family 2/5

Sam Darling

Sep 30, 20152 min read

I call the Reagan Library

Immigrants to a new nation are often the most ardent in their love for their new country and my family was a classic example of the...

2 views0 comments

Sam Darling

Sep 1, 20152 min read

Grandmother’s ukulele violin

As a child I knew there were some mysterious boxes stored behind this Chinese screen in my grandmother’s summer home. When I was twelve...

2 views0 comments

Sam Darling

Aug 24, 20151 min read

Block party music

I love music. I love all kinds of music. But music in context. I’m not going to blast you with opera singing when you’re trying to eat...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Jul 8, 20152 min read

My fellow meat eaters

We’re a bunch of weirdos. Some topics will set off reflexive defenses and meat eating is one of them. If you’re a meat eater and you’re...

0 views0 comments

Vintage French theatrical posters of Daniel Crouet

Sam Darling

May 29, 20151 min read

Vintage French theatrical posters of Daniel Crouet

The items my performer parents accumulated in their long careers sometimes travel down to me in the form of mysterious poster tubes. I...

6 views0 comments

Sam Darling

May 15, 20151 min read

Family castles and fun

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in castles. Although, technically, many of these are considered manor houses. I have many childhood...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

May 7, 20151 min read

Our Sunday best

Chicago suburbs, 1950s, USA Maria Baroni with grandmother Elise & mother Helene. Just a little touch of glamor of you on this fine day....

0 views0 comments

Vintage late 60s Mod style & New Orleans

Sam Darling

Apr 20, 20151 min read

Vintage late 60s Mod style & New Orleans

Some vacation photos when my mother was on break from the opera and exploring New Orleans. Some vintage Mod and late 60s style on...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Apr 13, 20153 min read

Boys & genetic destiny

I grew up in a talented family that holds the idea that talent runs in a family as a form of destiny. My grandfather, Roger, was a cold...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Mar 27, 20151 min read

The Merry Widow

One of my fellow opera nerds made a joke by saying, “Meet you at Maxim’s” and I was transported to Art Nouveau Paris. Only, I could hear...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Feb 15, 20151 min read

Another sketch – Elise

With a photo of Elise from from a few years prior to that same time period. My grandmother was a very talented artist. The whole family...

0 views0 comments

Home movie of Agra, India 1970s & cultural appropriation

Sam Darling

Dec 26, 20141 min read

Home movie of Agra, India 1970s & cultural appropriation

Here’s a tip to your future generations: Include images of road signs or other identifying markers. It’s not every home movie that...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Dec 19, 20141 min read

Great Grandfather Gustave Arents

My paternal great-grandfather was a rakish fellow from near Brussels, Belgium. The bit of family lore we do know about him is that he was...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Dec 5, 20142 min read

Hunting, fur, & pets

We had a traditional relationship with animals. We had many pets we adored living alongside our fur coats and hunting trophies. It’s a...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Nov 21, 20141 min read

Fifties Americana

No one is more American than an immigrant. I think of my family when the US immigration reform discussion crops up again because we are...

1 view0 comments

National identity and a nanny named Becassine

Sam Darling

Nov 12, 20142 min read

National identity and a nanny named Becassine

One of the things that glues you to the people of your nation is shared childhood experience. It’s always an odd moment for me when I...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Nov 4, 20142 min read

Your physician is crap at science

There are a lot of physicians in my family and perhaps that’s why I’ve befriended doctors, their children, and worked for a number of...

0 views0 comments

Sam Darling

Oct 20, 20142 min read

Ballerinas are tough as nails

My maternal great aunt Hermine is a spitfire who has always amazed the family with her abundant energy and stubborn streak. She is tiny....

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Sep 12, 20141 min read

Children’s clothing, organized!

Did you go back-to-school shopping? Is your child’s room overflowing with clothes and making you crazy? I know, right? I do have one...

1 view0 comments

Sam Darling

Aug 19, 20145 min read

Secrets of Southampton

I’ve told you before how I am a sort of time traveler, inhabiting worlds and activities from a bygone era. This is a common pastime of...

1 view0 comments