This week, I heard the news that Kodak may be filing for bankruptcy.  Of course, this brought discussion about the rise of the digital camera in recent history.  Which got me thinking......(it ALL gets me thinking).....I've had my digital SLR for almost 5 years now.  I dragged my feet getting one, convinced I would never give up my 35mm pictures.  Boy, was I wrong about that!  After I got my camera, there was NO MORE 35 mm film.  I just never went back.  But, I wondered, what was the occasion of the last set of 35 mm pictures in my album?

Looks like Sea World in Orlando is the winner!  I took a quick weekend trip to Florida to visit my friend Bonnie shortly after she moved there.  I don't know one orca killer whale from the other (never mind the trainers) but I can't help but wonder if this might be Tilikum, the whale that killed its trainer a couple of years ago in Orlando.  Perhaps one of these women is the unfortunate trainer.  Isn't it funny what we find when we go looking?

Kathleen sent this picture along that she found again recently

In her words (and I am NOT comparing your parents to killer whales!):

It is Nov 1989, the first and only time I got both of them to come visit me. It is at my first house in Tampa. I was still married to Doug. I brought them to my office during that visit and introduced them to Nick, my co-worker. He still talks about the only time he met Mom. Who said they never rested? I was already thinking, If I could only get them to move to FL, but I knew she would never leave the grandchildren. 

Isn't it funny what we find when we go looking? 

Good by 2011; Hello 2012

Well, the Dalpiaz clan created many wonderful memories in the year 2011--a banner year for sure.  We celebrated new families:  congratulations Lindsay and Jesse; Brian and Monet; and welcomed Joey to the family tree.   Congratulations also to Amanda on her graduation and new Pittsburgh venture.  Brad and Cheryl's engagement is wonderful news as well.  I can just about picture the pride and joy on your parents' faces. 

 Genealogically speaking, it was a pretty good year as well.  Looks like we can add the Bentivoglio name to your grandmother Barbara Odorizzi Dalpiaz's side of the family.  Made some new discoveries on the Isoldi branch and met a new cousin Mike Russo.  I was able to make some of the names you see on the tree a bit more real via old newspaper articles which nicely detail some of those every day life events that march along and add up until.....before you know it.......it's 2012!

 2012 seemed like such a BIG number back in 1979 when I started teaching and it was listed as the standard retirement date based on my birth date.  Seemed quite unreachable and yet, there it is, balefully staring at me.  It feels like a great accomplishment just to get there.  Thank you for your part in the ride so far!  I wish the best for you all in 2012 and beyond.

Happy Birthday Kathleen and this blog (now 4 years old!--I hope it behaves better than the typical 4 year old!)

Merry Christmas from past and present

Merry Christmas all!  We hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  We missed you last night and I believe James in particular really missed singing Twelve Days of Christmas with you all.  We spoke with Kathleen and Nick this morning as she was in her shorts roasting pork.  Nice!

Kathleen mentioned receiving a card from Clyde and Linda and noticing how much Clyde looks like his mother your Aunt Anna.  I had to agree, which of course sent me rooting around for appropriate photo proof.

Clyde, Linda, Jared and Daniel Pitelli 2011

Marilyn Sheerin and Anna Pitelli 1979

As Jean said one time in a similar circumstance:  Holy Canolli!

O Christmas Tree; O Christmas Tree

I'm not sure why so many of us take pictures of our Christmas trees but here's a sweet one from 1946.  I love the chimney--I feel certain it must be cardboard and I can almost smell it.  Of course, the chimney seems to be covered with the creche.  Hmmmm.  I also note the picture of your dad on the wall which I also find very sweet and reminds me of your picture wall downstairs at Duffin Ave.  Something seems to be hanging from it and I"m not sure what that might be.  The entire effect is very festive.  Lots and lots of tinsel seemingly weighing the branches down to nearly touch the floor. 

Flash forward 65 years.  I always take a picture of the tree and always find myself a little disappointed that the picture doesn't reflect the beauty I see in the tree that year.  The cat accent helps this one a little.  In the background you can see the collection of First Christmas pictures of Amy that my dad put together and framed for us.  We have one for Ryan too but it's not visible in the picture.  Maybe it's the digital technology but I like the way the lights look in these pictures.  We put it in the window because we like how it looks as we are driving up the road.  Never mind that we very rarely get to see those lights sparkling in the window as we are driving up the road because we don't leave the lights on if we aren't home.  But it's nice to know they are there.

