Sepia Saturday: Christmas in June
I am fortunate to have a wonderful sister, but for much of my childhood I longed to have a brother and can see ways that plays a role in my life to this day. The above photo is from the Christmas of 1965 when I was nine and my cousin Jeb was three. Jeb lived with us at different stages of his first eight or nine years, and it fulfilled part of my longing to have a brother.
Today we see each other at best once a year, and we are about as different in appearance and temperament as could be possible. But, looking back at these photos (and the one of me below in 1958 during my second Christmas), I am amazed as how similar we looked. That may be one of the great gifts of participating in Sepia Saturday -- looking back at one's own past as something of an outsider and being surprised by the insights that come from the view.
That Christmas was the first Christmas spent by our family at the digs called "Lazy Acres" built by my grandparents and later the home of my parents. It was in the family for exactly 50 years. For the Christmas of 2006, our family gathered there one last time, and I did a multi-part slide/video/music show for the experience. Below is the "finale" that featured the various "cast members", many of whom have appeared in here in past Sepia Saturday installments.
posted by Ladrón de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) @ 7:18 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
Very nicely done, Gregg. I am sure the other members of the cast will cherish this more and more as the years pass.
A great tribute to a closing chapter of your family---I also like your observation of examining our own past through Sepia Sat's
It's true, what you say about the insights and little revelations we discover as we post our family history. This look at your childhood was fun.
Lorenzo - There aren't that many cast members left, but at least my niece and her husband are adding one in August.
Pat - Maybe Sepia Saturday is the new form of therapy.
Enchanted - There is always much to learn by looking quickly at the past.
I'm wondering how long those balloons stayed inflated with the little plane with the propellers near by.
Wonderful slide-show! It's so true ... our old photos do offer surprising insights into the half-forgotten family moments of our personal histories. I remember those little balloon propelled planes!
Tattered and Lost - Knowing Jeb, not for very long. I was always the neat freak even as a kid and was probably upset by them popping.
Nana Jo - Yes, and the balsa wood ones too.
Wonderful slide/video presentation! That last gathering must have been bittersweet.
Vicki - It was, though it took us a year and a half before we finally sold the property.
Wonderful slideshow--loved the old bubble lights, which I always thought were the greatest. I also think your observation about Sepia Saturday being about one's own past, even as we present others, was right on the mark.
John - I agree on the bubble lights. I got a retro version of one a few years ago.
I love the idea of Sepia Saturday as a new type of therapy. And you are right, these sepia saturday posts are a two-way thing aren't they : they are about the person we tell the story of - but the way we tell that story is also about us. Fascinating, as always.
Alan - Maybe we should couple Sepia Saturday with Freudian Friday.
Alan - Maybe we should couple Sepia Saturday with Freudian Friday.
What an absolutely touching video. It nearly brought tears to my eyes, especially when I looked at the post again and realized it was a farewell video.
I love how you chose photographs across time to show individuals at different ages. It is fascinating to me to look at the changes that happen to a person's face over time.
Thanks for this great contribution to Sepia Saturday.
Nancy - It was a long, bittersweet farewell but needed to happen. The good memories of the place have slowly overpowered the sad ones.
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