Baby New Year 1955 & His Kiddie Counterparts

YES... That is a grown man in a diaper.  

NO... I don't know who it is or whose house this was.  

NO... I didn't know that my Grandparents went to THOSE kinda parties either, guys.  

Hmmm... (scratches head). This really is quite a turn, isn't it?

My Mom and Uncle Kevin await the arrival of 1955 in front of the cardboard fireplace.

Four years later, The Nelsens would have a beautiful brick one in their newly-built home on Todt Hill.

Let the Epic Christmas Onslaught Of Toys & Games BEGIN!

One of my cousins opens a brand new Buffalo Rifle... "You'll shoot your eye out!"

My Grandmother Joan, age 26.  A gorgeous hostess in her holiday finery.

 Despite the much- storied tightness of money, let the record once again show that NO ONE was starving.

1955: Have Brood, Will Travel

Here are some glimpses of Spring 1955 from inside yet another box of my Grandparents' well-preserved 35mm slides.  As usual, everyone looks fantastic... Neatly-scrubbed and well dressed, laundered and groomed.  Though probably a little bit warm on the Easter Sunday shown below, I get a kick out of how my Grandmothers' fox fur stole makes another striking cameo.  Nanny must have spent a pretty penny on that furry folly (and worked to get her money's worth) because it seems she wore it every chance she got.

ABOVE:  Twin Cousins Lois and Diane with Ricky (in hat) and Janet (lower left).

My Uncle Kevin is the one in the shorts who looks like he's about to take off down the street.

My Mom is probably wondering how her handbag looks with her little Mary Janes.

Cousin Janet with my Mom.  Though young girls, they look like two little old Ladies Who Lunch here.

More backyard fun with the cousins...

Donald and Brian...  INSTANT comedy, folks!

Kevin... Not too sure about having to hang out with these icky girls.  

He would, however, change his mind about fraternizing with the female of the species in later years.

Unidentified bathing beauty at an unidentified swimming lake in an unidentified state.

Backyard barbecue at Aunt Harriet's house near Four Corners in Staten Island.

Above & Below: Cousin Janet (in front, at left) with my Mom and Uncle Kevin one one of the motorboat rides on the Asbury Park boardwalk.  Oh, how I wish my Grandfather had spun around and gotten some shots of the Asbury Casino and Carousel House behind him.

All this excitement sure wears a two-year-old kid out.  Forget snack time, Kevin needs a nap!

Pink Is Back

Pink cherry tree blossoms make their annual appearance.  Short, but very sweet in fragrance.

Walking Shots

Basking Ridge, New Jersey.  Late April 2011.

Vinyl Therapy: 1950s & 60s Fun

Five hot new-old scores (at 89 cents a piece) from The Salvation Army.

The Cha Cha Cha album sounds EVERY BIT as festive as the cover would have you believe.

Shadows On The Star

Afternoon @ home... A 1940s ottoman, a plastic star, a couch, a carpet, blinds and some sunlight.

Florida Convoy, Summer 1956

Several images from a Florida vacation that my Grandparents took with my Mom and Uncle Kevin.  Also in tow on this trip were my Great Uncle Richard and Great Aunt Marion, as well as their growing brood.  I keep coming back to how simple (yet rich with feeling) these outings were.  Traveling with children was very expensive, so road-tripping in two cars and staying in guest bungalows at motor inns was the cheapest option.  As modest as the accomodations and modes of transport were, it was a diversion from the every day for the kids and a welcome getaway for hard-working parents who needed a break, a change of scenery and a walk on the beach.  

Side Note:  I love the fact that tucked away among these scenes of family togetherness, there was this one isolated image depicting three anonymous bathing beauties making their way down the shoreline.  Perhaps my Grandfather just wanted to capture some "local color" for posterity...  I'm sure it was just a National Geographic moment.