.family history.

Last time Leif and I were at my parents we were able to pilfer their collection of old family photos so we could scan them onto my computer.  We found a lot of really amazing old photographs of my dad's side of the family.

The young girl in the white dress is my great-grandmother Una Chapman.  Later she would marry my great-grandpa and become Una Rider.  They all look so austere.  Nothing like modern family portraiture.

Here is Una again.  The back of the photograph says that she is on the Lusitania.

Una again.

I love that the subject of this postcard is about the Elmore car.  I think the photo was taken around 1904-1908 and again depicts Una's family.

My grandfather as a kid on family vacation.

I think this one is from the same family vacation as the one above.

We also found some old postcards from Oregon and the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

Finally I think that this one has to be one of my favorites.  It is of Una's brothers, which makes them my great-uncles, on their iceboat.  I think I love it so much because it reminds me of A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, one of my favorite novels of all time. 

I like to imagine these three in the novel, wintering on the frozen lake with dozens of other families, in a slightly more magical time than our own.  

.three years already.

(Somehow this got published last week.  Not sure how that happened.)

Today is my niece M's third birthday.

It trips me out how much she looks like my sister.

Here is picture of us circa Christmas 1980.  My sister is the on the right.  Isn't she cute?  Just like her daughter.  They even have the same haircut.

I, on the other hand, am quite possibly the goofiest looking kid ever to take a family photo in front of a fake fireplace (and I know there are a lot of fake fireplace photos from the 80s out there).   Had there been a better picture to demonstrate how much my niece looks like her mom I would never have used this one.

M is really such a sweet little girl.  I adore her.  She likes me well enough but she loves her Uncle Leif.  When we visit I always get a quick hug but I know she is already looking over my shoulder to see if Leif came with me. 

Yep, she loves Leif.  I'm assuming my other niece L, who is nine months old right now, will also grow up to prefer my husband over me.  But, in the end I will win them back (Yes, Leif, it is a competition) because I will paint their nails and buy them clothes when they are old enough to appreciate those sorts of things. 

I am not above buying their affection.