Wayback Wednesday or That's a Big Sandwich! (330/366)

TIME: May 1982

PLACE: Dining room of childhood home
SUBJECT: Me, my sister, my 2nd oldest brother and a sandwich

*~*~*

My brother (that guy there on the right) recently texted these photos to the family group chat.

I don't remember this being taken at all, but we all finally came to the conclusion that this sandwich was for my oldest brother's (not pictured) high school graduation party.

Dad purchased the creation from Imperial Deli in Imperial, Missouri (no longer in business). I'm pretty sure he put the seat down in the Ford Fairmont station wagon to bring it home.

I need to point out my silver slinky belt with the butterfly buckle; how strong my sister is; and my brother's jorts and 1980 USA Olympic t-shirt.  I am deliberately trying not to draw any attention to my hair style.  Thank you for not bringing that up.

Here is another shot of the sandwich (because you can never have too many photos of a really long sandwich)....


L-R: Dad, Me, my sister, Mom

*~*~*

My dad and mom were 40 yeas old in this picture.  I was 15, my sister was 6 and my brother was 16.

I don't know where my oldest brother was...he was probably too cool to be in a sandwich photo.

Veterans Day (316/366)

TIME: 5:08 pm

PLACE: Dining room
SUBJECT: Great uncles

*~*~*

In honor of Veterans Day, I am sharing this large portrait that I am grateful to have in my possession.  These three soldiers are my mother's maternal uncles.  They were drafted and served during WWI.  Left to right are:

Frank Kosar (1895-1927) - Co "C", 148th Infantry, USNG, 37th Division. Served 22 Jun 1918 to 21 Dec 1918.  He was wounded with a bullet in the hand on 29 Sep 1918 during the first phase of the Meuse–Argonne offensive. After returning home, Frank suffered from the effects of the mustard gas he encountered and also PTSD ("shell-shocked" in those days). He was declared insane in December of 1922 and spent the remainder of his life in the State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois.  He died 6 Nov 1927 of tuberculosis.

Anthony Kosar (1889-1977) - Served in the Army from 25 May 1918 to 13 Jan 1919.  I cannot find his unit or any other documentation on his service.

William Kosar (1892-1951) - Battery E. 327th Field Artillery, 84th Division. Served 23 Jun 1918 to 19 Feb 1919. After arriving in France, his division was broken up into smaller groups.  They then trained others to replace combat divisions at the front. I don't believe he experienced any combat.

I truly appreciate the service and sacrifice they and all other veterans have made for our country.

Mom’s House (175/365)

TIME: 2:11 PM
PLACE: West end of town
SUBJECT: Mom’s childhood home

This is the house my mother’s maternal grandparents built in 1906.  They lived there all their lives.  My grandmother did too.  My mother grew up in this house and her sister, my aunt Alice lived here until she wasn’t able to be on her own any longer.  It was sold last year.

It needed a ton of work.  Whoever first bought it sold it to another party who rehabbed it.  I’ve seen the pictures on Zillow, but wanted to check it out in person, There was supposed to be an open house today, but it was cancelled for whatever reason.

I stopped by anyway and took a couple of outside photos.

I hope they re-schedule. 

Here is what it looked like back in the day.

Garden Glow (046/365)

TIME: 7:15-8:30 PM
PLACE: Missouri Botanical Gardens
SUBJECT: Garden Glow

Forced family fun was implemented this evening at the Garden Glow in the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Half-lit tree

Luminaries

I call this one “The Angel of Death”

But I think the Christmas theme comes with the green light and red (eye) windows?

Maybe I just have a dark sense of humor.

Are we having fun?  It’s hard to tell.
I think a flash was needed here.


StellaDella and MonkeyBoy had fun portraying two of the eight “Maids a Milking”


They all look a little happier here.

I love these guys.

Throwback Thursday (211/365)

TIME: Early 1950’s
PLACE: Apartment above Great-Grandpa Tedesco’s Fruit, West Main St., Belleville, IL
SUBJECT: Relatives

Here’s a groups shot from the past. They are my:
Paternal Great-Grandparents: Saverio Tedesco and Mary Tedesco, nee Mercurio.
Paternal Grandparents: Michael Caponi Sr. and Edna Caponi, nee Tedesco.
Great-Aunt: Marie Mank, nee Tedesco.
Great-Uncle: Saverio “Ted’' Tedesco and wife Doris Tedesco.
Paternal Aunt: Phyllis Smith, nee Caponi.
Cousins: Steven Smith, & Saverio Caponi.
1st Cousins, once removed: Christie Mank, Jackie Mank.
Wives of Great-Uncles: Dorothy Tedesco and Lillian Tedesco.
And, last but not least, my Dad: Michael Caponi Jr. - You can barely see him…half of his face is hidden behind his father.

