Many of us have scrap book mind fragments of family dinners long digested. I can’t really recall any including my Dad, but there was that one Sunday and I know we ate at a restaurant. That was cool. It would be nice to have some footage of this one. I’d love to hear my Nana (checkered dress) Lily’s voice and the banter between her and my mom (to Nana’s right)… Megan recently worried aloud that “dinner at Nana’s (mom’s) may never be the same.” Oh, the table beneath the fake, plastic ceiling beams will be the same, and the 1980’s vintage glass cabinet of stacked, black audio components will still draw Maddy’s curiosity, but the spirit in the room may be forever changed.

This week I pulled out the videocam for a series of interviews with my little blond ambition, and when I hooked up the series of wires, corsets and pulleys to download the directorial magic to PC, a still representation caught my eye. While I lack tangible moving pictures of most family dinners past, we do have this one, and it moved me.

[From left to right, Katie’s friend, Katie (Uncle Dave’s daughter), mom’s sister Auntie San, Anne (Uncle Dave’s wife), Mom, nephew Ryan, mom’s sister Auntie Bev, mom’s brother Uncle Dave, Kyle, Megan… and a guest appearance from Maddy)