March 13th, 2006 - Big Brother, Little Brother

Monday March 13th 2006, Big Brother Farrel and Little Brother Charlie attended the Chicago Cubs cactus league game at Hohokam Park in Mesa Az. Up against the Cubs were the Colorado Rockies who beat the cubs "black and blue". Dad was suppose to join us however he could'nt attend due to pain in his leg. Next year the 3 of us will make a game.

Wedding Day For Mom & Dad - Part 3

The happily married couple grabbing some smooches.















The below picture shows Mom and Dad showing her cousin Susan the wedding rings. Mom definately came from a family of beautiful women.

Wedding Day For Mom & Dad - Part 2

Dad celebrating with a little wine, provided by the Rabbi.















Mom and Dad listening to the Rabbi and signing thier marriage certificate. Mom and Dad were married in her Father's house in Brooklyn, NY.

Wedding Day For Mom & Dad - Part 1

Mom and Dad on their wedding day.















Picture of Mom's Dad and Stepmother. I was named after my Grandfather, Charles . Pictured below with my Mom and Dad are my mother's sister Annettte and my Uncle Lou. Both my mother and her sister Annette look like beauty Queens. Two really beautiful couples. Aunt Annette and Uncle Lou were my godparents.

Corpral Albert, U.S.Army - Korea 1952

Ok, here is the story behind this picture. Dad was in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, 1951-1953. This picture was taken by a photo journalist that was accompanying my father's unit. The Korean's posted this banner out in the field as a form of "propaganda" and of course my father decided he wanted to go out there and retrieve it. He was told not to but for some reason he did it anyways. When he returned with the banner he was photographed holding it up and the picture was published in the newspapers back home in NY. Mom stumbled on that picture when it was in the paper. She was unaware that it was taken. Check it out, its really cool.

The Three Kids - Portraits

Check out these 3 portaits. Farrel, Cara and myself. Sadly Stacey did not live long enough to have a picture such as these taken of her. These pictures were taken when each of us was about 3 years old. These pictures hung in the living room and were always favorites of mine.

Mom battles Atlantic City, and the winner is..........

Mom battles Atlantic City, and the winner is...............

Mom always loved going on trips to Atlantic City. Living less than 4 hours away by car she was always looking for ways to get there. She never needed a reason to go there, she only needed to figure out how to get there since she did'nt drive. If it was'nt with Dad then she was busy setting up trips with the Sisterhood from the temple or for charity with cancer care. Mom was big into volunteering for Cancer Care Inc. and won many awards and plaques, but here are some picture of Mom taking some money away from the money hungry Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Go get em Mom. If there are slot machines in heaven you can bet that my Mom is sitting in front of one right now watching and hoping as the reels spin.

1966 - Passover With Some Cousins

These 3 pictures were taken in April 1966 at our home in Oceanside. We were celebrating Passover with the Collins family. This top photo is of me in the kitchen. I am 4 years old. Sine the holiday was in April it could have been very close to my birthday.

Pictured here is Farrel, Cara, Charles, Stuart and for some reason Francine got cut off from these pics. I will have to check to see if there are any other pictures from Passover. I'm sure there must be some more somewhere.

1966 - The Cub Scout vs. The Brownie

This top photo of Farrel and I was taken in July of 1966. Farrel was attending the Cub Scout picnic in Point Lookout, New York.

The bottom photo was taken in February of that same year, 1966, when Cara was attending her Brownie recital.

I remember my years as a cub scout as well. Wish I still had my uniform as a keepsake. Mom was very active with both the Cub Scouts and Brownie's. Dad also helped out as well. I remember my Dad building a clown on a piece of wood with his mouth open. The idea was to throw beanbags thru the clowns mouth. I wonder what ever happened to that sorry looking clown.

1965 - New York World's Fair, Queens NY

Back in 1965 the Worlds Fair was in Flushing Meadows park in Queens New York. Here is a great picture of my Dad and his 3 prized posessions. How come the only person not wearing a hat was Cara? Thats ok, she was still a cute one back then. I guess Mom took the picture since she is not in it. This was the only Worlds Fair picture I have come across so far.

