We’ve all been there. It usually looks something like this: you’re standing in front of an open closet having a minor anxiety attack because you see the amount of stuff stashed inside. Most families have a closet – or even an entire basement – like this. The “stuff” inside ranges from priceless photos to random memorabilia that someone in […]
This guy would’ve celebrated his birthday this weekend. . This tintype of my grandad has been around for almost 131 years now. It’s been one of my dad’s prized possessions ever since I can remember. . My dad treasures this tintype of his father; the original is carefully tucked away in his valet. I remember […]
I still make the same face. . Photo by Papa, Eugene Kolomatsky. . My dad is a wonderful photographer and he’s still doing it at 84. I’m grateful to have many cool images from my childhood, like this one. . These photos have helped keep my family memories alive and have also served to inspire […]
My dad always loved to spook me and my siblings with a scary story. And the true stories were always the scariest. The story that always gave us a thrill was when he was stung by hornets. Yikes. Last year, while scanning images from our family cabin in Mendocino county, I came across a picture […]
It’s a stereotype that Italian mothers are very protective of their sons, and for my grandfather, it was true. My grandfather George is the third from the right, posing with his newsboy buddies in 1924. George was the youngest of my great grandmother’s four boys and was her favorite. She always dreamed of a beautiful […]
This is Russ and Linda in 1966. They are my parents. My mom and dad were married in Los Angeles the DAY after they graduated CSUN. They met, got engaged, married, and graduated college in under 6 months! And they are still married, surviving my dad going to Vietnam, 4 kids, many pets, earthquakes, and […]
My Dad (left) and his brothers in Kentucky, circa 1954. Here my father was visiting his family in rural Kentucky. At this time, he already had two children of his own. Eventually, he would have five sons. I was second oldest. I like this picture because of the casualness and authenticity of the young men. […]
My grandfather’s smile was the kind that always spread from ear to ear. He was a storyteller, my favorite storyteller. But I didn’t ask enough questions. You can never ask too many. If you need help with questions, here are 10 you should ask: 1. What is your full name and when and where were […]
My great-aunt Anna, pictured here with her brother Karl (my great-grandpa), was probably one of the most ambitious members of my family. She was born in 1884 in Estonia as the eldest of 3 siblings. She went on to become a pioneer in healthcare. She trained to become a nurse and then worked as a […]
This is my grandmother, Anna, in France. A year ago, I lost her, and I was standing in my kitchen when my heart broke so wildly and completely that I thought I was dying too. Grief…what a spectacular haunting. And while my heart is still bruised, I am telling myself over and over, that she […]
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