"Johnny" Update

JFZ writes clarification of the previous post.: "The two other kids are my Auburn Kotwas cousins, Dick on left and Ken on the right."

"I think the man of the couple with my mother and me was my father's cousin of sorts. We met in Niagara Falls, Ontario. They were apparently mid-20th century immigrants from Poland and had to immigrate to Canada because of post-WWI marked immigration curtailment of people from eastern (and southern) Europe. Apparently they were anxious about coming to the US to meet for reasons not self evident to me. The reason I'm aware of this is that years later, when I was older and more savvy my father and I once again met them at the same location."

So the lady is not a relative of Eleanor.  Still, nice dress.

Julie

Johnny

I really need to fill out those insurance forms.  But there's other stuff on my desk!

Hell with it.

Not gonna make it to the Dalmatian Coast this year anyway, so I may as well take a virtual tour in time and space.

John Francis Zdrojewski was born in 1947.  Don't believe me?  Check it out at Familiae Personae Zdrojewski.

Neat how at Christmas we mix the Christian and the pagan elements together.  We have Saint Nicholas, and the Manger; we have Odin or Robin Goodfellow, precursors of the Saint, as well as evergreen trees and wreaths.  As individuals we are not atomized or isolated: we are  inheritors of history.

Nice wallpaper, too.

What's that on the mantel?

Święty Mikołaj!

So, John, you figure you're one year old, or two?  Is this 1948, or 1949?  Donna, what's your judgment?

"My Daddy likes Buster Keaton, and so do I !!"

Are these rivets?  Snaps?

Wow!  Santa Claus did come!  Looks familiar, too.  Can you imagine Clara gluing those cotton strips onto Gene's eyebrows?

Who knew Santa Claus had such a handsome nose?  And check out how he's got a good hold on his little bro; not letting him go.  Johnny's tie is terrific.  John, do you still have it?  Take a look around.  It might turn up!

And their hands.  Hand to hand; brother to brother.  What is in that little box? What?  What?

Who are these two other kids?

Who are the mystery lady and gent, first and second from the left?  The lady looks like Eleanor, who is there with Johnny.

Never in my life have I fashioned an article of clothing; - even in 7th grade Home Ec, my friends did all the thinking for me - nevertheless I did imbibe some tailoring terms while growing up.  Here in this collarless dress we have:  cap sleeves, black piping, contrasting buttonholing, appliqué, and a double row of rickrack.  How'd I do, Donna?

Whoops - when I click to enlarge, I see four rows of rickrack, two dark and two light.

Happy picnic to all, and to all a good weekend.

Julie

Postwar Buffalo

For a couple of years after their June 1948 wedding, Gene and Clara toughed it out, with Gene staying in a cheap dorm (they had those then) in NYC, and Clara living at home with her parents, sister, and Tom. She worked the books at a nearby hardware store.

This looks like coming home from church some morning.  Who is stumping up the driveway behind her?

Why, it's Tom in short pants.  Love it.  Who is the older boy coming along next?

Apparently this was a favorite family picnic spot.  What is Adam Matynka holding in his hand?

A camera body?

Clara as Sylvan Nymph, complete with Sylvan Nymph tablecloth.

That's quite the rootin' tooter on Tom's shirt.

Is this Genevieve?

Is this Genevieve and is she holding a movie camera?

Clara Matynka, CHM, as Goddess on a Stump.  Note the goddess's chariot yon in the dappled glade.  What manner of chariot is that?

Julie

Matynka, Zdrojewski, Columbia

Adam and Clara Matynka are out in the spring sunshine with their little firecracker, Tom.

Gene and Clara are there as well.

The corsage and boutonnier could be for Easter and their engagement, which occurred at the same time one year.  Or they could be for Easter a year later.  Or they could be for a wedding anniversary.  There are no dates on these photos; can we date them by Tom's age?  Help! 

Clara's and Gertrude's shoes are back in style now; you can order ones just like either of those online right now!  Don't do that yet, though; please read Gene and Clara's.

Mom, CAMZ, graduated Kensington in June 1947.  Gene and Clara married in June, 1948.  Gene graduated Columbia in June, 1949.  So when were these photos taken?

Cute little squirt.

So here's Columbia.  Is Clara down for a visit?  Or is this graduation weekend?

Julie

Navy Man

All three of these photos were taken in one of those booths at the Five and Dime.

Is the first one the same man as the other two?  I think so.

I wonder who he was, and how he fared.

Julie

Bridesmaids and A Groomsman

It's someone's wedding day, in 1945 or 1946.  Two happy, lovely attendants of a bride are Clara Matynka, our CAMZ, on the right, and . . . is that Florence on the left?  She sure looks like my Aunt Florence.  Can someone please confirm this?

Here's Clara again, this time with a groomsman.  Who is it?

And why is my mother carrying a cosh?

No, wait, nothing so exciting. She's holding her handbag and . . . an Amanita mushroom?  A heavily-bandaged thumb?  Wait once more; let's go with a pair of gloves.  One rarely sees gloves any more, does one?  So one does not immediately think of them.

What kind of car is that in these photos?  Why did they stop building running boards onto cars?

One last question:  Notice how attractive and alluring they are, even though they are not half-naked?  Isn't that downright amazing?  These days, alas, it is startling.

Julie

Matynkas, Mostly

Mystery lady at unknown location.  Nice saddle shoes.  

Pearls?  She wore pearls to the barn?

Mystery baby.  Is it Tom?

Mystery wedding party.  Is the groom Gene Norman?

Mystery Very Nice Girl.  She is not holding a candle; that white vertical is part of the house porch in the background.  I'd like a jacket like that.  Velvet, of course.

Mystery kid.

 Is this CAMZ?  I think so.  I like those really big paper dolls.

 

We conclude with three shots at a picnic. In the first, the lady is Gertrude Matynka.  Who is the gent?

Lots of serious women here.  The two gents seem cheerful enough, nevertheless.  The grown-up gent is Eddie Nietopski.

Left to right: Mystery Lady, Mystery Boy, CHM, CAMZ, Totally Mysterious Person; Gertrude, Mystery Blonde, Eddie.

If you wake up in the middle of the night suddenly knowing the identity of one or more of these people, please don't phone me, just send email.  'K?

Julie