In the early 1940s we lived in Des Moines, Iowa, in the rented 2nd floor apartment of a mansion (one of 3) on an estate located on Pennsylvania Avenue, on the East Side of the Des Moines River). The house and grounds provided many opportunities for mischief: it was next to active railroad tracks, it was on a bluff above the river, it had many trees, and there was a long, slippery banister down to ground level. Larry and I managed to stay alive, even when temporarily escaping from parental custody. In the winter, there was nothing quite like sledding down through "the ravine" all the way through a forest to the icy river. We also like to wave to the engine crew on passing trains, perhaps a bit closer than mom would approve. Climbing trees was a passion; in my attempt to impress my little brother, I once climbed a pine tree so high that I almost couldn't climb down. Larry, I believe, was more distressed than I was! To my eternal shame, I once played a terrible trick on Larry that I am sure profoundly affected him all his life. We had a cat, Spoteye, that liked long semi-comotose naps. One day I prepared a large shoe box with cotton, laid said cat therein, poured catsup on its belly and left a kitchen knife nearby with more catsup on it. When Larry discovered it there arose a terrible wail of grief, accompanied by deep sobs, until the supposed dead animal arose and stretched. I had trouble sitting down for several days! We grew up together, until Don joined us after WWII, and then it was also a circus, but different.

this is my fav! thanks to the person taking the picture! looks like we have Brecklins(Judy and Bob and Michelle and Grandchild), Sharpes, Fays,Rodrigues, Pluff, and Wegener, Sheldons, Vetros,a Sargent, Dunphys, Ramos, and Acevedos, Lundblads, an Aradillo and lots of Bucks(Lorie, Liz, Jim, Don),Ok and Betty and Jodie and Rebecca.  ! hope I got everyone!

Ok more in-laws added!

Dan! Who are we missing?

thanks for joining us Aunt Lynn!
 

some more Fays, Sharpes and "outlaws" who are like sisters!

next we added Sheldon and Fay offspring!

we tried again with the 5 siblings and 2 cousins, we all TRIED to behave!

first we started with 5 siblings and 2 cousins, the lighting wasn't the best but we tried.

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." ― Dr. Seuss

My Dad taught me to ice skate at the ice rink on Sherman Ave in Hamden (now CFC Arena).  Although I only played for a few years it is where my love for hockey was born.  But what stoked that passion were the many nights at the New Haven Coliseum rooting for the Nighthawks.  We would go and shout for "Dougie" Soetaert after a great save, and my favorite, Tom Colley.

Dad was a good skater.  I would love to hear from my relatives or early friends about his skating in his younger days. Like most things he did, I'm sure he worked pretty hard at it to become the skater he wanted to be.

The hockey connection continues with my son, Ethan.  He loves playing hockey, and all our kids have enjoyed watching games in Bridgeport, Hartford, Providence, Ingalls (Yale), and the wonderful new facility at Quinnipiac - about a mile down the same road from that rink where Dad taught me!

My Dad was working hard at Metro-North Railroad, frequently starting shifts at White Plains which meant his 9 hour days were really 14 hour days when you factored in travel.  Our times were limited by his schedule, and I was a typical teenager who wanted to hang out with friends as much as possible.  We still had great times when we got together, but I also sensed a sadness that existed, even though he hid it well.

Those 'rainy days' truly ended when he found Lorie.  I can look back now and see with total clarity how much his life changed when they began dating and led to a wonderful marriage that continued over 25 years! Their symbol of a rainbow, that endures now, couldn't have been more appropriate.  I am so glad they had the wonderful years together that they shared, and lucky that Lorie remains such a vital part of our family today!

My Dad's experience with typewriters can be better documented by others.  Suffice it to say he was a genius at repairing and teaching repair of all typewriters.  I loved going with him on service calls, it was almost magical how he worked.

He also had experience with punch card computers and knew about mainframes at IBM and Olivetti. But it wasn't until he purchased a Timex Sinclair 1000 that he entered the next stage of Personal Computing.  What a journey it would be! After that first TS 1000 he purchased another for me, and we would share code and push the limits of that machine.  I remember replicating the Donkey Kong title screen, which took days and much help from Dad. It wasn't a game to play, just the title screen to look at! He humored me on that useless project.

The next computers we had were an Atari 400 and a Vic 20. My cousins in Virginia had an Atari as well, and after visiting them it was decided that would be our next project.  The 400 led to the 1200XL and then an ST. But the Commodore Vic 20 was his next computer and is where he found the Scott Adams Adventure series which captivated us for hours at a time.  All that time spent with Dad made future forays into technology come so easily.

In my twenties I took a cue from him and setup a PC repair business, modeled after his business from years earlier. He even donated to me some of his tools - is there anything a spring hook can't do?

It seemed he was so busy with Metro North he didn't keep up with technology for a few years, until I gave as a gift to him and Lorie a PC clone I built for them.  That seemed to reignite his passion and he became very good at keeping in contact with friends and family via email.  He found games and puzzles he liked and many jokes he would share.  He loved researching things and would frequently spend many hours to craft an email that would be read in five minutes and easily understood by all.

I truly miss not having another email from Dad waiting for me in my inbox.  But I should be thankful for all those that I did receive. And I will always remember to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refill, and Recharge!

Many of my memories with Dad were on the water.  He loved being on the water, whether a power boat, row boat, or sail boat.  When I was very young he would bring the family to North Farms Reservoir and we would make a full day of it.

Later, he got a Snark sailboat and we had fun together on his sailboat.  On my birthday (maybe 12th birthday) we went to the lake and there was a sailboat anchored next to Dad's.  It was a second Snark sailboat, for me.  What great times! But he wouldn't let me sail alone until I learned to right it after capsizing.  So he spent the day with me teaching me how to right a sailboat!

A few years later my Dad, Uncle Don, and I were doing some fun family yachting in the same sailboat on the Tidal Basin in front of the Jefferson Memorial. It became quite windy, and we were taking on more water than it seemed that little sailboat could handle with three passengers.  As it appeared our fate would be to sink right there my Uncle and I showed much concern.  My Dad handled it calmly and began using the manual bilge pump to move some water out of the boat.  Although we didn't sink, we narrowly avoided being detained by the Capitol Police who came to meet us in their patrol craft.  They in no uncertain terms made it clear our presence in personal watercraft was not at all welcome.  That day was never forgotten and a source of many laughs in the years that followed!

Summer 2014 we got to enjoy one last ride together.  We met at Uncle Eddie's place on Lake Zoar.  Dad had a grin from ear to ear once Eddie hit the throttle. So glad we had that last ride together!

Larry was very proud of how his son, Jim, has turned out to be such an accomplished young man. He was glad that Jim is a great example of how a dad should be to our grandchildren. It is heartwarming to hear how family traditions are being carried forward like going to train shows and doing jigsaw puzzles and a joy for reading with new Kindles. Nice photo you chose, Jim, of "Bigfoot" smiling with that impish gleam in his eyes.