I overlooked most of the color photographs because, as you can clearly see, they did not retain their color very well. Eastman Kodak ought to be ashamed that their product did not stand the test of time. However, what they did do was stamp the backs of their color photos, most importantly with the date; in this case, March 22, 1948, well over a year before I was born. My parents were on vacation. The back of the photograph has my mom's distinctive handwriting, "Pennsylvania Hotel overlooking the Atlantic".
Both my aunt and my sister confirm what I suspected: my mom never should have had children, especially not two, because of her physical condition with a weakened heart. Obviously, my sister and I would not be here had she not ignored her doctor's advice. After my sister was born, mom did ensure that she would have no more children, regardless if that would have violated my dad's, and my grandparent's, Catholic faith. She may not even have told any of them. But it was her life and her choice. She had presented both sets of grandparents and my father with a boy and a girl. That was sufficient. She needed to concern herself with her own existence from that point forward.
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