Just spoke with my French aunt and cousin (my aunt's daughter) yesterday, and we had ourselves a good conversation.
At the end of it, she said that she was going to send me a couple of pictures. And she did so, as well as a cartoon that my father had given her, evidently.
So I thought it would be worth sharing here.
Enjoy!
My brother and I enjoying a moment at some park, which neither my aunt nor my cousin remembered. My best guess is that this was from either 1982 or 1985, although I am not certain if there is any way to know with absolute certainty.
My father pictured with my aunt, my cousin (her daughter), and my father's half-brother, who was then celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary to his wife (not pictured here). This was taken in spring of 1997, specific date unknown as I write this.
A picture of me, most likely from the summer of 1982, which was the first summer visit to France that my brother and I went on back in the eighties.
Several pictures of family members here, particularly of Mémé.
This picture came out too blurry to be able to tell who this is with any real certainty. My best guess would be my brother, albeit a very young picture of him. He has changed just a little bit since.
A slightly less blurry picture of the above.
A picture of much of the family, taken, I believe, while we were still living in France. The two youngest kids would be my brother and I. My grandmother is a little off center, in the pink shirt. Most of the people I recognize, but there are a few who I cannot fully claim to know, at least not off the top of my head. Maybe my mother and/or brother can help in that regard.
I have published some of my father's cartoons here before. And while this looks familiar, I am not sure that this was one of the cartoons that I have previously published. In any case, my cousin sent me this image of one of my father's cartoons, which I do not believe needs any further explanation.
Hey. Thanks for posting these. Mom and I both looked through them, and can indeed clear up the questions you had.
ReplyDeleteThat first picture of us is from 1982. You're missing at least one tooth, plus I was definitely bigger than that in 1985.
The picture of Pop, Marie-Thérèse, Jacques, Sylvie and her dog was indeed taken in 1997. I'm pretty sure the month was April, though I don't recall the precise date.
The picture of you by yourself is indeed from that 1982 trip to France. The background isn't clear enough for me to tell whether it was taken in Leffond or Taverny.
That group of photos includes one that was apparently taken at Mémé's 75th birthday party. You can see her brother Fernand (seated), Jacques (standing) and Mauricette (only partly visible behind him). For some reason I thought it was in Nanterre, though Mom says it was in Taverny. There's something I find touching about seeing everyone dressed up for the occasion.
The blurry kid is yours truly. I'm unclear as to whether that's because it's an old photo with limited resolution, or if the world was simply a blurry place in 1974. Some mysteries are best left unsolved. Anyway, that was my third birthday party. I'm surprised you don't remember it in vivid detail seeing as you were there.
I'll identify everyone in the group photo below that one. The grownups standing in the back are, from left to right: Nicole, Dany, Marie-Claude and Christian, who at maybe 5'7"/5'8" towers over everyone else. (Unrelated, notice the striking resemblance to The Lovin' Spoonful singer and Woodstock performer John Sebastian.) Mémé as you pointed out is in the pink dress, with her left hand on Laurent's shoulder. The kid in the orange shirt is our late cousin, Laurent's brother Michel. Jean-Louis and Sylvie are all the way to the right of the picture, with Sylvie barely in the frame. My guess is it was taken in 1976.
As for Pop's drawing, I hadn't seen that one in years. Thanks again for posting.