CLASS (less) PHOTO

While visiting my daughter, she played me a voice mail that was left on her cell phone.  Somehow, a man who was looking for me, left a message that he might me my long lost cousin on my father's side of the family.  I called him back and a lot of the pieces started to fall into place.  There is a chance that we are indeed related.  He has photos and locations and dates that fit well enough for me to search my old family photos once I return to my other island.  I only have a few old time photos of myself in my laptop.  This one is my grade school graduation.  Can you guess which one I am?

I have had a mild interest in my family history.  Ancestry on Nantucket is very important.  Everyone who is anyone is distantly related to Herman Melville.  Not so much in Florida where the typical pool company advertisement would say something like IN BUSINESS SINCE  (all the way back to) 2008.  I have socks older than some of the towns in the Sunshine State.  It is the antithesis of the island I am currently standing on.  I hope you read my piece on the visit to the Historical Home.  There are things  here that could not pass any building code anywhere.  The bathroom where only Herve' Villechaise (remember "De Plane, Boss, De Plane!" from Fantasy Island) could use the potty at Fig's on Fair Street. "How Looooow can you go?" must have been invented there.  Barrier free?  Hardly, in the most PC state in America.  Anyway, on Nantucket, the folks who live here, and admittedly me now, consider taking the ferry to Hyannis..."Going to America." Things really are centuries old here. In Florida, the only old things look like Q-tips peering over the steering wheel while driving 45 mph in the left lane with their indicator on for miles.   But I digress.

Getting back to the family history, the gentleman who contacted me assured me that he was not on a phishing expedition and wasn't looking for my social security number and bank routing number.  He also does not live in Nigeria. I Googled him and found out that he was a Navy guy and still plays a big role in historic preservation of an old Destroyer and an Aircraft carrier in Charleston.  Also the Medal of Honor hall of of fame.  So, I am going to keep up the conversation and will soon be in the attic looking for the old box of  photos to see if there is indeed a long lost cousin on my father's side.  There are no living relatives to ask that I remember from my childhood.  Perhaps I will have to cough up some filthy lucre to Ancestry.com to help me out here.  I will report my progress.