Irish Snowman

As one might surmise from the various clues to be seen, this photograph was taken on St. Patrick's Day, 1971. I am a little over a month shy of my third birthday; my mother is 22. This is probably the first snowman that I had any direct participation in, and certainly the one I have the most vivid memories of (though that can probably be attributed to the existence of the photograph as much as any other factor).The eyes and buttons are radishes (a vegetable I otherwise have no tolerance for), the mouth is obviously carrot-based, and the hat is, I think, from Hallmark.

Other Fun Facts:

• This is the front yard of 139-A Cochran Road, where we lived from 1970-74.
• I still have a scar under my arm where I got pinched badly by shifting parts of the swing set in the background.
• The scarf and hat were particular favorites of my mother in those days; I still have said scarf, currently stored with my own seldom-used winter accoutrements.

Pin the Tail on the Daggit

For a slight change of pace, here's a photo of my father holding aside a balloon to facilitate a game of "Pin the Tail on the Daggit" at my 11th birthday, on or about this day in 1979. He made the game out of white and mustard-yellow poster board (do they even make that color anymore?), and did a bang-up job of it, if I do say so myself. There was also a cake with a Colonial Viper airbrushed on top, and I seem to remember loaning the baker one of the toys as a reference, though it may have just been a comic book or an issue of Starlog. The kid playing the game is old chum David Alexander, who I haven't seen in nearly 25 years. Wherever you are, David, I hope you're well...and thanks for coming to my party!
CLARIFICATION: Upon applying the advanced detective's technique of looking at the back of the photo, I learn that this party occurred on April 22, 1979. A simple investigation determines that it was a Sunday, and my actual birthday fell on Tuesday, both then and now.

"Dady"

A portrait of Mr.John Terry Thompson, Jr., who was born sixty years ago today in Anderson, South Carolina, and without whose love, parental skills, and genetic material, this blog would not be possible.