Camera Words

Taking Part in the Beautiful

My son was born in my bedroom. It still seems unreal sometimes. With only my husband, my midwife, my…

Across the Ocean

When my parents told me that we were leaving Hong Kong, I didn’t fully comprehend. All I knew was that we were getting on an…

The Beginning of the Band

I met Nathan on December 4th, 2000. We were co-workers, nothing more.

How I Fell In Love With Fresno

My godmother, aka my Auntie Kiyo, was originally from Fresno. But after the war, she ended up in New York…

A Veteran’s Story

When Edward Marnell turned eighteen on January 23rd, 1942, he wasted no time. Twelve days later, he was enlisted as Private…

The New York I Knew

My family lived in Queens, New York, for three years. I was fortunate to be old enough to remember my time there: eating…

My Parents At The Age I Am Now

I had to do a little math to figure out when my parents were the same…

My Bridal Hurricane

When I got married, back in 1988, I really didn’t have a clue about anything. Back then there were not entire websites dedicated to…

My Parents At My Age

It’s funny how our parents are always “old” in our minds. I have to remind myself that I knew the 30-some-years-old…

My Mother’s Two Birthdays

According to my mother, and according to her own mother, she was born in Brooklyn on December 22, 1922. She frequently says…

A Moment Captured

I love this photo. It makes me think of classic Hollywood and Audrey Hepburn.

First Adulting Christmas, 1983

That Christmas, I was 24 years old. I had moved across the country to San Francisco and I had my first real job as a physical…

My Little Man

This is my son. He was born with one working kidney. When I was 20 weeks pregnant, the doctor noticed in my ultrasound that one of his…

My Grandfather’s Restaurant, 1929, New York

My grandfather left his job working in the kitchen of a Brooklyn hospital in the mid-1920s, and opened his own…