My mother, enjoying a brandy with an old family friend. c. 1959

Submitted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park for the theme, "Clocks". The wall clock in the background appears to be creeping up on ten o'clock, brandy has been poured, cigars brought out, and there is a palpable sense of camaraderie in the expressions of the principles captured here. The gentleman, an old friend of my father's family, was an interesting character. He had worked as a porter on Pullman railroad sleeper cars, then worked his way through college and medical school and established a successful surgical practice in Milwaukee. One other notable object visible in this photo is the large, stuffed lion that my dad had only recently acquired for reasons known only to him. This photo perfectly captures my memory of my mother when I was a boy. Cheers.