Mom and Dad.

I think I should wear my Aunt Susan's shades and my Cousin Amanda's headband to work.

My Aunt Susan sets a mean centerpiece.

Playas gonna play... Haters gonna hate.

Traditional Bunny Cake... Thanks, Sue!  This tasted amazing.

My three gorgeous cousins... Getting more amazing (in every way) every day.

Bouquets for family at my house.

The sun set gently on us all... And we all said goodnight until the next holiday.

However, day or night, you can always count on Steve to have illuminated kitsch decor...

And then there was THIS... Lurking UNDER my Aunt & Uncle's kitchen table...

Some "interpretive" artwork by my cousin Alyssa and two of her, umm... "creative" friends.

I wish I could tell you that she and her pals drew this as children, however they were in their late teens.

LADIES: GET. HELP. QUICK.  No... REALLY.

Springtime At Dragonfly Farms

iPhone shots from another fun visit to Dragonfly Farms with Scott.

The amount of color, attention to detail and artistry that goes into the displays and decor of this 

store is nearly art-gallery like, bordering on installation art rather than retail merchandise staging.

Well done, guys... Your space always beguiles me.  Happy Spring!

The Spirit Of '57: Sunday Best & Paper Hats

These images span January through July of 1957.

My Grandparents, Uncle, Mother and Cousins (and assorted family friends) celebrate My Aunt Karen's Christening, participate in a Saint Joseph Hill Academy Spring Pageant and celebrate Easter as well as my Uncle Kevin's 4th Birthday.  I think my cousin Donald is the husky kid at the head of the table in the photo above with his mother Peggy (an extremely sweet and funny lady) behind him.  

At far left in the same photo is my grandmother's lifelong friend Audrey (whom we all called Aunt Audrey).  She was two weeks older than my Grandmother and grew up next door to her in Port Richmond.  Their mothers were close friends and on the day in 1928 that my Grandmother was born, Audrey's mother came over to the house and placed two-week old Audrey in a crib so she could help the midwife with the at-home birth.  Not only was she present for my Grandmother's birth, but she was a fixture at all of our family functions.  Aunt Audrey also holds a special place in my heart because it was her blue cabin in Speculator, New York that we visited each Summer for fourteen years.  She and her husband (Uncle Eddie) allowed my grandparents and I annual use of the modest, but comfortable cabin and set the table for countless fantastic memories among the pines and lakes of the Adirondack Mountains.