A Flashback from the 70's

1974.

Ten years old.

This explains why those flashbacks can be painful at times.

I posted this on facebook, and thought I would put it on the blog for all of you who do are not 'facebook friends' with me. Not to worry if you are not.

That's me, third from left, decked out in purple and violet plaid bell bottom pants, contrasting striped shirt, and tortoise shell horned rimmed glasses. Tennis shoes - most likely by Converse - rounded out the ensemble. Of all the items of clothing, I miss the glasses the most, because they were indestructible - almost - and I abused the living daylights out of them. Nowadays my lenses cost more than the frames again because I wear bifocals which gradually change power. I wish I had a pair of these horn rimmed glasses to wear while working around the house.

While on active duty in the Air Force, I had a pair of issued glasses which were for deployments. They were commonly known as BCG's because they were so uncomplimentary that they would serve as a deterrent to the opposite sex. Mine looked like the glasses above with a little of the horned part smoothed off.

All of this brings to mind a conversation I had with my wife and oldest daughter recently. We got on the subject of 'girls I dated before I married your mother.' As I started to count the number of young women I dated, my daughter said, in amazement, "knowing what you look like, and your personality, HOW did you get all those girls to go on dates with you?"

I told her there was a simple explanation: I don't know.

God saved me for my beloved Carolyn.




*Who are the other gentlemen in the picture? Those are three of my brothers; from left is Fr. Denis, then Francis - my older brothers. To the right of me is my younger brother Matthew. My youngest brother Patrick was not due on the scene until 1978.