UNIT 2 Timeless Photographs

I love to look at old photographs in the album.

My father had a big box of pictures in the cabinet
and some of the pictures go way back to the 1890's.
The women dressed with such dignity
and had style back then.
My Dad would linger around his precious box of photographs
and tell me stories about each photo and every one.
It was one of those moments that
you could not really appreciate when you were young.
It is only after he was long gone
that I can look back and say
thanks for taking the time to show me a tiny window
into the world of people
who really did know how to live.
I found a few of my aunts in their fashionable outfits
by an old Cadillac pretending to drink whisky.
Many of the photographs were taken
in Coney Island and Cape Cod.
I especially love the photographs of
the bathing beauties and their swimsuits.
The suits are quite modest by today's standards
but the young women didn't seem to care.
They were staying at such places as Newport Beach and Cape Cod
having the time of their lives running in and out of the tide.
One photograph had a vendor selling hot dogs
by a coaster at Coney Island—
a younger picture of my mother with her brown hair
and blue eyes eager to go on board with my Dad.
He looked a bit frightened in the picture as I could see
he was holding on tightly to the bar to the coaster,
his black hair flying in the breeze.
I smile when I look at that picture
because it is hard to imagine anyone's Dad ever being a kid.
He looked like he was having a great time probably
because he was with my mother.
She is smiling in the picture and wearing a white blouse,
blue shorts and tennis shoes.
She is quite a looker.
I can see why my Dad liked her so much.
I dig down to the bottom of the box
and see two large photographs.
One is dated 1900 and the other one is dated 1997—
a recent picture that looks similar to the older one.
The older picture looks familiar
because it is taken in the same place—the summer home.
I will describe the older photograph as very interesting
in the style of dress and exactly where the people are sitting.
They are posed outside the cottage
by a small tree that is still there today.
A woman is sitting in a rocking chair,
with her black hair pulled up in a bun.
She is not smiling but looking away from the camera
and wearing a long black dress.
Another woman is wearing a white blouse
with a necktie and a long black skirt.
Her hair is also long and blonde
but pulled back in a bun.
There are two men on either side of a wooden table.
Both men appear older and are dressed in hats
and suits and ties, trousers and Sunday shoes.
Neither is smiling. (I have the distinct feeling
that the women are their wives and it is Sunday.)
They probably are hungry for their roast beef and potatoes,
but that is just my guess.
There is a young boy,
probably about 13 in the photograph.
He is wearing a white blouse, black shorts,
long black socks and tan sports shoes.
He is petting a black dog that is sitting
on top of the round wooden table.
The boy is bending down and he isn't smiling either.
It must have been hot outside and he probably
wants to go for a swim with the dog.
The water is just below them
and he is probably wondering why he has to take
this stupid picture all dressed up on a Sunday.
I notice that the color of my cabin was quite different
in 1900 and it was much smaller.
The color was green, with white railings around the porch
and steps leading down to the patio.
That is where the picture of this Smart Family was taken.
The family appears rather stiff in the photo
but I am sure that they had a good laugh
after the Sunday dinner was served.
The second larger photograph is of my own family about 1997.
It was taken in the same place
as the Smart Family's was taken.
We thought it would be cool to do that.
It is also in black and white.
We didn't wear any older clothes
but used our own clothes.
The tree in the background has grown
to enormous heights and is still standing.
The steps leading down to Mousam Lake have cracked
and are in awful need of repair.
Believe it or not, we still own the old wooden table
and all of the rocking chairs owned by the Smart Family.
I did a search of the Smart Family
and they were originally from Portsmouth.
At least five other families owned my cottage
before my father bought it in 1950 for three thousand dollars.
The cottage comes with thirteen acres of land
that I still own along with my seven brothers and sisters.
It was passed on to me when my mother died.
We have formed the Camp Fund
to pay the taxes and preserve our legacy.
It is a beautiful cabin on a prime spot on Mousam Lake.
I was not here when this photo was taken
and it hangs in the living?room of the cabin.
Many visitors comment on it and think it is quite amazing
to have a house for so long.
The history of the house is interesting to view from photographs.
Around the table are my brother Bob
just wearing a casual shirt and shorts (smiling),
Annie wearing a T-Shirt and shorts,
Mike wearing a white shirt and long nylon trousers not smiling,
Mary, whom I couldn't tell what she was wearing,
my Mom, her white hair and her beautiful blue eyes and smile,
was wearing a peach blouse and slacks,
my Dad wasn't alive for this photo, he died in 1986.
Lastly in the picture is my brother John,
wearing a white vest, trousers and suspenders.
He slicked back his black hair for the photo
to appear in the period style.
He wasn't smiling either.
The only difference is that my cottage
is painted brown with a larger porch
and some additional buildings.
My father loved to build things
and he was constantly improving the cabin.
He built a deck downstairs,
and also a dock for his many boats.
He also designed a gliding swing and a picnic table.
All of these photographs remind me
that people are not so very different.
We all want to enjoy living and be together as a family.
The time that families spend together is very valuable.
The children will always remember the little things
that their parents do for them.
For me it was my Dad that showed me these pictures
and took the time to tell me the stories behind each of them.
I thank him dearly for that.