Week 39 - Endless Stairs

This Endless Stairs block is very simple.  Instead of just four of the two piece units, I made them smaller and created my block from 16 of them. I felt it would emphasize the stair step quality of the quilt design, and that prompts a lot of family photos for my post this week.

 

Today, May 25th, is Dana's father's - my brother Carl's - birthday. So I thought it would be fun to post some photos of him that Dana may not have seen before and take the block's stair steps to revisit his childhood and youth.  Getting this collection together took help from our sister Joyce, since she currently has our parents' photo albums, though a few of these are from my own collection.

With big brothers Jeff and Roger

All the cousins up to that point on my mother's side - left to right: Ed L., brothers Roger and Jeff, Mary Kay L., Don L., Dennis W. and Jimmy W. holding baby Carl, in the Glen Ellyn dining room. Jimmy was the oldest and 11 years old in this photo. He died in 1969 when his plane crashed in Vietnam.

Grandmother Mary's mother, Walentyna, in the yard between hers and Mary's houses

This may be our Aunt Bernie, who married Uncle Frank after I was born

I think Aunt Florence is the young woman interacting with Carl on the floor at our grandmother's house

Roger and Jeff flank our grandmother Mary, holding younger cousin Dale and Carl, in her La Salle living room. All the cousins on this side are younger than Carl.

With Mom in the backyard of the Glen Ellyn house

Dad and Carl. It's hard for me to imagine that maple tree was ever so small!

Not the happiest Carl we've ever seen

Mom is wearing a different outfit - it must have been a different day

Our mother always let us play with the pots and pans at some point during our toddler exploration days

First Grade

A couple of years later

8th Grade - Carl is in the front row, third from the left

By the time he was a senior in High School, Carl easily won the Student Council presidency.

Carl is pictured center front. I'm behind him with my chin on my hand. 

During our high school's production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Carl's appearance on stage during the fight between Molly and her brothers nearly stole the show.  I think his opening line was, "What the samhell's going on here??"

Carl, standing right, as Shamus Tobin, the man who rescued and raised Molly Brown

I had to include some of these photos of Carl in the 1970's with his long hair and beard.

Practicing with the band in the basement of the Glen Ellyn house

I remember one family gathering at Aunt Alice's from about this era when the dinner table was likened to a gathering of the apostles for the last supper, around Carl's well groomed but then-radical appearance.  Our parents' and grandparents' generations definitely did not approve.

A serious moment in the living room of the Glen Ellyn house

Two more photos, taken at a party for me with my Dad's family, at the Glen Ellyn house in 1981 just before I moved to Germany.

Happy Birthday, Carl!!