The Colorful Winter Of 1959

Scenes from yet another festive (and picture perfect) Christmas with The Nelsen family.  Above, we see (left to right) my mother Kathleen, my Aunt Karen and my Uncle Kevin.  My guess would have to be that the Weave-Craft TV Chair set was NOT for him... Nope, not so much.

Below, we see my Aunt Karen (age 2) in front of what the kids called "the boardwalk".  This was a necessary (though awkward) walkway for The Nelsen Family that ran from the house to the car before the sidewalks around their new Todt Hill home were poured.  Time and time again I've been told by my Mom that the biggest drawback to this makeshift thoroughfare was shoveling it off in the snow.

In case you didn't know, EVERYONE'S parents walked to school uphill both ways (in the snow) EVERY day and fought off bears with their textbooks... without shoes.  Ask around... You'll see!

My Mom (in white ice skates) with my Uncle Kevin and grandmother Joan... skating after a deep freeze at Clove Lakes Park.  About 25 years after these photos were taken, my Mom would be living near this park with my Dad and I.  It was a favorite spot for neighborhood kids to go sledding and a great venue for a nice, long walk with our dog well into the 1980s.  This particular part of the park looked no different last time I visited it.  It's always great when good things remain as they should be.

BELOW: A parting glance of my Mom on the ice.  I only wish my grandfather had asked another park patron to shoot a photo of all of them all on this day.  Regardless, I can still feel him behind the camera.

Haily's Glass Head

When Haily visits the studio, she always leaves a piece of herself behind. 

The Ghost Of Paint

At the bottom of a bin full of jars and pallettes.  3 March 2011.

Circa 1960: The Kids' Table & Beyond

And so begins another series of images from the 35MM slides in the Nelsen Family archives...

My Mother Kathleen looking adorable on her Confirmation Day... Having gone to the same parochial school as she and her siblings (St. Joseph Hill Academy in Staten Island's Arrochar neighborhood) I can tell you that First Communion and Confirmation is a HUGE deal.  Each requires a lot of studying, memorization, rehearsal and overall preparedness.  These ceremonies really don't need to be stressful as they made them out to be, but it wouldn't be Catholic School if it wasn't somehow imbued with the potential for judgement, shame and threats of damnation.

 Mom with her parents Joan and Norman (above) and her Aunt Marion and Uncle Richard (below).

My Aunt Karen (age three) in front of the still-fairly-new Nelsen Family home at 95 Browning Ave.

Another Easter with The Best Dressed Kids on Todt Hill... After seeing this blog post, my Mom phoned me to note that in this particular photo, her somewhat boyish (but still adorable) bowl cut was courtesy of Vince The Barber, whose services my grandmother employed to save money.

Yet another First Holy Communion Day... Though my Uncle Kevin may look angelic here, can you see the Pint Sized Hellion behind his eyes?  I'm shocked that he didn't do an immediate "home plate slide" into the topsoil of the flower bed just to mess with my long-suffering grandmother. 

Winter 1960... Two autos adrift in the snow next to the woods at the foot of Browning Avenue.

These unmarked slides are from an amusement park outing, but I am unsure as to the venue.  They do look a bit like the images in the brochure for The Land Of Make Believe (which I found a copy of in a manila envelope of tourism brochures at my grandparents' home ages ago) but it could also be Wild West City.

And then there's THIS... I have gotten conflicting stories on this particular event, but I'm just glad that there's photo evidence to at least corroborate some of this insanity.  Apparently, someone in my family decided it would be a good idea to put my Uncle Kevin in drag as Shirley Temple for a look alike contest.  Why this was a good idea for a 7 year old boy who lived for sports, tree-climbing and fort-building, I have NO clue whatsoever.  Let's just say that he should thank his lucky stars that this was 1960... a good 35 years before the internet and 45 years before YouTube.  And while we're at it, I must tell you that is was NOT the start of a career in West Village piano bars for him. 

Instagrams: Longer Shadows, Longer Days

C'mon, Spring... We know you can do it.  C'mon... C'mon...

Vinyl Therapy: Tenderness, Thunderballs & Tears

A few items from a recent Salvation Army smash & grab.  Five bucks total.

Happy Birthday, Dame Elizabeth Taylor

Whether Maggie The Cat or Gloria Wondrous, we love you Dame Elizabeth.

Happy Birthday.

Where Do You Keep Your Oscar?

Mine is in a walk-in closet where my DVDs are kept... because I like to be modest.

Driving Rain

Two drive-by vignettes from a rainy Friday.

Instagrams: @Work @Home @Play

Candids from the last seven days using the iPhone Instagram app.