Seven Snapshots

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

I felt like trying a different way to tell a story, but even so: "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a schmoopy ride."

857 words


Seven Snapshots

I.
Front:
A man with aggressively blond hair kneels in front of an elaborately decorated Christmas tree, “Santa” hat askew on his head. He is grimacing, perhaps laughing, as a brown terrier mix dog, wearing a novelty antler affixed to its collar, licks him on the right ear.

Back:
Entered with precise printing:
December 1993(?)
Ray Kowalski, age 33
“Sparky” approx. 3


II.
Front:
A handsome brunette man dressed in spotless white cowboy garb is standing next to a rough-hewn gate. Next to him is a man with unruly blond hair, dressed in grubby brown cowboy garb, six-shooter prominent on his hip. The brunette is looking out of picture, the blond is half-turned towards him, hand out-stretched in the act of touching his shoulder.
“Brodie Studios” embossed in gold leaf on bottom right corner

Back:
Scrawled pencil:
Roy Rogers and the Sundance Kid go undercover!
Below in precise printing:
November 1998
Ray Kowalski, age 38
Constable Benton Fraser RCMP, age 39
At Big Jim’s Traveling Wild West Show, Cook County Fair Grounds


III.
Front:
A man with scraggly sandy whiskers wearing heavy outdoor gear crouches in fresh white snow, wrinkles visible in his face as he squints against the light, surrounded by six frolicking husky-mix puppies of varying coloration, and a mature white husky-wolf mix standing calmly next to him looking directly at the camera. The man is grimacing slightly as one of the puppies rears up to lick his ear. The lighting is from behind the photographer, and a clear shadow of head and upraised camera is recognizable at lower left.

Back:
Scrawled handwriting:
Marge’s first litter
Underneath precise printing:
April 2003
Ray Kowalski, age 43
Diefenbaker, age 9 (approx.)
L to R: Apu, Moe, Barney, Lurleen, Mrs Krabappel, Tod Flanders, all approximately 3 mos.

IV.
Front:
A posed studio family photograph, seated on a coach from left to right: a mature brunette man in formal RCMP uniform with Corporal insignia, a mixed race (First Nations, Caucasian) black-haired girl in a green dress, white tights and Mary Jane shoes, a mixed race (First Nations, Caucasian) black-haired younger boy in a blue suit hugging a grizzled white husky-wolf mix dog, a mature man with erect blond hair in a blue suit. All are smiling at the camera except for the wolf mix, who appears to be looking at the blond man’s near ear.
front is embossed with “Northern Lights Studio, Yellowknife NWT” in the lower right hand corner

Back:
Entered with precise handwriting:
September 2008
Corporal Benton Fraser RCMP, age 49
Calli Littlecrow, age 10
Gus Kowalski, age 5
Diefenbaker, age 14 (approx.)
Ray Kowalski, age 48
The last name of Gus Kowalski has been emended at an unknown later date from Littlecrow.


V.
Front:
From left to right, a mature brunette man (with silver on his temples) leans down for a kiss on the cheek from a mixed race (First Nations, Caucasian) teenage girl dressed in a long blue dress with flowers in her long dark hair. He is dressed in jeans and a green plaid flannel shirt with a white Henley underneath. Next to them stands a teenage boy (Caucasian, red hair) in a powder-blue tuxedo holding a corsage.

Back:
Scrawled in loose handwriting:
Calli’s first formal
Precise printing:
March 16th, 2013
Sergeant Benton Fraser RCMP, age 54
Calli Littlecrow, age 15
Enas Mackintosh, age 16 (approx.)


VI.
Front:
Informally posed family picture, from left to right: Mature man with surprised blond hair, in blue business suit. His arm is around a young mixed-blood woman in formal RCMP uniform, her black hair in long braids. She is looking up at a mature man with brunette hair (silver at the temples) also in a formal RCMP uniform (with Sergeant insignia). Next to them stand a mixed-blood teenage boy in a brown suit and a mature blonde woman in formal RCMP uniform (with Corporal insignia). They are all smiling.

Back:
Precise handwriting:
May 23, 2018
Ray Kowalski, age 58
Constable Calli Littlecrow RCMP, age 21
Sergeant Benton Fraser RCMP, age 59
Gus Kowalski, age 15
Corporal Margaret McKenzie RCMP, age 50
Depot Graduating Class of 2018


VII.
Front:
Informally posed family picture, from left to right: Slim mature man with upright blond hair in a blue work shirt and jeans, seated on couch next to a white husky mix dog who is straining to lick the ear of the blond. He is wearing a “Santa” hat askew on his head. The husky mix has a novelty antler affixed to his collar. The blond has a hand across the back of the sofa, touching the shoulder of a mature silver-haired man dressed in khaki pants and a green flannel shirt with a white Henley underneath, who smiles back at him. In his lap he is very carefully holding a black-haired baby, dressed in a red “Santa” suit that has been carefully revised into an RCMP costume with little Sam Browne and insignia. The baby is smiling directly into the camera.

Back:
Precise handwriting:
Christmas 2023
Ray Kowalski, age 63
Pierre Trudeau, age 3 (approx.)
Martha Kowalski, age 5 mos.
Sergeant Benton Fraser RCMP (ret.), age 64

Comments

Re: Now look what you did

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

Oh dear -- I meant to be a little heart-tuggy, but really wasn't =trying= to induce tears. OTOH, I've been known to cry at Kodak commercials. Sometimes it's the subtle things that get under the radar for me.

I can't begin to tell you how chuffed I am the story worked for you (or any of the other commentators!