Friday Photo Flashback

I’m not trying to rush into Fall, because Lord knows most of us want to enjoy what is left of Summer! This is that time of year when you start seeing the posts about summer not being over and to stop talking about pumpkin spice lattes!

I was looking for a specific photo this week for another piece and stumbled on some early Ella photos. I probably blogged about this when it happened, but it is worth a repost for those newer followers.

My wife is the Tik-Tok-er and Pinterest-er in our house. She is always saying “I saw this great idea on Pinterest” or sending me Tik-Tok videos on how to do a home project. That being said, She had seen a baby photo shoot on Pinterest and thought we should do it with Ella. We needed apples, small pumpkins, a tub, and milk.

Ella is about 7 to 8 months old in this picture.

We have this huge tree in our yard, which allowed for the “fallen leaves” look on the lawn. We filled the tub with warm water, added a splash of milk for the effect and floated some apples and gourds in the water. This photo is one of my favorites from this session.

I have to be honest with you, I’m having a really rough time this week. I shouldn’t be, as I have been through this twice before with my two oldest boys. My brain just can’t comprehend that Ella is starting pre-school next week. How did this happen so fast?

Wednesday night, she was awake when I got home from work. I’m not sure if she had a bad dream or what, but Sam told me to go check on her. When I walked into her room she was on her tablet. Mommy had told her that I was close to home and that she could wait up for me.

She smiled when I walked in. I crawled into bed next to her and asked if she was ok. She told me she was and asked if she could finish what she was playing on her tablet. I told her she could play for 5 minutes and then it was time for bed.

When I told her that her time was up, she turned off her tablet, snuggled up close to me and asked me to hold her. I kissed her on her forehead and she asked me to sing songs for her. Her new thing is to hold my hand while I sing to her. I sang all of her favorites: The Alphabet Song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mr. Golden Sun, Let Me Call You Sweetheart, You Are My Sunshine, and our song, Vieni Su. She was still awake and asked for more, so I pulled out some other ones that I used to sing to my older boys: Cruising Down the River, Watching the World Go By, On An Evening in Roma, Bouna Sera, Blue Shadows on the Trail, and more. I think I had to go back to sing songs from the first list again before she fell asleep.

As I sang those songs, I was painfully reminded that my little girl is becoming a big girl way too fast. I am still blessed that she wants to snuggle with me, sit on my lap, and hold my hand. All too soon, those things slip away. As I laid there next to her, I took in the love that was in her eyes every time she opened them to look at me. When she fell asleep, I continued to hold her and thanked God for bringing four amazing children into my life.

The emotional state I am in may or may not have been kick started by the barrage of “First day of school” photos on social media this week. My old radio boss posted a photo of his daughter who is now in 5th grade and talked about how he couldn’t believe it. I wrote under the picture, “With each passing year, Kenny Chesney’s song Don’t Blink takes on a whole new meaning.”

As I posted that, I realized that I wasn’t just saying that to him, I was reminding myself of just how precious time is. I was also reminding myself of just how fast time can fly.

“Don’t Blink.”

Friday Photo Flashback

Tuesday was National Radio Day! This is not to be confused with World Radio Day which is celebrated on February 13th every year. On Facebook, many of my radio friends posted old photos and listed the call letters of all the stations that they worked at. I did the same, but neglected to do an entire blog about it. I think the reason for that is that I have written a lot of blogs about radio, radio mentors, radio friends, and radio listeners. If you are new to this blog, I will share a link or two after today’s photo, which ties into “radio.”

I have never really grasped just how lucky I was to land my first few radio jobs in a major market. I spent a lot of time on the airwaves in Detroit. One of those stops was at WWWW-FM (W4 Country). Many remember that this was the station Howard Stern worked at in the early 80’s. It played rock at the time, but so did a few other stations in the market, so they switched format to Country. They actually wanted to call him “Hopalong Howie!” You know the rest of that story.

When I worked there, I was there in a part time capacity and had a lot of fun.

The above picture was taken while I was out at a station appearance. I believe one of my listener friends took this photo of me. This must have been taken around 1997. I was still wearing glasses, so I had yet to have my Lasik surgery. I am also much skinnier!

I loved the station apparel we got to wear. The station logo on that yellow always seemed to “pop” to me. I wish that I had thought like some of my other radio friends and saved something from every station I worked at (logo items). I think some stuff got lost in a move or went to Goodwill. I may still have station coffee mugs somewhere!

