Coin

Dad is trying his hand at a close-up. But what exactly has he photographed here?
Turns out it's a 1964 silver dollar commemorating the 1864 Charlottetown and Québec Confederation conferences.

Fab!

Fifty-three years ago tonight, The Beatles made their final of their first three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. This appearance was actually pre-recorded two weeks earlier; they were already back home in England when the show was broadcast. They played Twist and Shout, Please Please Me and I Want To Hold Your Hand. And in those days, of course, there were no VCRs or PVRs. There was no taping of tv broadcasts. The only thing you could was tape the audio out of the earphone jack if you had the right equipment, or take pictures of your tv. And fifty-three years ago tonight, that's what my dad was doing, no doubt encouraged by my older sisters. Apparently, there was more than just the thought of having a memento of Beatlemania that prompted my sisters to enlist dad and his camera on this long-ago evening. One sister told me recently that she sold prints at school during the weeks after the show at 25 cents each. And yes, her sales results proved that Paul was the most popular.

Then and Now: The Hat

Here's a picture that Dad took of me when I was around a year old. Not the best photo in a technical sense, but still interesting. Especially the hat. It looks like it doesn't fit me, like it's two sizes too big. The interesting thing is....


...the hat still doesn't fit me.

I Was So Cute. I Wonder What Happened....

Christmas 1964

Almost two, here's me taking my new friend for a walk down the hall 50 years ago today. Apparently, I walked him down the hall for hours.

Ann

My sister Ann would have turned 69 this week. Here she is at 18. Dig that beehive!

D'oh!

Me as a youngling. It's a little know fact that I invented the facepalm. You're welcome.

Dad

Today would have been Dad's 90th birthday, so it's time for another one of his self-portraits. It's 1964, and dad has set up the camera on a timer for a family portrait. Note his unerring sense of timing as he blinks just as the shutter goes off. Also, this is clearly where my fascination with dolls action figures began. This is probably the earliest photo of the five of us: my parents, my two sisters and myself.

And this one, not taken by my father, is probably the last one taken of the five of us, from Christmas 1998, a couple of years before he passed away.

Ann

My sister Ann passed away late last year. This week would have been her 68th birthday. This image was taken in our home in Montréal fifty years ago in 1963, meaning that, if my math is correct, she'd be 18. I love that carpet!