• Sunday-What'sUP October 9 - 11:44 pm

Often on Sunday morning when I sit down to do our weekly Shoebox Memory, I wish I could write a book in a day. But we try to make our comments brief, to let others include their thoughts and memories.

I have been fascinated by this touching photo from Robert Torreano for some time. The somber expression of the young mother... the loving concern of Grandma T... the sweet innocence of the young generation... all bring a flood of memories of childhood and home. And some thoughts about these years of the Pasty Cam.

My earliest memories of photographs are those of people... old portraits on my Grandmas walls, pictures of individuals and groups. In fact, I had the fundamental assumption that ALL amatuer-home photography was supposed to be of people. I can remember as an early teen seeing some snapshots taken by my cousin, and commenting about scenes of an open field and a sunset: "Hey, there's nobody in the picture!" It hadn't occurred to me that it was OK to just take pictures of something other than people.

In a couple of years I received a camera of my own, just before travelling to the U.P. for a week of camp Gitche Gumee. It was there I took my first picture of something other than people, as I was overwhelmed with the breathtaking view from the top of Brockway.

We have been doing the Pasty Cam now for almost 400 weeks (hard to believe!), and we have made a conscious effort over the years to include in each week at least one picture having people in the U.P., either as the subject or part of the view. Today's family photo, at least for me, seems an appropriate way to start a new week. And seeing the baby reminds me that today is the birthday of the original Pasty Camist, my son Jonathan. Happy 30th, Moo Boy. (Oh, there's a story for that nickname, but not today.)

Finally, let me conclude this rambling reminiscence with a shot I received from Jon and Peg Hardt of Green Bay, longtime Pasty Camwatchers. They did the Copper Country color tour this week and stopped by Calumet, catching us going out the door at Still Waters. From left to right that's Edie, Buddy, myself, and Peg. Perhaps we'll look back at this one in 50 years as another Shoebox Memory :o)

Wonderful picture today!

Charlie, is that pink spot by your cheek Buddy's tongue? Of course, I say that tongue-in-cheek.

Right you are, RD

Nicely said, Charlie. Thanks for posting Robert's photo. Besides the tender moment captured on film, notice also the Copper Country Dairy chocolate milk on the table. THAT brings back memories.

So it is Johnathan's birthday today - the original Pasty Camist. Happy Birthday Johnathan! We share the same birthday. I got a new slide scanner for my birthday to feed my interest in digitizing slides, many of which are going in my Pasty Cam Guest Gallery and the Bert DeVriendt shoebox.

Brian,

Just a head's up, in the voting for the 2006 Pasty Cam Calendar, a couple of Bert's photos are high in the running for the Shoebox Memory picture we would like to include. We might need a re-scan to send to the publisher. Happy Birthday to you, too.

And for any of our visitors who have not voiced your opinion about the pictures to include in the 2006 Pasty Cam Calendar, simply list, in one message, up to 12 favorite pictures (by date) in an email to 2006Calendar@pasty.com. Select between January 2004 and the present, as our 2005 calendar was entirely devoted to the pictures and memory of Dan Urbanski, who also was an important part of the Pasty Cam in the early days, and whom we greatly miss. A couple of people have mentioned that they have framed some of Dan's pictures from the 2005 calendar, as they are high quality glossy color prints. If you missed ordering a 2005 calendar, there are still a few available (click here), as we wait for the voting and printing of the 2006 calendar to be completed.

Is that the same Peg Hardt whose kids did the Happy Birthday message in the snow last February? Seems appropriate for a replay today:

Charlie and Brian,

Thanks so much for today's picture. It reminds me so much of my grandma's kitchen. The sweet aromas are overwhelming. My Grandma always had a bird feeder outside of that window and would stop everything when a rare bird visited.

Brian, I want to thank you for putting more of Bert's pictures in your album. They are so beautiful and give us all an opportunity to visit, in living color, an era of great turmoil, hard work and simple pleasures. I hope a lot of people can take the time to look at Robert's and Brian's albums today. Charlie, maybe you can provide a link to Brian's for those who may not be familiar with the workings of the Guest Gallery.

Ok, here are all 3 Gallery albums referenced today:

Robert Torreano

Brian Rendel

Peg Hardt

...and of course you can look up ANY Guest Gallery album at:

Photographer index.

I like the "Cozy Kitchen" picture. Reminds me of my grandmother's home....kitchens were always the heart of the home way back when.
Anyhow,I find myself spending more and more time here at this site. Thank you for such a great place to visit.

