Photoessay #2435 - My cousin and me back in the day

During most of my adult life, my cousin Mary Ann was mostly close to my mother rather than to me or my sibs.  But we have gotten closer since my mother's death.  She's my partner in crime in my major genealogy efforts.  She's interested in genelogy too, and being in the greater New Haven area is always up for my crazy ideas and projects.  My classmates in my genealogy class were so jealous, I always had 'boots on the ground,' to investigate something new I might uncover.

Plus, when I got to New Haven, me or my sibs, we always always have to go to the Mishkan Israel cemetery to check up on everybody.  We have to, there's no question, Mary Ann always takes us.  People here look at me quizzically, "Why do you go to the cemetery?" they ask.  I say "Of course, we have to go to the cemetery because we just do."  She and her husband, Denny, go twice a year and clean everybody all up, make sure everything looks ok, no weeds or anything.  We had such a hard time finding my parents during a trip during the fall, that they killed the grass around the stones so we can find them next time.

For the first time, Mary Ann and Denny came here in July for Danny's wedding.

But here's Mary Ann and me, sometime around 1967.  I think we are at the Japanese Garden in San Francisco.  We are dressed up for 'the city' as my mother insisted at the time.  We are wearing stockings and funny shoes.  My hair was better then and I was much thinner, hey I was 15 years old.

From my father's slide collection.