There is a lot of coffee on that table.

Wayback Wednesday (063/365)

Don Corleone: I like to drink wine more than I used to...[pause] Anyway, I'm drinking more.
Michael: It's good for you, Pop.
Don Corleone: Ah, I don't know...
The Godfather, Paramount Pictures (1972)

TIME: Circa 1959-1960
PLACE:  My paternal Grandfather’s house
SUBJECT:  My paternal grandfather, Michael Caponi (Capone) in his basement bar

My grandfather partially finished his basement and included a bar.


This area was originally closed-in.  My dad’s older sister and her husband lived there for a little while.  It was their bedroom.  After they moved into their own home, Grandpa opened it up and built the bar.

How awesomely retro is it down there? 
Planters, knotty pine, checkerboard linoleum, aluminum drinking glasses on the shelves, chrome table and chairs. 
Dad told me that flooring came from a local hardware store and it was asbestos tile. 
Do you see that area in the front left where the pattern is off? 
It really bothers me.

SUBJECT: Cindy the dog, My dad, his brother Pete and Mrs. Smith (his sister Phyllis’ mother-in-law)

Here is my dad, looking pretty hipster in his v-neck cardigan, white t-shirt, khaki pants and dark framed glasses.
He started wearing the dark frames his Junior year in high school.
Those glasses and the fact that he is wearing his high school ring helps date the approximate time frame of the photo.
I bet if James wore glasses like that, he would look a lot like his grandfather.

Throwback Thursday (036/365)

TIME: April 10, 1904
PLACE: St. Louis, Missouri
SUBJECT:  Saverio Tedesco & Mary Mercurio Wedding Portrait

For this Throwback Thursday, I am moving over to the paternal side of my family tree. 
Saverio & Mary are my great-grandparents. 
Their daughter, Edna Tedesco, is my paternal Grandmother. 
She married Michael Capone on January 3, 1928

Here is a copy of the marriage register from St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in St. Louis.

Tedesco Saverius and Mercurio Maria
10 April, 1904

I the undersigned having sent out 3 announcements
and obtained the mutual consent of the parties being joined
I have joined through the vows of a present marriage Saverious Tedesco
of the place of Termini, the son of Ignatis & Dianae Catanzaro
and Dianae Catanzaro Mariam Mercurio of the place of Termini St. Louis Mo, daughter of Cosimi & Ignatias Caponi
Present as witnesses were Antonis Capra Joseph Carione
110048 Spigardi

Found Him! (002/265)

TIME:  February 8, 1858
PLACE:  Břeskovich, (now Vřeskovice) in the Plzeň region oof the Czech Republic
SUBJECT:  Josef Dolanksy birth record
From: Porta fontium 

After almost 9 years of doing genealogy, I was finally able to go “across the pond” and found my maternal, great-grandfather’s birth information!

This is what I knew: he was from Břeskovich Czechoslovakia; his father’s name was Charles; he had a birth date of February 8, 1858 and he immigrated to the US with the Jansky family..

I found a link to the Porta fontium site from Wesley Johnston’s “Researhing Czech Church Records on the Internet. 

After blindly searching, I finally figured out how the things were organized (thank you Google translate) and performed a search with Břeskovich as the place and checked “Matrika narozených” (birth registers).  I clicked on the result with the correct time frame and started looking page by page for the name “Dolansky”

It turned out to be easier than I thought.

Even though the registers are all in Czech, and the handwriting made it quite challenging to decipher some words, I actually found him quite quickly. 

Now, I know the names of his father and mother :
Karel [Czech form of Charles] Dolanksy and Katerina Jansky 

The names of his grandparents :
Paternal-Vavrince [Slovak form of Laurence] and Anna Dolansky nee Jicovy
Maternal-Vaclav & Katerina Jansky nee Hrebec

Where they are from and what they did for a living:
Father-a peasant cottager [an agricultural laborer who lived in a cottage on the landowners land] in Břeskovich (house #53);
Paternal grandfather-a owner of a farm in Chlumčany (house #4); Maternal grandfather-a peasant cottager in Jina (house #12)

This makes me so happy.

I love the Internets.

Sweet, Serious and Silly

TIME:  5:34PM
PLACE:  My brother’s
SUBJECT:  The Cousins

We had a rare occasion this weekend.  The entire clan of 1st cousins were in the same place at the same time.  And, as always, it was commemorated with a “Stair Picture”…

…and giant Jenga.

…and a rousing game of Pit.

