"Life, it's a pretty good deal.  I recommend it."   -   H.D. Stevens  (1915-2007)

Christmas 1957

Posted: December 14th, 2008 | Author: Mark | Filed under: Childhood Memories | Tags: , | No Comments »

Besides contributing photographs of my great-grandparents Henry and Emily Parker, my aunt Dorothy Jean also came up with this surprising shot, surprising because I hadn’t seen it before! Dad seems to have been more interested in 8mm home movies during this period, so not many photos exist. It’s odd that mom and dad didn’t have this one in their archive of family snapshots, and it makes me wonder if there’s a yet to be discovered stash somewhere.
This photograph, obviously taken by my dad, shows my mom, my sisters Carol and Gail, and myself at the age of 7 months. Yep, this was 1957, my first Christmas. This house, on Cordone St. in Fort Worth, had a perfect window for displaying a Christmas tree, angled ninety degrees. My memory of the entire family celebrating Christmas together like this is dim at best, as my sisters were out of the house and starting families of their own just a few years later. But over the years we’ve always tried to reunite at Christmas time, a tradition that continues today, even now that it’s just us kids.

Sibling Rivalry

Posted: November 11th, 2008 | Author: Mark | Filed under: Childhood Memories, Fort Worth | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Yep, that’s me, taking a bite out of my sister Carol’s knee. I don’t recall this incident at all, but thanks to the miracle of 8mm home movies, the moment has been brought back to life and captured for posterity. This would have taken place at our house on Cordone St., shortly before moving to a new home in the nearby, and rapidly growing, Wedgwood neighborhood. This still image isn’t nearly as funny as the actual movie, so I’ll try to find the time to include the film clip here in the near future. (I’ll bet she had it coming)