I don’t want to sound egotistical, but this is one of my favorite radio pictures. I don’t recall if this was an a concert (which it probably was) or at some type of remote broadcast, but I like it. I haven’t had a goatee since I got married to Sam. She loves my full beard (and I love that I don’t have to shave every day). The beard here is much darker than it is today. There’s a whole lotta grey in there now!

The baseball cap is one that I bought at the ballpark. It was the only one that I ever owned that was fitted. What a difference between those and the ones with the snappy things on the back. It fit SO good. I loved that hat.

I can’t help but laugh at the size of my eyebrows! I once told a joke on the air that my eyebrows had their own Facebook page! I did create one (Keith Allen’s Eyebrows), but deleted it some time later after it had brought about as many laughs as I could milk out of it.

I also have to laugh at the “Nokia” banner behind me. Why? Because at the time, me and half the world had THAT Nokia phone!

Even though Covid forced me into “radio retirement,” I still look back at those days with many memories. You can read more of those memories below. First a compilation of a few radio blogs here:

A “Best of Radio” Blog

Shortly after that one was published, Dave from A Sound Day asked me a few radio questions that I answered here:

Interview with Dave from A Sound Day

Finally, after many blogs praising one of my favorite bosses and mentors, I was shocked to hear of the passing of one of them. Here was my tribute to Richard D.

A Voice Silenced. A Friend Lost. A Legend Remembered.

I suppose this was a lot for a simple “Photo Flashback,” but radio is and will always be in my blood. It is something that I love to talk about and always brings about so many memories…..

Friday Photo Flashback

On August 16, 1977, 47 years ago today, Elvis Presley died in Memphis, Tennessee. I was just 7 years old when he passed away, but I can recall how his passing hit my father and many others who grew up with his music and his legacy. As a kid, I knew Hound Dog, Teddy Bear, All Shook Up, and Don’t Be Cruel. It wasn’t until after he passed and as I began to dive deeper into his music that I came to appreciate his talent and why he was adored by his fans.

The first radio station I worked at (WKSG-FM, 102.7 Kiss-FM) was an oldies station, so I played my share of Elvis songs there. I played even more when I moved over to Honey Radio (WHND AM560) as they focused on early rock and roll. Discovering “new” Elvis music by playing unfamiliar (to me) songs on the radio only made me a bigger fan.

It was in the early 2000’s that I had the chance to go to Memphis on a radio trip. After we had finished our business at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in preparation for our radiothon, I had the opportunity to go to Graceland – Elvis’s home.

We had to wear these Walkman like headphones and carry a small device attached to them that allowed us to hear narration of the rooms and such on the tour. When we pulled up in front of the house I was surprised. It really doesn’t look as big as it does in the pictures.

Naturally, I had brought a camera, but the lighting within the house wasn’t that great for picture taking and there was a “No Flash Photography” rule on the tour. This was before we all carried around cameras on our phones. I had a camera with actual film in it that had to be developed. My photos came out dark or blurry. I was really upset by this.

The tour itself was really amazing. The various colors of the rooms, the 1977 appliances, the Jungle Room, the piano where Elvis played on the night he passed away, and the memorabilia had my brain overloading. One wall had gold records, awards, album covers and more line from floor to ceiling! Throughout the place were outfits from his movies and movie posters and various other things encased in glass. I was loving every second of my visit, snapping as many pictures as I could take and getting excited to show them to my dad when I developed them. And then, in an instant, I was silenced.

Full disclosure: the above photo is not mine. Mine came out blurry.

As you walk outside, you are almost at once in front of Elvis’ grave. The emotions that hit me were completely unexpected. I was overwhelmed to the point where I was almost in tears. I remember thinking, “Why am I almost crying? I never met Elvis before, yet I am overcome with feelings of sadness, wonder, and awe.” It was a humbling experience.

I had seen photos of the grave before, but now I was literally standing in front of it. There were flowers everywhere. It was beautiful. I stood there for quite a long time just lost in my thoughts and the moment. I had even forgot to press the button on the little audio thingy to hear this part of the tour.

As I think back to that moment, I really can’t explain what I was feeling or experiencing. It was surreal. It was like feeling a bunch of emotions all at once. There was respect and admiration as well as reverence and grief. Those few minutes at Graceland are certainly in my Top 5 “Most Complex” moments of my life.

There have since been some additions to the Graceland Graveyard since my visit. I wonder if it would hit me the same way if I were to go back.