Throwback Thursday (010/365)

TIME:  Nov 7, 1934
PLACE:  Illinois
SUBJECT:  Wedding party of Mayme Kosar, age 33 and Edward Dolansky, age 30

My other set of grandparents married 79 years ago this November.  It was the first marriage for both of them.  My Grandmother was the youngest child and was born in 1901 when her mother and father were 39 and 42 years old respectively.  My mother told me that my Grandmother had promised her parents that she would take care of them and would not marry until after they passed away.   Her mother died in October of 1932 and her father in May of 1934.  Six months later, she and Grandpa tied the knot. 
~*~*~*~
From the newspaper….

Kosar-Dolansky Nuptials/Witnessed by Many Friends/And Relatives Wednesday
Proprietor of Eddie’s Market Weds Miss/Mayme Kosar At Impressive Ceremony/At the Blessed Sacrament Church.

The wedding of Miss Mayme Kosar, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kosar of 20 North Seventy-eight street, and Edward Dolansky, took place Wednesday morning at the Blessed Sacrament Church.  Rev. Louis F. Ell, pastor, read the nine o’clock nuptial high mass and performed the double ring ceremony in the presence of a large gathering of relatives and friends.

The altars were banked with masses of white chrysanthemums and cybodium fern, providing an appropriate and pretty background for the impressive ceremony.

Miss Kosar chose her niece, Miss Emily Kosar, as her bridesmaid, while Jerry Jakes, an intimate friend of the couple, served as bestman.  Jerry Ulch and Oliver Kosar acted as ushers… (illegible)…little Miss Patricia Kosar, a niece of the bride, was flower girl.

The bride was most lovely in a gown of pearl white satin, the full, gored skirt cut to include a slight train.  Small satin covered buttons marked the center back from the high neckline to the waistline and sleeves shirring added soft fullness above the elbow, extending in tight cuffs to the wrist.  Her veil d’illusion was worn cap style, with small satin ribbon rosettes and orange blossoms at either side, and the extremely long train fell in soft, billowy folds.  She carried a shower bouquet of bridal roses and lilies of the valley.

The bridesmaid appeared in a simple frock of wine colored transparent velvet, a center back opening from the neck to the waistline adding a chic and attractice (sic) touch.  Wine colored slippers and a close fitting turban of silver were pleasing accessories and her arm bouquet was composed of wine colored chrysanthemums.

The little flower girl wore a pert little frock of pastel blue crepe, a pink taffeta sash marking the high waistline.  White slippers and blue hairbow and socks completed her costume and she carried a basket of varicolored fall flowers.

Mr. Dolansky and his attendant were attired in dark blue conventional suits with boutonnieres to match the bouquets of the bride and her maid.

Following the ceremony a wedding breakfast was served at the home of the bridegroom and in the evening a reception was held for three hundred guests, including the members of the Kommunity Stores, a foods retailers’ organization of which he is treasurer.

He is proprietor of Eddie’s Market at 16 North Seventy-eighth street, and a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Dolansky of 22 North Seventy-eighth street.

Throwback Thursday (003/365)

TIME: January 3, 1928
PLACE: St. Louis, MO
SUBJECT: Wedding Party of Ignazia “Edna” Tedesco, age 20 & Michael Capone, age 23

Today is the 85th wedding anniversary of my grandparents.  They were married here, in town, but had their wedding photos taken in St. Louis, MO.  From the newspaper at the time…

St. Peter's Cathedral was the scene of a beautiful wedding this morning when Miss Edna Tedesco, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank S. Tedesco of 121A West Main street, became the bride of Mike Capone, son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Capone of St. Louis.
The ceremony was performed at 9 o'clock in the presence of a large assembly of friends and relatives.  Msgr. J. H. Schlarman officiating.  A nuptial High Mass was celebrated.
The bride was attended by Miss Edna Mercurio, Miss Anna Bova and Miss Agnes Capone.  Miss Mercurio, as maid-of-honor, was attired in a gown of peach pink taffeta made with a tight bodice and full skirt trimmed in gold lace.  Miss Bova was dressed in a Nile green robe-de-style, maline ornamenting the skirt of uneven hemline.  The second bridesmaid wore a dress of orchid taffeta with a full skirt of maline.  They all wore large black velvet picture hats with metallic crowns and velvet streamers of hem line length.  Their shower bouquets were of pink roses. [Grandma had a rainbow wedding! :) ]
Miss Tedesco, who was given in marriage by her father, chose white satin and Spanish lace daintily trimmed with pearls for her wedding gown.  A beautiful long train of white satin was worn with a Henrietta style veil of Spanish lace, pearls and rhinestones.  Pendants of pearls were affixed to the veil at the side of each ear.  The bride carried white roses and lilies of the valley tied with ribbon in a shower spray.
Groomsmen were Bartolo Busalachiof [sic], St. Louis, Charles Mercurio and Frank Tedesco, Jr., brother of the bride.  Little Peter Vivian [sic] of St. Louis served as a ring bearer.  He wore a suit of black velvet with a white satin waist and a cape set off with rhinestones. [Sadly, Peter would be struck and killed by an automobile, near his home, 4 months later on May 29, 1928. He was 6 years old.]
Immediately after the ceremony a breakfast was served in the home of the bride's parents.  A large number of out-of-town guests attended the nuptials.  Mr. and Mrs. Capone will make their future home in St. Louis.

