Summer Stock Sunday - 33

My vintage look at summer for Summer Stock Sunday, hosted by Robin at Around the Island.

Robin's second summertime photo meme has once again been a favorite highlight of my blogging year - thanks, Robin! To bring 2010's version to a close, here's a picture that epitomizes summer for me.


















This is my dad as a kid, playing cowboy in front of his parents' store in rural Quebec in the 1940's.

Though social role play can occur indoors or out, in every season, for some reason the 'let's pretend' play in which I took part as a kid is far more vivid to me when it happened outside. I played non-storytelling games like skip rope, hopscotch, red light/green light, and hide and seek, but I far preferred all the times when we enacted scenes from shows like Little House on the Prairie, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart or Six Million Dollar Man.

When I was at Ryerson directing my student films, I often heard the echoes of my childhood self setting up scenes with my friend, my cousin and my sister:

"I'll be Mary, you be Laura and you be Nellie. Now let's pretend Nellie has invited us over to her house and she's being mean to us."

And in a bit of foreshadowing, Dad's social play which gravitated towards being an imaginary gunslinger was the precursor to his sharpshooter status when he served with the US army in the 60's.

Summer Stock Sunday - 17

Woo hoo!

It's time for the first Summer Stock Sunday of 2010. I'll let the originator of this blog meme, Robin, explain how it works:

"Each week, beginning RIGHT NOW, 9pm Saturday night Israel time, 2pm EST, we'll all be sharing our quintessential summertime photos. So what says summer to you? Is it the pool? The beach? A backyard barbecue? A comfy old pair of flip-flops? Whatever summertime looks like in your corner of the world this is the place to come share it - put up your post and then come add your link to Mr. Linky. Visiting other participants is encouraged, after all, sharing is what blogging is all about."

I have to admit I found myself starting to plan out my Summer Stock Sunday posts a few months ago, as soon as the weather began to shrug off the chill of winter. Of course, I had no idea whether or not Robin had decided to do this meme again, but it was a wonderful part of my summer last year and I'd really hoped she would.

And then she announced the date on her blog - Summer Stock Sunday would begin again on June 5th. Yay!

So here's my plan for 2010. I'm taking a trip back in time this year. Let's go!













This is a picture of my dad, Norman with his little sister Suzy, taken in the late 1940's in rural Quebec, Canada.

Seems crazy that he could have ridden such a big bike!

Naquillity says I've always enjoyed the photos of your family because you seem so close to them.

Robin says What really made me smile is the way your aunt seems to be sprouting right out of the plants there on the side - too cute! Great choice to kick off Summer Stock Julia, I'm so glad you're playing along again :).

Dianne says What a wonderful old photo. It's a sweet lovely scene.