Friday Photo Flashback

Today’s Photo Flashback only takes us back a couple weeks. It’s a story I have been meaning to write about on here for a bit, but with all the other things happening, it slipped my mind. So here is the story:

I had to drop off the water bill recently. The municipal building houses the courthouse, the water department, and the police department. I took my son Andrew with me on the errand. He asked where we were going. When I told him “the police station,” he asked if we’d see a police car. I told him that I was sure we would. We walked in and paid the bill and on the way out, we walked into the police station lobby area. A woman behind the glass asked if we needed anything and I explained that Andrew wanted to see the police station. She had been talking to someone out of our line of sight. She said, “Well, you’re a lucky young man! You get to meet the Chief!”

Before we knew it, Police Chief Millstead came out and said hello. Andrew wasn’t sure what to do at first, but he walked over and shook his hand. The Chief asked what we were doing today and Andrew says, “We’re going to get donuts!”. At this point every police/donut joke runs through my head and I’m almost embarrassed, but the Chief didn’t miss a beat. He looked at Andrew and said, “You’re a man after my own heart!”. He gave him a sticker badge and the lady behind the desk gave him a cute stuffed dog. The Chief was kind enough to pose for a picture with him, too.

Andrew couldn’t wait to get home and tell his mommy and sissy. He was SO excited. Now, when we get donuts, he asks if we’re going to get one for the Chief!

This 5 minute visit is just one of the many reasons I love living in our town! Thanks our Police Department and Chief Millstead for making this boy’s day!!

Friday Photo Flashback

I take you back to September of 1999 today. Knowing what I know now, it can be hard to look back at this day. No one ever gets married thinking that it will end in divorce. Believe it or not, the divorce rate in America has been declining since the 1990’s. They used to say that 50% of marriages end in divorce, but it is really less than that. The American Psychological Association (APA) estimates that the probability of a first marriage ending in divorce is 41% in 2024.

As I look back, I know that while my first marriage ended, it led to me having two sons. I also know that if it hadn’t ended, I would not have found the happiness I experience today. I am truly married to my soul mate and she has blessed me with my daughter and my third son. It is true that when something ends, there is always a new beginning that follows.

I ran into a friend the Monday after our reception. I was dropping off the cake plate at a local bakery. He looked at me and said, “Dude! Your reception was like a variety show!” I always thought that was the best compliment.

We had a ton of fun for sure. We did your standard wedding stuff, but as a wedding DJ, I tried to make sure we did things a bit differently. First, I hired the best DJ I have ever seen. Marc and Jim went to school with us and they knew how to work a room. They had everyone dancing all night.

When we did the YMCA, all the groomsmen and I had the hats of the Village People and did the dance up on chairs (something I always did at weddings). My ex did an up-tempo dance with her dad. I danced a tarantella with my Italian grandmother. We did the chicken dance with a rubber chicken. I brought the guys from my bowling team out to the middle of the dance floor and we did a shot to our “team song” (Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash). There was always something going on.

The men who were my groomsmen were the guys who have been friends for life. They are my inner circle. My best friend, Jeff I’ve known since second grade. My pals Steve and Joe were in band together since 7th grade. My other buddy Steve used to DJ with me and we’ve been friends since we got together in alumni band. Then, of course, my brother, who I’ve known all his life.

I wanted to do something silly with just them. Steve and I used to do this Blues Brothers thing to kick off our events and I thought we would do something along those lines. I remembered the scene in the Blues Brothers movie where Ray Charles sings “Shake a Tailfeather.” In it he calls out all kinds of dances and a large group of dancers dance along (doing those dances) outside Ray’s place as they sing.

I got Blues Brothers hats and sunglasses and had a radio buddy put together an intro that was played before we came out to dance. They guy who did it produced this 5 minute long thing that was a bit much. Thankfully, the crowd forgot all about it when we came out and danced.

The guys had no idea how to do the Boogaloo, the Monkey, or the Watusi. I told them we’d make it us as we went along. They all kind of watched me and followed along. On cue, when the lyrics called for us to “bend over” and shake our tailfeathers, we did!

Honestly, we looked like fools, but what a great way to share some fun with the guys who will always mean a lot to me. These guys will forever be my “capos.” It has been too long since we’ve all gotten together. I hope we can rectify that soon.

What a great time! What great friends!

Friday Photo Flashback

Ok, the last two weeks were flashbacks of a serious nature, so I thought I would find a picture I could pick apart a bit. I know Max over at the PowerPop blog loves these photos.

