Beasley and the under-construction wineglass wherry, Grandview garage, 2002
This might seem like a really unremarkable picture to most people, but for me it is so potent with memories, capturing a lot of what we grew up around.
You’ve got Beasley, Mom and Dad’s last of many dogs, waiting patiently for his red kong toy to be thrown for him. Many of our dogs were enthusiastic retrievers, with only part of their enthusiasm in-born: Dad loved to be out in the yard or garage, and while working would toss a ball or other favorite dog toy for as many rounds as the dogs would return.
And then there’s the controlled chaos of the garage, made especially crazy by the construction of one of Dad’s boats. I love the mess of tools, ladders, and wood in the background: very Dad. And the floor of the garage is also very evocative of the many projects that Mom and Dad undertook. It’s stained like crazy with all manner of paint, epoxy, driveway sealant, and who knows what else.
Eric, Grandma, Chris, and Grandpa in front of 56 Grandview Street, 1978
It was more common for us to visit Grandma and Grandpa in San Diego, perhaps because California was a much more exciting place for us to go to than suburban Huntington was for our grandparents. But they did come to visit us a few times, and this is kind of a classic picture from one of those visits. Eric and I are wearing our Yankees baseball jackets, but Grandma and Grandpa look like they are all dressed up for something (probably just dinner). You can see the peach tree that was in our front yard just to the left of the picture, probably when it was just a sapling.
John, Meg, Eric, Dad, and Chris in the living room at 56 Grandview Street, 1984
There are a lot of little things that I like about this picture. It is nice to remember that we used to get together with John and Meg pretty frequently in the 1980’s; it wasn’t until the 2000’s when we would see them regularly again, in Nova Scotia.
I like Dad’s smile here. Dad was sometimes hard to capture well on film, partly because he was more often the person taking the picture and partly because he tended to produce a grim face when the camera shutter opened. His humble and warm smile is nicely captured in this image.
I also like the view into 56 Grandview Street that this picture provides. Notice the partially-exposed wood on the kitchen door: this house was a work in progress for years as Mom and Dad laboriously removed the white paint from all the beautiful woodwork. You see the work in progress here.
And notice the early Mets fandom… pre-1986 World Series Championship folks!
