Juvenes Dum Sumus

It's too muggy to write. Huh. I wonder whether Ernest Hemingway ever felt that way?

Regardless, here's a round-up of photos from various people's youth. Enjoy!

1. "The Artist"

Ah, bonjour, c'est moi. I am four in this picture, taken in January 1974 from the kitchen of my family home. (Helpful captioning by my mother, of course.) I am drawing on one of those drawing pads you likely remember from the Seventies: multi-coloured pages, poor-quality groundwood paper, purchased at the Safeway. Eventually I'd realize my true calling ...

2. Wind-swept away

Nicole and me post-concert. Having discarded the visual arts, I tried on the performing arts ... This is spring (probably May) 1986, outside our high school; the photographer is once again Nikki's mother.

3. Much ado about nothings

... and then moved to the literary arts. (And now I will abandon this silly linkage.) This picture features Allison, James, B, and me — plus a cameo from Tom W. Taken in February 1990 in the Honours Lounge at the U of A. "Then kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"

4. The Godmother

Nicole is Zak's godmother, although I think we're all grateful we never had to put that label to the test for real. This picture was taken on our moving day from Garneau to Bonnie Doon in December 1992. Bonus: a picture of Zak with Nuk. Happy times.

5.  Being cute together

Nicole took one of my favourite pictures of me and Zak — it's not this one; I'll have to find it one of these days — which generated the idea of Zak and me "being cute together." The picture above was taken in the kitchen of the Bonnie Doon house sometime in 1998: no more detail than that, regrettably. As always for me, the details make the picture: Zak is holding his pink blanket, his dragon backpack is in the background, we're sharing the chair with a bag of recycling, and I loved that red skirt (and probably still have it stashed somewhere in the back of a drawer).

6. Getting smarter

The wise Samantha absorbing knowledge from books. This is January or February 2000 as we prepared to sell the Bonnie Doon house in advance of our move to St Albert. Even the youth of a cat should be celebrated, don't you think?

Here's to Wednesday!