According to the date stamp, this was developed in 1988 (the year I graduated from high school). That being said, we never seemed to develop film right away, so this could have been taken in 1987. Welcome to a little corner of my brother’s room.

The first thing that hits me are two 70’s/80’s decorative staples – Paneling and wallpaper! I can still remember when my folks hung that astronaut wallpaper. I cannot remember if this was my room first or my brother’s. At some point, maybe before they hung the wallpaper, we switched rooms. Mine had globes and maps on the wall.

While my brother and I are very different, we are also very similar. Case in point: we both had shelves in our rooms for photos and display pieces. My shelves had Three Stooges dolls, a couple autographed pictures, ceramic pieces that my mother had made, and little collectibles. This bookcase/shelving unit was were my brother displayed many of his favorite things and photos.

Before I look at the shelves, I want to point out that in 1987 our band went to Disney in Florida and marched in a parade there. The Goofy hat on the wall was something that I believe both my brother and I had. I have no idea what that red thing is hanging in the upper left of this picture. He may remember.

I have blogged in the past about mom’s ceramics hobby and this photo features some of her work. You can read about that hobby here:

Another Mom Memory

We were obviously into Star Wars back then. Starting at the left on the top shelf is the first Star Wars piece mom made, R2-D2. She may have asked the two of us what pieces we’d like for her to make for us. I seem to remember asking for Chewbacca, who is next on the shelf. The R2-D2 was fairly simple. The detail was good and it had a shine to it. I remember my mom did something different with Chewbacca. For the life of me, I can’t remember what she called it, but it had more of a dirt/flat look to it. You really can’t tell, but in front of Chewbacca is the controls to the Millennium Falcon. I remember thinking how professional the thing looked and thinking, “My mom made this!”

In front of Chewbacca is a small ceramic cat that mom made for my brother. It is much like the little pieces that I mentioned in the blog link above. I have to chuckle at the that coconut next to Chewbacca. We both had one, I think one was just a single person, while it looks like Chris’s may have been two. I think those were banks, but I could be wrong. Did we get those at Disney, too? I think so, but I cannot recall.

Next to that coconut is one of the best pieces my mom ever did – Yoda. This was the final Star Wars piece she worked on and it was fantastic. She was always trying new things and for Yoda’s coat, she used some kind of sandy stucco stuff that really made it look cool. The detail on this piece was just amazing.

Before moving to the last piece on the top shelf, I have to point out that the US and Italian Flags on that shelf were something that we both got while in Epcot, a trip that (for me) was cut short because of an ambulance ride to the hospital (it was nothing).

The last piece on that shelf may be the piece that started it all for my brother’s Wonder Woman collection. He has always loved the show, the comics, and everything about her. At one point he had enough Wonder Woman stuff to fill that entire book case. Today he has a Wonder Woman ROOM!

As you move down a shelf, there are a load of pictures that I know just by looking at them. Even though they are blurry in this photo, I know exactly what they are. The first is a photo of my folks, my brother, and my grandma in Florida. It was one of those “old time” photos. I was off with my friends when they had it taken. Then there are photos of my Aunt Jodi and my grandma. I’m not sure where the cross came from, but it looks like maybe there is a rosary hanging from it. (We were raised Catholic, but no longer practice that). Then there is a photo of my other grandparents, my cheesy senior picture, my brother’s favorite photo of him and my grandpa, a Polaroid of a lot of us on squeezed on the couch with my other grandpa and our dad, and finally another old time photo of Chris and my dad in some Civil War get up.

I have to admit that the dog on the shelf below the photo shelf looked familiar. I kept thinking it was something like Teddy Ruxpin and I wasn’t far off. Long before they produced Webkinz, Ganz made Wrinkles Talking Dogs. When I looked it up, it said it was a puppet.

Each one of those dogs had a tag with a number on it, making each one unique. Ebay had one for sale – for $400!! Yikes.

Back to the photo…I remember Garfield being a big deal around this time. All of the school book sales had Garfield books, the book stores always had a big display of them, and it was always on the front page of the Sunday comics page. Not to mention the TV show and movies… I don’t remember my brother being into Garfield, but there he is with Odie. Another picture of grandma and Jodi in on that shelf, too.

Here’s where it get’s sketchy, but I can make out most of the rest of the photo. Below Garfield are Disney’s Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy (that’s a tiny bit of his hat you can see). My brother has always loved Disney and goes there almost annually. If I had $5 for every Disney Character he has taken a photo with, I could maybe fund a trip to Disney!

