……………………The deep pink Roses with their white centers are in FULL BLOOM along the drive. Since I don’t have a clear view of them from the house I can only see them when I’m driving past them. I try to remember to make a special trip each day to visit the roses while they are in their full glory.
……………Jac planted this Rose bush many years ago in memory of one of our little babies……Elizabet Taylor Margret Dubelle Dell’Olio…..I know we’re not supposed to have favorites, but Ellie B, as I called her, was mine…..She could melt your heart……The bush produces many small clusters of booms with a wonderful intoxicating fragrance…….I always cut some and put them on my kitchen window sill. I love it when I’m at the sink and the fragrance catches me off guard………pure HEAVEN.
…………………….I guess I don’t have to point out who my Dad is! He is surrounded by his three sons, John in the back [the middle child], me to the right [the youngest], and my older brother, Mauro, seated. With us, our wives, Carol [brunette], Kathy [blond], and Jac. At the bottom left is my niece Jeannine…….My father immigrated to this country from Bari, Italy which is in the south of Italy on the east coat. It was a port town, and boats left for Greece every day….My Mom came from the same town, and they knew each other from childhood…Their father’s came to the USA together and settled in lower Manhattan [the village] before moving to the country….Brooklyn!…..My dad had a very gregarious personality….always cracking jokes, and telling stories. They used to call him “the mayor”, because he was friends with everyone…..sometimes to my mother’s annoyance!……I guess opposites do attract……My father’s love of music started when he was very young. He played the violin….sort of!….. My grandfather would give my father money for violin lessons, but instead of the lessons he would play craps in the back of the church where he was an alter boy…..Oh yeah….he played craps with the priests! That’s my Dad!….I can just picture my Dad as an alter boy….with those big eyes…..He had a record collection of well over 1000 albums, and he had a system whereby he knew where each one was in this huge cabinet he had built. He and my mother were the same age and lived to be 95. Up until the day he died his mind was sharp as a tac, but the heart was failing. My mother, on the other hand was strong as an ox, but had dementia so they took care of each other. My Mom passed first, two days before Christmas, and my day passed a week later…right after the New Year……I’m sure of a broken heart……..Happy Father’s Day in heaven Dad…..I’m sure you’re telling your jokes, and I’m sure Mom is rolling her eyes!
………………….My Dad’s name was Vincenzo Dell’Olio…….which translates to Vincent. Everyone called him James, but his friends called him “JIMMY”. He had beautiful black hair and huge dark eyes…..a handsome boy who grew to be a handsome man. I inherited his big eyes…. He was the oldest of seven children, two boys and five girls…..My parents knew each other their whole lives, and my father was always smitten with this red haired beauty, but it took her longer to come around. They married when they were both 26-27, which was considered late at the time. All of my Mom’s girlfriends held out from marriage too…..They were having too good a time….When one married they all married within two years….They fell like dominos……My Mom and Dad started their family after two years of marriage…..First came my brother Mauro, named after my father’s father….then my brother John, named after my mother’s father. My mother had another pregnancy after John……a little girl, who they named Grace, but she was stillborn……I came a few years later so there is a five year gap between John and myself, and seven years between Mauro and me….I was named after my father’s only brother, Louis…..My mother wanted to name me James after my father…but my grandfather insisted I be named after my father’s only brother….so Louis it is…..I would have prefer being James……The bottom row of pictures from the left are of my Mom, Dad, Mauro and the newborn John…..then Mauro’s high school graduation……my Mom and Dad and me, the geek, on a summer vacation in the mountains. I hated going there, because I had very bad allergies, and it wasn’t fun for me……The last picture is my Mom and Dad, Mauro and an older John……I still wasn’t around yet!
………………..Group #2 consisted of FOUR STYLES………a Jean Jacket…a Jean short skirt….a Paisley border print top……and a Rayon Jersey dress.