Norman & Joan Nelsen: 17 June 1950

Scenes from my Grandparents Wedding Day.  These six images seem to have been given to them by someone who attended the church event and later provided them with slides.  The slides themselves had "Nelsen" misspelled as "Nelson" on the cardboard frames, so I'm guessing they were shot and annotated by someone who was a friendly with them, but not related to them (or aware of my Grandfather's Norwegian nomenclature).  Regardless, I'm very grateful to the photographer for the six candid and beautifully-lit snaps they took on the church steps this day.

Mother Of The Bride:  Mae Costello in her Midcentury Matron Finest.

Picture Perfect: My twin cousins Lois and Dianne in their Flowergirl Frocks.

Bridesmaids and Flowergirls... Off to the reception!  (Behave, ladies... Behave.)

Working backwards from about 1976, we have arrived squarely at 1950.  Posting this series of images is a bit bittersweet, as these are the very last slides from the family archive.  Essentially, a very large chunk of my family has just seen a large portion of their lives displayed (albeit in reverse) on the internet.  These six pictures represent the endpoint of a rather broad arc of events, milestones, celebrations and journeys.  I'm very glad, though, that this final post of 35mm slide scans shows the beginning of what would become my Grandparents' life as a couple (and subsequently their life as parents and grandparents).  What they would go on to create in terms of family and who they would later touch in terms of friends and loved ones would end up being rather large.  Thanks for EVERYTHING, Nanny and Pop... You are loved and missed, but mostly remembered and celebrated.

Fabulous 50s Frocks & Pensive Party Priests

In the Fall of 1958, my Mom was a flower girl at her Aunt Gloria and Uncle Bill Lysenko's wedding.  As evidenced by the images below, the entire affair was a completely perfect exercise in festive midcentury elegance.  Everything was bright, warm and totally un-fussy.  Something tells me that Aunt Gloria (my grandfather's sister) wasn't a diva, brat or bridezilla.

Another really nice shot of my grandparents at the reception with my Uncle Kevin and Mom.  Kevin's side-eye is telling me one of two things: A.) He's either trying to figure out a stealth way to knock the bow off my Mom's head or B.)  He's trying to figure out how to make his way across the reception hall to swipe the plastic bride and groom from atop that ever so tempting multi-tiered cake.

My Mom is seen above with her slightly older cousin (also named Kathy) playing dress up as a bridesmaid.

Now THAT'S a party crowd.  Are we watching an Old Lady Lapdance here?

I'm loving this pensive, campy priest.  He was probably watching this go down...

"Oh, no you don't... Not too high, buddy.  There's a PRIEST here!"

It was such a lovely affair... Until that Ambrosia got stuck in Mildred's molars.

1966: Champagne, Mermaids & Granny Panties

The above and below images are more digital scans of 35mm slides from the family archives.  The event is what I suppose passes for either a backyard baby (or perhaps wedding) shower for my Cousin Lois.  The setting is my grandparents' backyard in Staten Island.  I think I'm a little bit in love with this campy image of Lois faux-modeling these granny panties.  The fact that it was done in such close proximity to potato chips and what is probably a dish of pierogies makes it even more hilarious, bawdy and cute (much like Lois herself).  It's interesting to note that the guy on the left of this oh-so-coquettish frame was a priest and the lady on the right was my great great Aunt Fannie.

As you can see, back then, old people were O-L-D.  Here's Exhibit A:

BELOW:  On the right, we have the kind face of my great grandmother Mae Costello, or "Granny", as I knew her.  She was 67 years old when this was taken and would live to be 81.  Luckily, she was a daily fixture in my world for 8 years and she was every bit as sweet as her face suggests.

By the time I came along, Nanny and Pop had a much more elaborate pool and deck.  Their redwood lawn furniture had weathered considerably and was relegated to their large back porch, but it was still comfortable.  The green midcentury chair seen in the center had been cast off to the (once grand) finished basement as well.  It's cool vinyl surface was a favorite spot for looking through copies of Family Circle and Good Housekeeping from the 1950s and 60s, many copies of which were later scooped up by yours truly, clipped and assimilated into my vintage reference vault.  

So, ummm... Lois is having a Schaefer.  Did pregnant women have the occasional beer back then?

I'm really impressed by the elegance of the ladies in pearls and sweaters... at a barbecue.

I'd like to pretend that this can-can line dance (which occured in my grandparents' basement rec room) was the after hours jam that followed the barbecue above... but it most likely wasn't.

Lois, the new bride, exits Saint Theresa's Church on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island.  

My cousin Bernadette, the flower girl... lovely at age six.

Lois and her new husband Carl... The picture of love and contentment.

These are a very special batch of photos within a much larger collection, further underscoring how important it was for me to protect the legacy recorded in these images. 

BELOW: My mother, Aunt Susan, Aunt Karen and Uncle Kevin on a tractor.  This unmarked image was with a batch of Florida vacation slides, but I'm unsure exactly WHERE this tractor was.

A tandem cycle (above) and a Mermaid Show at Marineland (below).

ABOVE and BELOW: Images from a space capsule model at Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

 The Nelsen Children say hello in front of my grandparents' Todt Hill home on 95 Browning Avenue.

The Nelsen Children wave goodbye on an amusement park caboose.

Be Young, Have Fun & Stay Gold

...and whatever you do, look good doing it.