Just a couple more observations. Next to the Disney stuffies, you can make out the top of an old time radio. I think, and I may be wrong, my brother and I both had one of these. You could listen to AM/FM radio on it and on the side was a spot you slid a cassette tape in to listen to it. We had MANY old radio shows on cassette and listened to them often.

Finally, in the bottom right corner of the photo is a TV. I laughed out loud when I saw the dials to change the channels on it! My first thought was that the box on top of it was a cable box, but it is too early for that. I’m pretty sure that was my brother’s alarm clock. That TV was the one we played Atari and Nintendo on back in the day. We may even have had a Betamax video player in there. Those were the days!!

I’ll have to find a photo of the shelves in my room to share one day. If I do, I will warn you, my room was always a disaster!

Friday Photo Flashback

Last week, I posted a couple pictures from the St. Jude Radiothon that we did when I worked at B-95. (The radiothon was to help raise money for kids with cancer.) In that post, I mentioned two very special people who I met because they were local St. Jude patients. I knew that I had photos of them somewhere and I want to share them here.

I remember our St. Jude representative coming up to me and asking if it was ok to interview someone local who had been to St. Jude. Naturally I said, yes. This was tying every thing together. Many people asked why we were raising money for a hospital in Memphis. Most people do not realize that the hospital helps people from all over the country. Not to mention what I mentioned in the last post about all of the research that they share with doctors and hospitals here in the US and around the world.

Shortly before I was to go on the air, I was introduced to Vicky and her son, Kyle. I got to chat with them both a bit before going on the air. Kyle was maybe 8 or 9 at the time, maybe younger. When we went on the air, his mom and I talked about the hospital and all that they experienced. Kyle was a bit shy, but still talked about his stay and the things he liked to do and the music he listened to.

Kyle was a big fan of Shania Twain. When she came through town, I made sure that he got backstage passes. What I didn’t know was that Shania’s people lined all those backstage folks up in groups of 8 and Shania would walk to the groups, stand in front of us and a picture would be snapped. No autographs or anything. I was not about to let that be how Kyle’s backstage experience would be. I stepped out in front of her and introduced her to Kyle so she could shake his hand before they snapped that picture. Sometimes you gotta break the rules!

Kyle is probably in his late 20’s or early 30’s today. Every once in a while I will bump into him in the store as he lives close by. His mom and I are friends on Facebook, and she keeps me up to date on how Kyle is doing.

The other special person I met through the radiothon was Allyson. She may have have been about the same age as Kyle, maybe younger. Her mom and dad (Julie and Frank) became good friends with our station’s staff members too. She was a huge fan of country music and actually got some of the country stars phone numbers. She was given a signed guitar by Sammy Kershaw when he played the country fair. This picture may have been from that day.

She was a huge fan of hockey and we had a few local hockey teams that played in town. I could always count on seeing her and her family at those games. One game, we tossed out t-shirts or something from the ice at a game. Our team were champs one year and we had the “cup” and we all got to be out on the ice and hold it. Allyson was right there with us.

After I left B-95, she kept in touch. She often called me just to say hello and I love you. She was such a sweetheart. I DJ’d in her back yard for her 21st birthday, if I remember correctly. Her folks threw a big party because they had told them that she wouldn’t live to see her 21st birthday. It was a joy to be there and play music for her.

Sadly, Allyson lost her battle with cancer a few years later. In 2013, she passed away at age 24. I think of her often and am glad to have some photos of us together.

These two special people benefitted from the work done at St. Jude. If you have ever thought about donating to the hospital, I can assure you, every penny counts.

Friday Photo Flashback

One of the greatest things about working in radio was being in a position to help people. This is where local radio wins! Real people helping real people.

My Friday Photo Flashback this week takes me back to the very first B-95 Country Cares For St. Jude Kids Radiothon. When Brian Cleary took over as our program director, we partnered with them to raise money for kids with cancer.

I had heard of St. Jude because I was familiar with Danny Thomas. Today, there are plenty of commercials for the hospital featuring Marlo Thomas, Danny’s daughter. Back when we started doing radiothons, there was a whole lot less exposure for the hospital.

The photo below brings back a ton of memories of some of the greatest people I have ever worked with. From left to right we have Anne, Kristine, Brian (kneeling), Buzby (our mascot), Lonnie (the winner of an autographed guitar), Jim and me. What a fantastic on air staff!

