Grandpa

I was going through boxes of old stuff this morning and came across an envelope of negatives. I recognized them as pictures taken by my grandfather. He was an artist, and enjoyed arranging still lifes out of things lying around the house or yard. He would often take pictures, and later paint from the resulting shot. When he died at age 83, he had a stack of things he was still planning to paint, sculpt, arrange, plant or restore.

This shot was taken on the front porch of 60 Lincoln, their home for over 50 years. It was a place of refuge and comfort for me, and I was familiar with every nook and cranny. It was the only place in my life that ever truly felt like home.

Many of the items in this picture can be found scattered around my house, including the table, which sits on my front porch.

Grandma demands equal time

More from the box of memories....

My grandmother was an artist too. Her medium was her self. She was a print, voice and film actress. She was not well known outside of acting circles, but she loved doing it, and acted well into her 80's.

Every year she would be called to pose for the Macy's Christmas ad as Mrs. Claus. She did this for quite a few years until 1985, when they didn't call. When the ad for that year came out, Mrs. Claus was a 21 year-old model.

This is from the ad for 1984.

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