1965 - Time to visit Niagara Falls Part 1

Here are 4 pictures of the family while vacationing in Niagara Falls, NY/Canada in August of 1965. Most of these pictures were taken at Marine Land in Niagara Falls, Canada. The one picture of Farrel and I in a little car was taken at Fantasy Land in Grand Island, New York. Somewhere near Niagara Falls. There are 5 more photos right below this posting with more detailed information.

1965 - Time to visit Niagara Falls Part 2

In August 1965 the family went on a road trip to Niagara Falls, New York/Canada. We covered both sides of the Falls and had a blast. Nope, sure don't remember a thing about it. I'm only going by the following 9 pictures I have found. These 5 photos show our visit to Marine Land which after doing a little research I have found to be located on the Canadian side of the Falls. In 1965 I was 3 years old. Farrel would have been 10 years old and Cara was 8 Years old. My Dad was 34 years old and the leader of the group, Mom, was 37. Mom appears in only one photo for some reason. You can see her in the photo with me, the cute and adorable little guy in a baseball uniform. I'm wondering, is that a Yankees logo on my shirt? I grew up being a Mets fan. What happened. Everyone looks great, Farrel and Cara are cute and Mom and Dad look like they are having some fun as well.

This is my Mother's sister Annette and my Uncle Lou. My mother was very close to her sister Annette and the family spent alot of time with them. They had 2 children, Francine and Stuart. There 3 pictures are sadly undated, nor do I have any idea what beach my Aunt and Uncle are on. I would think these pictures were taken somewhere in the very late 40s to very early 50s. (1947-1952 is my guess) My Aunt and Uncle were from Brooklyn and spent thier entire lives there. Summertimes were spent in a Bungalow in upstate New York. I remember my Uncle Lou taking me upstate to spend time with them. My Aunt would stay there all summer while my Uncle would drive up from Brooklyn on the weekends. He stayed back in Brooklyn during the week to continue working in the Beauty Supply Business. A career that his son Stuart would follow him in in later years. My Aunt passed on a few months before my Mother passed. My Aunt left us in January of 2001. My Uncle followed his only love in late 2002. Just like with my Mom, it's rare that a day ever passes that I dont think of my Aunt and Uncle. When you look at these 3 pictures it amazing how beautiful my Aunt was. My Uncle was a very handosome man as well, very well built.

Let's now officially meet the family....

Meet Lila and Al, the architects of the family. This picture was taken on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey for New Years Eve 1955/56. Mom is about 27 years old while Dad was only 24 years old. At that point in time my brother Farrel was the only child that had been born. The real question is, who was watching Farrel while Mom and Dad were off playing in Atlantic City.

We have already met my brother and sister, Farrel and Cara, in my very first posting. Here is a really cute picture of the 2 of them together. Farrel is dressed like a mature and distinguished young man. Cara looks real cute and special. Hmmmm, where did those days go? How quickly time passes. This picture is undated, it is my guess that it might have been taken in 1964, putting Cara at about 6 years old and Farrel at 9 years of age. This picture may have been taken in our home in Laurelton, Queens NY. We had lived there prior to moving to Long Island in January 1964.

1962 - From the very begining...

For me it all started back in April of 1962, thats when Lila and Al added a new addition to their already growing family. They chose to name their new son Charles Marc. They already had a 1 son and daughter, Farrel and Cara. This is a picture of me on my brother Farrel's lap. Next to Farrel is my sister Cara and she is holding Stacey who was born in September 1963. Stacey was born with biliary atresia. Biliary atresia is the congenital absence or closure of the ducts that drain bile from the liver. Back in 1963 Biliary Atresia was basically a new science and there was'nt all that much they could do to help Stacey. Stacey sadly passed on at 18 months of age, in November 1964. I have no memories at all of Stacey, I of course was too young to remember her. Sure wish she was still here. This picture must have been taken between September 1963 and November 1964. Enjoy the picture. I believe it is the only picture of the 4 of us together at the same time.