A nice little reminder to always look at the back of the pictures--this is what I found on the backs of these pictures.  I'm pretty sure these are of Phillip Coffarelli (but I'm not certain) and I love his handwriting and humor.  I have no idea in the world what he's talking about so any insight would be appreciated.  I thought you would enjoy.

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What do you think? 

The Prime of of Miss Jean Coffarelli

Warning:  I have no idea what the story "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" is even about, but I thought it was a cute title for this post to honor your mother's life before she became a Dalpiaz via some old pictures.  Enjoy and reflect on your Mom this week!

Travels with Oscar

Oscar is going to Gloucester with us.  No, not Oscar the cat.  Oscar the Coleman cooler.

I was giving the cooler its spring cleaning in preparation to go on the trip with us, scrubbing off the dirt and cobwebs like a madwoman.  I realized some of the dirt and gunk coming off there was probably left over from last spring's baseball season.  Some of it might have been dirt carried home from the extra inning, Ryan-chugging-the-bases, upset League Championship win.

This cooler has been part of the family for years and years.  It has gone along to nearly every outdoor event the kids were involved in:  parades, baseball and softball, football and field hockey.  It's held ice, drinks, towels, sunflower seeds, band aids and popsicles.  It was on the sidelines getting a better view than I had of Ryan's winning run and Amy's game saving block in Oneonta one very cold night.  It's been a seat, a footstool, a door stop.  It witnessed the softball team no hitting another team in the sectional championship yet losing.  We took ice out of it for Jim's head when he banged it leaping up in joy when we won the state championship.  We used a wet towel from it to wipe Ryan's bloody nose after a youth football skirmish.  It took the long quiet ride home after the field hockey states.

Now it's retired too.  It's travelling to Gloucester with us for a leisurely few days "on the coast".  It's all cleaned up and spiffy.  Maybe it shouldn't be all cleaned up--but I guess it's ready for new adventures and memories.

Happy birthday shoutout to Nick, Thomas, Lindsay!

Then our whole life changed

Another excerpt from Great Aunt Rose Jazwicki's journal:
Mother  (Caterina Contenta Messa) was born in Italy.  When she was a young girl, she came to her sister (Anna Contenta Lessie) in America.  It was a small mining town by the name of Lafferty, Ohop.  There she met a young man, and was married within a month.  In a period of eight years mother had five children.

For fourteen blissful short years we lived happily with in the family.  Except once in a while they would have a family quarrel which was all over with in an hour.

During that time my father's younger brother Onofrio wanted to come to America with his wife.My father sent them the money.  

 Onofrio Passenger list arr July 5 1910

They cam and lived with us (for we had a very big house).  Several months went by, and everything
was fine.  Then father had an argument with his brother so he then made his own home.  After that father sent money to Italy for another brother named Frank to come to Ohio.

Franceso Passenger list arr Aug 13 1921

They came, it was then our whole life changed.