Arrived at my aunt Lillian’s late last night. This photo is of her and my father, John M. Wise Sr. Yep, I’m a junior, and it’s the first time I’ve seen this picture of the two siblings. Growing up in Buffalo until I moved to California to live with my father, my aunt Lillian and her husband Joe Marynowski were two of my favorites as they always seemed to be laughing or making my sister and I laugh with them. After my mother, Karen Kurchoff, abandoned us at school one morning when we were about 4 and 5, it was the paternal side of my family that cared for us so we could avoid foster care. I tended to understand the situation back then in 1968, with my mom being a mere 19 years old after getting pregnant back in 1962 at the age of 14 with me, but still, I was sent off to live with a man who had his own set of issues. Looking at this photo, I see the potential still beaming in a smile that might have let this boy grow up and enjoy life, but instead, he was likely witnessing behaviors that shaped the way he would deal with his wives and his children into something far less than stellar.
My aunt Lillian Marynowski, formerly Wise, and her grandchildren Jacob and Johnathan Marynowski. More than thirty years ago I spent many a day and night in this house as it was the home of John Alexander Wise and Amelia Wise née Knezetic, my paternal grandparents. I have fond memories of being here and can hardly believe that all these years later, I’m peeking in the refrigerator (looking for tapioca my grandma used to make me) and visiting the basement where she scrubbed my grandfather’s collars on a washboard by hand. Where the lamp and picture of Jesus are, there used to be a cabinet, and in the bottom drawer were the games that my grandfather had given me: Lincoln Logs and an Erector Set. I can still remember sitting in the living room (just behind my aunt Lillian) and watching Frankenstein for the first time and falling in love with horror movies, though I also can’t forget burying my face in a pillow for much of the film as it was too scary. Visiting after so many years away brings with it a wave of emotions and memories that in some way were buried and maybe are better left in the past, but here I am in the face of nostalgia for good or bad.
The intersection of Delta Road and Charlotte Street in Tonawanda Buffalo, New York. I’ve played on these streets for several years and would walk around the corner to Alberta Drive to visit with my aunt and uncle Annie and Woody Burns and a house or two down Mike and Penny Knezetic and their three children. While Mike and Penny stayed in their house for the rest of their lives, as did my grandparents, Annie and Woody, moved to Goleta, California, which was in part why my father moved to California too. Years later, Annie and Woody would move back to Buffalo just across the street from my cousin Brian Marynowski, who at the time was caring for his mom, my aunt Lillian, in what had been my grandparents’ home.
Caroline Wise is stepping into Canada for the first time. We are on our way to Niagara Falls.
Our first grand view of Niagara Falls is seen from Canada, which happens to have the better views. We’d planned on taking a Maid of the Mist tour out on the water to the foot of the falls, but it had closed for the season only a few days before our arrival.
One hundred twenty-five feet below the surface, a 130-year-old tunnel system offers visitors a viewing and listening experience of Niagara Falls that shouldn’t be missed.
A viewing platform adjacent to the tunnel we were just in offers this incredible view and puts the Falls into a wholly new perspective. While we missed the Maid of the Mist this trip, we’ll come back someday and certainly make the journey to see the Falls from that perspective. The biggest joy for Caroline while here was seeing the incredible number of rainbows that shone brightly in the sun under clear blue skies.
Welcome to Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario in Youngstown, New York. We cannot believe our luck that the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and it’s a warm 50-degree fall day.
From the Old Fort Niagara website:
The three flags flown daily above the parade ground symbolize the nations that have held Fort Niagara. Each competed for the support of a fourth nation: the powerful Iroquois Confederacy. The French established the first post here, Fort Conti, in 1679. Its successor, Fort Denonville (1687-88), was equally short-lived. In 1726, France finally erected a permanent fortification with the construction of the impressive “French Castle.” Britain gained control of Fort Niagara in 1759, during the French & Indian War, after a nineteen-day siege. The British held the post throughout the American Revolution but were forced, by treaty, to yield it to the United States in 1796. Fort Niagara was recaptured by the British in 1813. It was ceded to the United States a second time in 1815 at the end of the War of 1812.
In all my years of taking photos, this has remained a favorite due to how much it conveys, how much it obscures, and the hints of color that come through.
Back in Buffalo, we spent the late afternoon and evening with Aunt Lillian, who indulged us with visits to two of my childhood favorites: Bocce Club Pizza for dinner and Anderson’s Custard for dessert. There are a few things Buffalo does well, pizza, custard, candy, and Buffalo wings are certainly out front. Brian and his wife Lynn came over and stayed a bit before leaving the kids with Grandma, with whom we talked late into the night. It’s a mixed bag, this going-home stuff.