We are awaiting Amy's late night/early morning arrival.  I'm sorry we will miss you all but it feels just right for us to be here together with each other this year.  But it's nice to know you all are together there.  Merry Christmas.

Dec 7 1941

The 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor has generated more than the usual number of stories about that day, the survivors and its historical impact.  In particular, I noted with interest the stories about the veterans who wanted to be buried at the site.  Seventy years later and this event is still in their lives to the point that they wish to be buried with their long dead friends.  I find this amazingly touching.

We know in our heads that Dec 7 1941 was a seminal event in the history of the world, but the desire of these veterans to be buried there brings it home to the heart.  It's a sad fact that the various survivor organizations have had to disband for obvious reasons and that the remaining veterans worry that there will be no one left to share firsthand memories with school children.  So time marches on in its plodding and reassuring fashion.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor is often compared to September 11.  They are certainly comparable and I can't help but wonder if September 11 survivors remaining in 2071 will ask to be buried at the site.  I doubt it and that's because I don't believe workers usually have the same kind of camaraderie as soldiers and sailors.  That's a very special bond that cannot be denied--even 70 years later.

From Aunt Rose Joswicki's journal:  A couple years later Mother's health was failing.  That year of 1941 in December I had planned a birthday party for my son's fourth year (Walter).  I don't think that anyone will ever forget that day Dec 7 1941.  When the Japs attack Pearl Harbor and the war was declared.  The next day was Junior's birthday and I proceeded with my plans just the same.  But no one was very happy.  Except the children they were too young to know what it was all about.  And that's exactly what the veterans fear.

The Giving of Thanks

A little bit late on the Thanksgiving musings this year.  I hope it was grand for all of you.  We spent the day at Jean's (thank you Jean for a wonderful feast!) but Amy couldn't come home and we missed her company.  The weather was glorious in this neck of the woods, for which I am very grateful.

Which brings me to the general point of this post.  I'd been thinking a great deal about Giving Thanks.  I came across this article in a recent NY Times (perhaps you read it yourself already): A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day. Who couldn't continue to read an article that states "A new study shows that feeling grateful makes people less likely to turn aggressive when provoked, which helps explain why so many borthers-in-law survive Thanksgiving without serious injury." (this doesn't apply to anyone I know personally of course). 

But I don't want to be passive about giving thanks.  I feel like it should be more than sharing prayers around the dinner table.  Demonstrating gratitude usually requires deeper consideration of those things for which I am thankful.  So when I consciously choose to park further away from the store entrance so that closer parking spots can be available to those who need them more than I do, I feel like it demonstrates my gratitude for being physically comfortable walking a few extra feet.  When I clean snow off cars in the parking lot after work, I hope this pays itself forward as many times as necessary to get a returned favor out there to someone who really needs it.  Since Facebook says it's not six degrees of separation, it's only 4.74 degrees--paying it forward should take significantly less time these days!  Gratitude and thanks will take much less time to find their way back to you in this case.

So I guess, for me at least, it really is those small everyday acts that should be foremost in our minds as the holidays roll up and over us like some kind of runaway SUV.  And despite this wordy post recommending otherwise, please allow me say Thank You to each of you for reading these posts and supporting my efforts to share.

And one other thing to be thankful for:  Last Day of November Rainbow

Another cousin story for you

I believe I've shared what I have discovered so far about Marguerite (Innocencia) Coffarelli, your grandfather James' oldest sister.  She married Marco Disabto (or Disabato) and they lived for a time with her father John.  Her husband died around 1924 leaving her with 8 children (so far).  I continue to work on her story especially trying to determine when she died and where she is buried.  She may have died around 1950, but I don't have that confirmed yet. 

This afternoon I decided to take this task on just to see what came up, and--boy, did it pay off with a very interesting story.

This soldier is a cousin to your mother and her brother Uncle Johnny.  After he died and was awarded a Purple Heart and Silver Star, his mother waited FIVE long years before he was returned to native soil.

This article makes it seem as though this was kind of normal procedure although today it seems pretty appalling and cruel.  But I think that reflects the cultural attitude of the mid forties during wartime.  The papers are full of enthusiastic articles such as this one (which kind of breaks my 2011 heart)

These articles are full of tidbits of information I think I might be able to use to round out the story of this Disabto family.  The first thing I did after discovering this new surname was to check you mother's old address book, but I saw no one with this name so I'm wondering if this was truly a lost branch of the family.  You all would know better than I, but I figure if there's no one in her address book with that surname, then she plain did not know about them.  Anyhow, I have lots of juicy new clues to follow and you have new war hero cousin to read about. 

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travel to all!