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!

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.

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.

Ya know, 13 can be an awkward age for some young people. Different parts of the body seem to develop and grow on their own schedule, with little sensitivity to the 13 year-old's interest in or readiness for such change. The good thing is that the picture generally starts to improve noticeably beginning maybe as early as 14, and fully complete for most by the end of the 17th year. (My amateur observations, not necessarily the views shared by knowledgeable professionals.) So here I am at 13, on a farm field in Louisiana in 1957