Today would have been Grampa’s 125th birthday, so here’s this year’s edition of the digital birthday card. Here he is with his bride:

I don’t know for sure where this was taken, but I’m going to guess it’s their back yard in Elmhurst. Based on the appearances of my aunts in other photographs from this set, I’m pretty certain this was the mid-to-late 1940s. Just a bit after the war. I’ll get corrected soon enough if I’m off.

I’m a few years older now than Grampa was in this photo, and that-plus-ten-years older than Gram. And yet I feel I could live into the next century, as planned, and never be as grown up as them, or anyone else from those times.

Happy birthday!