Christmas Back Home

My self-published photography book - Passion = Truth: A Photographic Essay on Life's Truths - wrapped to the nines to give as my first Christmas gift.

A Christmas elf in Irving Park.

Justyna's dog, Ollie, waiting for Mommy to come home. What am I - chopped liver?

The ever-present photog snapping a Christmas tree ornament.

A view through the window at the Victorian in Irving Park, Chicago.

Goin' home to Wisconsin on a rail.

Scott and Ashley - recently engaged. GO PACK! And GO CRACTION!

Uncle Bob Nowak and his three oldest - Joe, Rob and Paul - and me. Every year my Uncle Bob and Aunt Ev (dad's youngest sister) throw their Pierogi Fest. He's Polish and pierogis are the national dish. Maybe they're not but they're damn good. This was my first Piergoi Fest since I moved to California in 1998.
Mom and Dad. Brother Jason is in the back - left.

Joe and his new girlfriend. Ummm...Brenda? I think - yes. Anyway - she's hot. Look at Joe's face - smilin' like a sonofabitch. Atta way to go, Joe! And GO PACK!

Dad playing jazz guitar.

One of Mom's Christmas trees. I think we have four now.

I was goofing around and took this picture of a picture of me playing Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie in the mid-90's. Best Actor of the Year baby! GO PACK!

Another picture of a picture. Me at one year old, I think. And no I wasn't a waterhead baby. That's the curve of the picture frame glass in the camera lens. Nice - and during Christmas, too.

Frank and Mike's cat. Jason (my brother) found it and gave it to them. They had just recently lost two dogs in the last two years. A couple days after I took this (Jas and I went to their house on Christmas Day-Eve and sucked back a few brews) the third dog died. Frank and Mike are heartbroken, but having this cat around has helped ease their pain. I'm not a cat person but this is a great feline. Blurry picture but a great pose. Frank grew up with my father (they're the same age) on Beaver Court in Greendale. There's a great movie clip of Frank on another post below (Holiday Mini-Movies) you HAVE to see.

A few days after Christmas, Wisconsin got dumped on - 7 inches in Waterford alone. I trudged down to the bridge in the middle of town and snapped this shot of the Fox River. On the way down, I got into a fight with the two, bratty neighbor kids and their mother. Little bastards (and the mother was a piece of work herself...what a bitch). I wanted to wreck their lousy snowfort they were building but my Mother told me to grow up.

Our backyard in Waterford. That's not a real crane on the left but we've been known to have ducks from the Fox River wading in the yard after a big rain.

Jason out and about in the snow.

Met my Mom's brothers for breakfast one morning - and some cousins as well. Bottom row: Uncle Bob Datka, Mom, Uncle Butch. Top row: Uncle Rocky and Uncle Jerry. The oldest, Uncle Ralph, died a few years ago. Uncle Kenny is in Rudolph, WI (Up North) and Uncle Ronny doesn't come to many family things. Aunt Karen was hesitant to drive in the snow. Big family - the Datka's. These five alone could kick the shit outta any five gang members in LA. Wanna bet?

Merry Christmas from The Beach Club! That was the name of our house the five of us lived in our senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. We met for drinks at the Milwaukee Ale House Saturday night. Left to right: Tom, Steve, Stuey, Saad and me. Tom and Saad drove in from Chicago (we're all originally from WI). Ahhhh...The Beach Club - and the times we had. But that's all I'm legally able to say about that so don't push it. GO PACK! Oh - and Whitewater was Division III National Football Champs this year. GO WHITEWATER!!

An Ircink tradition at Christmas - watching A Christmas Story 4,000 times on TBS. One of many traditions we have. Hope you enjoyed your holidays as well.