Originally, they were to be married in November of 1927, however, my grandfather’s uncle, Charles Palmisano was killed on the 10th of that month by members of the Green Ones gang for refusing to pay extortion money to Vito Giannola.  Due to the tragedy, the wedding was postponed until January of 1928. 
Interestingly, I found out that my grandfather had been arrested in 1922 for striking a carriage while driving a car owned by Vito Giannola.  Hmmmmm, the plot thickens.

Animated (365/366)

TIME:  6:16 PM
PLACE:  Uncle Albert’s house
SUBJECT:  Uncle Albert, Shayne, StellaDella and Uncle Albert’s Christmas animatronics collection

It all started back in the 1990’s with Uncle Albert taking a trip to Branson, Missouri and purchasing that frog on the left.  It has since grown to a large collection of these singing, dancing, rocking and ear flapping electronic pets.  It’s quite a sight when they are all going at once.

Private Screening (286/366)

Homer Simpson: (inside a movie theater) "BORING!"
Lisa Simpson: "Dad, we can't see the movie"
Homer Simpson: "I can't believe we're paying for something we can get on TV for free. If you ask me, everybody in this theater is a giant sucker, especially YOU!”

The Simpsons Movie, 20th Century Fox, 2007

TIME:  8:52 PM
PLACE:  The movies
SUBJECT:  L-R, Brother Mike, Nephew Michael, Niece Brandi, StellaDella, DramaQueen and Dad

We went to the 9:05 pm showing of Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” and ended up being the only people in the theatre.  We’re special…or we stink and nobody wanted to be in there with us.  Naaah – I’m going with special.

Stair Photos (176/366)

“There’s nothing that makes you more insane than family. Or more happy. Or more exasperated. Or more . . . secure.”

― Jim Butcher, Vignette

TIME: 7:53 & 8:04 PM
PLACE:  Front porch of Dad’s house
SUBJECT:  Family

My 2nd oldest brother and his family were in town – it’s been about a year since we’ve all gotten together again.  We had to take a stair picture of the cousins, but had to move outside to the front porch as the stairway inside was couldn’t hold them all.  Then my brothers, sister and dad had a photo taken too.



We all got silly as well.

Traditional Stair Picture 2011 (358/365)

“Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.”

Margaret Thatcher (British Politician and Prime Minister. b.1925)

TIME:  8:09 PM
PLACE:  Steps at Dad’s house
SUBJECT:  9 out of the 11 grandchildren (or 81.8%)

Here they are…almost all of the grandchildren sitting for the traditional stair picture at Grandpa’s house on Christmas Eve.  My brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew from California weren’t able to make it into town for the holidays.  We missed having them with us.  Shortly after this photo was taken, we Skyped them so they could be with us while the little ones opened their gifts from Grandpa.  Hmm, next time if they can’t make it, we’ll have to place the netbook on the steps while the two kids on the webcam and take the photo.  That way we will have all of the grandchildren in the picture!

Great-Aunt Stella (238/365)

“A man finds room in the few square inches of the face for the traits of all his ancestors; for the expression of all his history, and his wants.”
 
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), U.S. essayist, poet, philosopher. "Behavior," The Conduct of Life (1860).

TIME: not sure…sometime between 1930 & 1940?
PLACE:  My 2nd great-grandfather’s produce store
SUBJECT:  Great-Aunt Stella

I went to a get-together this evening at the home of my 2nd cousin on my paternal grandmother’s side.  She also happens to be my 4th cousin, 1 time removed on my paternal grandfather’s side.  How does that happen?  Well, you see, my dad’s parents were related…Grandpa C’s great-grandfather was also the 2nd-great grandfather of his wife, my grandmother.  Hmmmm, that could explain a lot about the family.  Anyway…this photo was displayed on a shelf and I took a photo of it.  It shows my great-aunt Stella (who is my dad’s maternal aunt AND 3rd cousin.  She is also my 3rd cousin, 1 time removed.  Are you confused yet?).  She is standing in her father’s produce store which was located on Main Street downtown.  My StellaDella is her namesake.