WELL, the cozy kitchen is much like that of Fran in Georgia's right now! My wife, son and I are visiting her and guess what? Fran and Cindy are making pasties for supper! The only pasties I've had in the last couple of decades have been from here at Pasty Central, and I LOVE them! I wonder how these will turn out! But it looks like today's shoebox in Fran's kitchen!

RT.....I LOVE THE PICTURE IN YOUR ALBUM OF THE LITTLE GIRL AND THE GRANDMA AT THE KITCHEN TABLE........HOW SWEET.....

It is kind of a waste to post a note this late in the day, I suspect,
but would I remember tomorrow? So here goes: part of the
appeal of today's pic is that it is so sharp because it is in black
and white. So many lovely photos from the 1950s and 1960s
are fading away because they are in the inherently unstable color
format. Something to think about if you want pics 50 years from
now that are still sharp like today's wonderful photo.

Love the old pics of "Grammas Kitchen". You can almost smell the fresh bread baking, the coffee perking on the stove, the the dinner cooking. Notice how all the Grammas always wore aprons. Don't see that much anymore. :(

Anyone remember going "visiting" on a Friday or Saturday night. Before you went home, the hostess always set out a nice lunch. Cold cuts, cheeses, bakery, coffee. Mmmmmmmm. I can taste it now!! Another tradition that's gone by the wayside. Ah, to be back in those days again.

Hello all my pasty friends. I'm back from a wonderful week of art! Just love your pic of the day. Reminds me of Grandma Slattery's kitchen in Hubbell back in the 40's and 50's. Hope I can find that house next summer when I come up to visit. Wish there were some family left there to get acquainted with.(Any Gagnons or Burnettes around?) Need to catch up with all this weeks writings but just skimming for now.I'm begining to think I'll have to have some reference to my tomatoe casserole engraved on my headstone when the time comes :)

What a sweet photo! I notice the milk carton in front (they were notorious leakers) is chocolate milk. I almost forgot that you can buy chocolate milk already made up, instead of adding chocolate syrup. In grade school we had milk every morning in little pint milk bottles, and of the 50-some kids in my classroom (really big classes back then) only three had white milk. The rest drank chocolate.

The photo reminds me of Mom's kitchen in the 50s, always full of good smells and scratch-cooking, and usually with the latest baby crawling underfoot. Mom was a great cook, now retired from housekeeping and living in a senior residence, but still busy being Mom to all her far-flung kids and grandkids. We are driving to Copper Harbor this week for a long weekend at Eagle Lodge, and will take turns cooking for Mom. We owe her at last count 5844 dinners.

FORMER FULTON RESIDENT- yes, I do remember those days. My mom, dad and I would go to Grandmas
(Dads mom) house every Saturday night to visit.
Grandma would put cheese and crackers and Vollwerths summer sausage out for a snack. Gunsmoke and Lawrence Welk on WLUC channel 6 (no cable then) on TV. Povitica was a frequent item
on the table also. What wonderful memories those
were.

By the way, when I first saw the photo this morning it reminded me of some of Degas' family portraits, that captured not only the physical appearance but the relationships and tensions among the members. You could write a whole story about what is happening in that photo.

I just love this pic of the three generations of women in the kitchen :) Must be, because my favorite room in my house is my kitchen...which also happens to be where I entertain guests the most, too.

Alex, great to hear from you again...I was beginning to wonder how you were doing. Hope Cindy and Fran's pasty's were delish.

Ms. Katie, Welcome home...missed you while you were out of town, this past week. I have been fielding requests for your Tomato Casserole, all week long ;-)

Yes, I'm still around. I don't post as often. Been busy working on my new album. The pasties were awesome. Fran taught Cindy how to make them.

EVERYONE will be proud of me. No A-1 Sauce. (Evil Grin).

Was just a little kid in Paavola, way back when, but I too, remember how good the kitchen always smelled when Mom was making pasties, etc. My grandma Mamie Saari's kitchen, too. Fresh rieska, and cookies, etc. Today does bring back a lot of nice memories.

Oh yes, is that a Christmas cactus on top of the fridge? Looks like a combination wood/gas range, too, 'eh?

God bless all grammas'! we all fancy ourselves pretty good cooks at times but there was nothing like the smell of grandma's house and taste of the food when Nanny took over the kithen. thanks for the picture...takes me back.

P.S. No apologies necessary for A-1 - goes on anything!