Auguri Zia Armeta and Zio Armando! My aunt and uncle celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in September! The day before the party, on a homesick whim, I threw the kids in the car and drove to Cleveland to attend the festivities.

They are still such a sweet couple together. I admire all they have gone through. They were actually married by proxy. They weren't even dating when my uncle left Italy to seek his fortunes in Argentina. He sent a letter back asking my grandfather for my aunt's hand. She knew him as a boy from her neighborhood, of course. She knew his family and liked him well enough, so she agreed and they were married by proxy. My aunt had a small wedding ceremony and reception in Italy. She was a bride with no groom. My uncle had a party in Argentina with his family. And a while later, she took a ship to Argentina to meet her husband for the first time. That was fifty years ago. Three kids, several grandkids, and a few GREAT grandkids later, they're still together and happy. Ain't love grand?

My cousing Jena holds the two littlest cousins, Josephine and Loretta.
Zio Adelio and Zio Silvio carve up a little roast pig action.

Of course, it ain't a true DiFranco get together without men singing around the button-box.

Or women dancing together.

The whole fam damily.

Or at least the ones who could attend.

It was good to be home.