The Glider (183/365)

Glider before: May 28, 2011


”Occasionally we all inherit, or are given, or get something or some things that are too good to use for a variety of seemingly sound but really quite silly reasons-they’re heirlooms or too rare or too expensive or too fragile or too pretty. The result is heirloom linen handed down from generation to generation that falls apart when some benighted heiress decides to air it. While I’m glad that past generations saved some things we now enjoy, we are enjoying them by using them instead of carefully storing them for our kids-in turn to store. Unused beautiful things are a waste.”

Malcolm Forbes

TIME:  8:08 PM
PLACE:  Front porch
SUBJECT:  …and glider after.

Finally, after an unplanned break (Bwahahaha! *wipes tears from eyes*  Get it? I “broke” my wrist and there was a “break” in finishing my project? *sigh* I do love me a good pun), I finished restoring my paternal grandmother’s metal glider.  It only took three trips to the hardware store – the first to pick up the bolts, nuts and lock washers; a second to pick up plastic caps that I forgot the first time; then a third time for one more bolt and two more nuts because apparently I couldn’t count correctly.  But, I got her put together and now she sits on the front porch for our gliding pleasure. 

Now lets see her again from a slightly different angle…before:



and…



after.

And here are some very early befores:

 
My dad determined that this would have been around 1954-1955ish.  That is his dog, Cindy.  The car in the background is a 1949 Plymouth.


This photo was taken in the summer of 1964.  My great-aunt Teresa (my paternal grandfather’s sister) is sitting on the glider, my paternal grandmother (Ignazia or Edna) is sitting next to her on the metal chair and that’s my mom sitting in the lawn chair on the far right - she’s pregnant with my oldest brother Michael.  That glider and the chair have been around for awhile…I’m honored to have them on my porch.

Family Heirloom (068/365)

Peter Dickenson: [holding up a pocket watch] This is an heirloom. It must be worth something.
Pawnbroker: Your heir didn't loom too big. If I gave you 50, I'd be fired.

Ritter, John, and Larry Storch, perf. The Flight of the Dragons. Dir. Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. 1982.

TIME:  7:43 PM
PLACE:  Dad’s Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Sign

I finished Dad’s taxes and took them over to his house this evening.  We sat in the kitchen going over the returns and I decide to take a picture of this sign hanging above the cabinets.  Last fall, he had several rooms in the house painted, including the kitchen.  In the course of redecorating, he brought this sign up from storage in the basement and hung it on the wall.  The sign originally came from my maternal grandfather, who owned and operated a neighborhood grocery store on the west end of town.  I believe that the store was in operation from the early 1930s until 1954 when he closed the business.  The market was located just a couple houses down from my mom’s family home.  The store was turned into a house that my uncle lived in until the 1980’s.  The house is still there today.

Fifty Years (121/365)

 
“A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity.  The order varies for any given year.”

Paul Sweeney

TIME:  8:08 PM
PLACE:  F--- Restaurant
SUBJECT:  Uncle Albert & Aunt Ann

On May 5th, my Uncle Albert (my mother’s brother) and Aunt Ann will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.   They had a dinner this evening for family and friends at a local restaurant.  They had their wedding album there and I had forgotten that my mother was a bridesmaid in their wedding.  Mom looked so young in those photos  - at the time she was just about to turn eighteen.  If HandsomeHusband and I make it to 50 years of marriage, he will be 89 and I will be 78, what do you think are our chances of making it to those ages?

The Present Game (001/365)

It is in games that many men discover their paradise.

Robert Lynd (Irish Essayist and Journalist, 1879-1949)

TIME:  5:36 PM
PLACE:  Uncle Albert’s basement
SUBJECT:  The extended family

I woke up this morning with a pinched nerve in my right shoulder blade.  Owie.  I took some Aleve and lay on the heating pad for an hour.  It felt a little better, but I’m still having trouble turning my head to the left.  Looks like I’m making a call to the chiropractor tomorrow.
We went to my uncle’s house (my mother’s brother) for a New Year’s Day get-together.  We play what we call “The Present Game”.  Everyone brings at least 3 gifts per player.  We roll dice – a double allows you to choose a gift, if you roll a triple, you get to choose two.  When all the gifts are distributed, we set a timer and roll to steal.  Same rules.  Then we open.  The gifts are usually pretty crappy.  Think 2 pistachios lovingly wrapped in a small jewelry box, or scratched off losing lottery tickets taped to the bottom of a large shirt box.  It’s goofy and can get cutthroat for certain gifts.  We’re dorks.