Each of us was flown to Memphis to tour the hospital, meet the doctors, meet patients, meet parents of patients, and meet with many of the country stars who also supported the hospital. When I went, my ex was still pregnant with my firstborn. You can only imagine the emotions I experienced while I was there!

It was like nothing I had ever experienced. The stories, the happy endings, and the sad endings. The amazing facts and figures that were shared about how the research that they were doing was not only helping kids with cancer, but anyone with cancer. The discoveries made and the treatments that were making a difference in the lives of many were astounding. The two days I spent in Memphis were full of emotions!

We got to take the things that we saw, learned, and present them on the air, while raising money for the hospital. It was because of this radiothon that I met two very special kids (who may pop up in a future Photo Flashback), Kyle and Allyson. Both of them were St. Jude patients and I became fast friends with them and their families.

For two days, we were set up in center court of our local mall broadcasting from there. We had our volunteer phone banks set up on the floor to the front and side of us. We broadcast live from the stage, where all of the microphones and equipment was set up (which you can see in the last photo).

We weren’t a very big radio market. We weren’t sure what to expect for our first radiothon. If I remember correctly, our St. Jude rep, Amy (pictured on the left in the bottom photo) thought we might raise like $40,000. We beat those expectations by almost $20,000.

Without a doubt, it was one of the highlights of my radio career. Even though there was a ton of preparation and work that went into the event, it was one I always looked forward to. There is a lot of satisfaction knowing that you play a small part in helping save the lives of children.

Friday Photo Flashback

I always enjoy a good “writing prompt” and have used them on occasion to write when I struggle for an idea. With the features I have going now, I tend to overlook them. I suppose I should jot down the good ones and save them for later.

One of the bloggers I follow recently answered a prompt that was about a celebrity crush or something to that effect and wrote about Billy Ray Cyrus. I had mentioned that I had the opportunity to meet him and that I would try to find the photo of us. I didn’t have to look far, as it was in a small photo album that I would take with me when I did Career Day presentations at the local high schools.

Billy Ray shot onto the scene with his song “Achy Breaky Heart” and while it was a monster hit, there were plenty of radio people who thought he was going to be a one hit wonder artist. Many just couldn’t take him seriously after that song, which is a shame, because he really was more than that one song. Could’ve Been Me, Some Gave All, Busy Man, and Ready Set Don’t Go are just a few that prove that.

I’m sure that there are plenty of songs that, if they had gotten airplay, could have been hits. However, many radio programmers had written him off as “done.”

I don’t recall what year Billy Ray played our county fair, but it had to be around 1997-1999. I know this because in the photo I am wearing glasses. I had Lasik in late 1999 or 2000, so that helps to get an approximate date.

The meet and greet was prior to the show and I have to tell you, Billy couldn’t have been a nicer guy. He was gracious and attentive to our listeners, he signed as many things as they had brought back for him and posed for countless photos. The station staff was last to see him before he got ready to hit the stage.

I remember him signing our auction items, photos and laughing with all of us. Before I walked away, he gave me his road manager’s (or manager’s) card and number and said, “Keith, you just call if there’s ever anything I can do for you or the station.” A week or so later, a card arrived in the mail at the station that said something like, “Thanks for a great time at the fair! God Bless, Billy Ray Cyrus.”

Despite his status as a well known country singer, he was about as down to earth and humble as they come.

Friday Photo Flashback

This was one of those weird finds on the hard drive. All I remember about this photo is that it was taken at a time where my dad and mom were really into photography. They had bought some high tech camera and were taking pictures of just about everything. I remember they told us we were going to the “Flower Show” which was happening somewhere in Detroit. My brother and I did not want to go!

I want to say right here that this picture kind of freaks me out. Why? Because I really don’t think that this looks like me or my brother! I’m not sure if it is because we both are in need of a haircut or what! It’s odd to look at myself in it.

I do remember that jacket I am wearing, However, I don’t ever recall having a Jim Morrison shirt (at least I think that is Jim Morrison). Another reason why this doesn’t look like me – I don’t ever remember parting my hair in the middle! What exactly is that?!

My brother obviously looks thrilled in the photo, too! I don’t recall that jacket at all. How old are we in this picture? I just don’t know! If I had to guess, I’d say this might be 6th or 7th grade for me, but I’m really clueless.

And now for the elephant in the room – From what I remember, my mother or father (whoever had the camera) thought their two boys would look good standing with Miss Piggy in the middle of them. Urgh. Maybe I should have picked another photo…..