Old Lyme Shores, July 1979 (Age 3)

My nana (my dad's mom) had a cottage on Long Island Sound in Old Lyme, Connecticut. [I'd put a line here about how all of us cousins were pissed that our parents sold it in 1980, but that would make it sound like we're still mad about it, and we're totally not. Like, at all.] Old Lyme was so much fun: the carousel, donuts, Italian ice, movies on the beach...  Above, Jene holds Shawnee, and I'm in my Spider-Man shirt on the rock in front. 

Jene's in a Wonder Woman bathing suit, I'm on the right, and this dude and presumably his daughter are looking on. Not sure if the girls are burying someone or not. (Identification alert! My dad says this man was his "idol," Dick, and his kids were Gretchen and Scott.)

Me in Long Island Sound. 

Me *from* Long Island Sound.

Me with Old Lyme legends Abby (sitting) and Nikki (standing). I had not seen or heard from these two in 45 years, but grew up seeing them in photos and wondering where they are. But this year...I found Abby! Without using facebook! Which admittedly would have been the easy way, but whatever, I hate facebook. Anyway, it's been great reconnecting with Abby and comparing Old Lyme memories. She's 3,000 miles away but who knows, maybe we can have a reunion next time she's back in New England.

Jene and Nikki, who I always thought looked very Poky Little Puppy-like in this shot.

Wow, an actual wave on the sound. Jene rides it on a float.

Me and an unknown girl.

Essex Steam Train, August 1979 (Age 3)

Summer 1979, I'm guessing August based on the order of photos in the original album. Here's Jene with her pal Shaunee, and me with a "walking" Mickey Mouse doll that I still have. This must be Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where my grandpa and grandma had their cottage, because we're about to go to nearby Essex.

Me with Mickey and two more friends. Still in pajamas, but soon it was off to the train.

The Essex Steam Train, with my grandpa and Jene, all of us in the middle window.

Mom the photographer has now joined us on the train. The modern version of this train started in 1971 and is still operating today. Along with...

...a steamboat. I seem to know something's up with Dahmer over there.

On the Connecticut River with Gramps.
 

Neighborhood Goofin', 1979 (Age 3)

Here's my sister, Jene, in our driveway in May 1979. Congrats on getting married *this* month (as I write this), August 2023, Jene & Duane!

Here's Jene and I. That's a Plymouth Horizon. In the back is our house (red until around...1989?) with our old back deck before it became two-tiered, and Pine Mountain*, which was, in a general sense, between us and Danbury Airport.

Me in "regular" pose. And, wait for it...

Me in "wacky" pose. That's one of those jackets that had multiple bootleg baseball team logos. *Even* then I remember questioning why as a fan of *one* team, I'd be forced to represent *many* teams. Maybe those jackets were just meant to show you were a "fan of the game."

I can't explain why suddenly we have black and white pictures... maybe another family took these and we got copies? This is my dad pushing me on a swing at Ridgebury School, just through the woods from our house.

Down at the nature trail adjacent to the school. Jene's at far left, me and my dad are in the middle. The gaggle of neighbors consists of Mr. Benson and his two kids on the bridge, and two Quinn kids over in the stream. If we've got dads and kids, maybe Mr. Quinn was the photographer here. Jene and I took my dad to this spot last summer as part of his 80th birthday celebration.

My 4th Birthday Party, 1979

The dining room in Ridgefield, September 1979. I still have that Spider-Man. And note the picture of me crawling on the sand as a baby. That hung in our hallway for the life of that house--I hadn't realized it had gone up so soon after the moment happened. (Showing you part of the physical photo album, with my mom's handwriting on "Jere's 4th.")

Blowing out the candles as my dad looks on. Hey, why is Stefan blowing too?? WTF.

Left to right: 

Carter (born in the same year Carter was elected! He was a big motorcycle guy and the Internet tells me he was still doing motocross as of a few years ago. 

Ali, who've I've been in touch with somewhat recently--she became the head cheerleader and always kind of felt like a second sister growing up. 

Jessica, who ended up going to a different school I think, never heard from her post-nursery school. 

My sister, Jene, whose own kids I still think of as being the age of the kids in this picture, but who are actually all full-grown adults now. 

And me.

Left to right:

Stefan again. This guy became a professional magician, and my sister keeps in touch with him.

Possibly Timmy, who ended up getting a mohawk in middle school, long before I knew you could get a haircut that wasn't, ya know, the same one you'd always had.

Chris. Went on to be one of the popular crowd in high school, on the football team, etc. I always felt like despite that I wasn't popular, I'd grown up with enough of the popular kids so that they gave me a "break," like, nobody was gonna beat me up, they pretty much left me alone.

The party rages on.......

Group shot in the living room for present-opening. Is that my to-this-day friend Pat in the striped shirt at right? Hmm...