Happy New Year!

Goodbye 2008 and Hello 2009. Thanks to Robert's persistance and generosity, here is a New Year's picture for you all. I see Uncle Tommy, Aunt Josie, your dad, your grandfather, Walter and Aunt Rose in the foreground. Clearly this is New Year's Eve somewhere, but I am not sure where or when this picture was taken. There are a couple of boys just in the background and I almost think that might be James blowing a noisemaker as if it were a trumpet. So a wild guess is that this might be around 40 years ago. Any further insight from any of you would be appreciated.

Happy Anniversary to Robert and Bobbie and Happy Birthday to Kathleen this week. I understand Robert and Bobbie are overseas so we wish them a particularly memorable anniversary and New Year's. I suspect Kathleen may have to rest her way through her birthday after the great Long Island vacation recently!

I am working my way through the pictures slowly but with great pleasure. Thank you again for sharing and I think you'll enjoy the upcoming posts.

Just Peachy

James just came out of the neighborhood store with my newspapers and and and peach pie which he presented proudly. And he should be proud that he was thoughtful, but I couldn't help but shiver a little bit seeing this peach pie.

There was a bumper crop of peaches the year I was about 10 years old. I have no idea who provided my mother with ALL THOSE PEACHES, but we had bushels and bushels of peaches. And bushels more of them it seemed. We had peach pie, peaches with milk, and peach jam till the cows came home (almost literally). I distinctly remember peach jam and peanut butter sandwiches in my lunch for weeks. I recall the jam left sugary remains along the rim of the jars so you couldn't always get them all the way screwed back on properly--which I'm sure made the problem worse but no fear--there was more where that came from! I really can't look at peaches to this day without thinking about this and kind of shivering.

Did your family have any such experience that left a lasting impression on you even to this day where you might avoid something as a result? I think all my siblings remember this and it's one of those stories that gets shared when we are all together such as for holiday celebrations. Sharing these sotries is a way of keeping the history alive especially for the kids, who might be rolling their eyes now but will certainly be retelling these one holiday in the future around another table.

Thanks for another great holiday full of memories and stories to share. I am having a grand time with the pictures Robert kindly allowed me to borrow and you'll be seeing these soon. It's been about a year now of sharing stories with this blog and I've got lots more waiting in the wings for you in 2009!

Christmas 2008 Dalpiaz Style

Hailey, Robert, Brad, Marisa, Jake, Brandon, Thomas D, Ryan, Steve, Bobbie, Mallory, Linda, Nick, Pat D, Ron, Michelle, Jean, Sarah, Scott, Amanda, Amy, Drew, James, Emily, Bob, Thomas H, Lindsay WD, Brian, Pat H, Danielle, Kathleen, AND Lindsay D--says it all for Christmas 2008 Dalpiaz Style.

I have sent you all an invitation to the pictures I have on Shutterfly. I hope you enjoy. First anniversary of the blog. Thanks for reading it! More fun to come before you know it.

Christmas Past ...and Christmas way, way Past

Christmas Past circa 1987. Robert helping out.

Christmas way way Past 1967 Robert helping out.

Christmas 2008. Priceless.

See you all soon!

Coffarelli News

It looks like you all will need to make a little more room on your Coffarelli family tree! I believe I have found another generation--great great great grandparents.

In 1910 and 1915, Nicholas Coffarelli (James Coffarelli's grandfather) lived with his son John's family in Long Island City. He had arrived from Italy when he was probably about 88 years old. Can you imagine making such a change in your life at that age? I suspect perhaps he wasn't in very good health but I don't know too much about that yet.

But I had never found out what happened to Nicholas. I didn't expect he could have lived very much longer and by 1920 he no longer lived with the family. Some extra persistence paid off and I think I found his death record in January 1917 at the age of "99 years 4 months and 20 days" (making his birthday August 18 1817). He is listed as having been found dead in bed of "chronic myocarditis; arterio sclerosis and general senility". Small wonder.

He is actually listed on the death record as Giuseppe N Coffarelli, and since I'd been looking for Nicholas, it's no wonder it took persistence to find him. Another lesson learned. I should have been a little suspicious since I hadn't found any children named Nicholas anywhere yet. Your family research is certainly teaching me many lessons!

Anyhow, back to the new added branch on the family. Guiseppe N Coffarelli's parents are listed as John and Isabella Malizasso! Welcome to the family John and Isabella! Isabella Coffarelli is a very pretty name.

A new branch on the tree is always a cause for celebration and a new surname to boot is a terrific bonus. I recently bought some old but very beautful Christmas tree ornaments and finding Isabella Malizasso Coffaerelli is like hanging one of those pretty old ornaments-- a pretty sparkling ornament sitting in an antique shop just waiting to be discovered. And you always know there are more out there!

Happy Birthday shoutout to Jake!

From My Family to Yours

Happy Thanksgiving. It's the traditional time to contemplate those things we are most thankful for, so I'd like to take a minute to thank you all. As we were growing up, our families were very similar in many ways. Large, Catholic family with dad at work living modestly just trying to do the right things. West Islip was much more urban than our hometown but I imagine it was the same yard littered with bikes and toys. OK, we had a slobbery dog and you didn't but.....I consider you the lucky ones in that department.

Despite the similarities, James and I each had significant differences in our respective households. The Ryans could be found watching the football games during dinner, while you all were listening to Frank Sinatra.

Your dad would bring a bus to special family events--my dad would bring a dress so he could switch clothes with an aunt to entertain us with a number!

I learned from your mother that some families accept the garlic buds at the breakfast table. Ours was more likely to have beer caps leftover.

Your grandfather had a still--mine played Hearts for pennies with us and made my mother pay up.

Yes, we each had to make some adjustments but I always felt welcome in your family. This is probably at least 20 years late but thank you for adopting me so graciously into the family. My siblings and I found out far too late that my sister-in-law did not feel welcome by us. This took us completely by surprise as we certainly had no idea that we had acted in a manner that made her feel like she wasn't accepted by us. But that was her perception so that's all it takes to give it validity. I can't imagine such a feeling. Thank you all!

I am just beginning to get an idea of how hard it must be for a mother to "give up" her son to another woman (no, Ryan isn't getting ready to elope or anything--he's just getting older so I started thinking of his adulthood a little more seriously). Your Mom never ever made me feel like anything less than a full family member, same with your Dad. I always appreciated that.

So, again Happy Thanksgiving and thank you!

Giving Thanks

I don't know what everyone's Thanksgiving plans are, but I hope you all enjoy the day. I like Thanksgiving especially because it seems so "low-key" compared to other holidays and is mostly a reason to get together and just have fun. One of my favorite and enduring Thanksgiving memories is of going to the hospital to greet Brad. I remember the nurse left him with us for just a few minutes so I always felt as though we were his first babysitters. This is "Mookie" that day 22 years ago.

Birthday wishes this month to Thomas, Michelle, Brian, Lindsay and Steve! We are especially thinking of Jake, Lindsay and Emily and wishing them a very special first Thanksgiving together as a family. A new member of the family is indeed someone to be thankful for.