PTCPapa

I've hung on to these two pictures since 1966, taken when we first began hanging out together. For me they catch her sweetness and her playfulness -- which was enough to catch me!

Here's a pretty lady who keeps getting prettier on the inside and out. I couldn't wait to share this brand new picture of her in a setting she loves and cares for -- her own back yard. ptcp.

A Father and his son. You know the young man feels secure in his father's strong arms.

Nana, I and the Farmfamilies had an impromptu grill-night a few weeks ago. We all brought stuff to eat and-or share. Brian had his eye on an extra couple pieces of grilled steak, and doused them liberally with A-1 Sauce, then had a puzzled expression as he bit into the beef. A couple of delicious "outrageous" brownies slathered in steak sauce. Yuck!

One of Nana's and my favorite Spring and Summer things to do is to have breakfast together on the deck.  So today the deck chairs are ready, the sun is shining, the coffee's on. This is gonna be so nice.  Let's just check the temp. Brrr, 40-something and breezy. Guess we're not quite there yet.   Oh well.

Nana's dad, playing on the San Diego Beach with his family . What fond memories I have of him (with older son Todd in this shot)

Wednesdays I have a standing playdate with the two Farmfamilies. We walked along the Rambling River Trail on what was effectively our first day of Spring, with warm sunshine and lots of green leaves to enjoy. Add a few rocks to toss into the creek, of course, plus a little time to spend on the playground slide. A few simple snacks and a bottle of water work pretty well to keep each young hiker going.

Gettin' ready for the July 8 Twins game!

Nana and her Dad, rehearsing the walk down the aisle for our 12/67 wedding. The floodlight served as practice bouquet. This reminds me a wedding doesn't have to be fancy to kick off a lasting marriage. It was 13 below zero that day.

The friendships represented by the 8 people in this picture go back 45 years to 1964, when I first met Debbie and Alicia. Within the next four years or so we all became twenty-somethings, and then we got in a line counted and off in twos. The boys were odd numbers, 1, 3, 5, 7. The girls were even, 2, 4,6,8. Within a few years, the odd-numbered boys each had turned around and married the next higher even-numbered girl. My distinct recollection is that it was such a simple system, and so efficient that we had time to devote ourselves fully to our jobs. Plus, we got a lot more sleep, because we didn't play all those crazy, time-consuming dating games that sap the strength of traditional twenty-somethings These marriages are each intact today, and all have been enhanced with a precious collection of children and grandchildren. Someone other than I will have to figure out the total. Great friends photograph well for a minimum of 45 years, without excessive preservatives, according t...

This is in my favorites category because it clearly depicts a  brief moment in our family history, after the births of our 3 daughters, but just before the birth of--Surprise everybody!-- our 1 son. Beards are still ok, especially if in Minnesota but large-lens eyeglasses -- well just wait a minute, they'll be back, count on it. As for  plaid slacks, they're above my pay grade.