Blast to the Past

So we are having a Mikkelsen family reunion here in a couple of weeks in San Francisco. Along with all the reunion notifications my uncle is attaching old photos from the archives. Here are a couple that struck me.

This is my grandma and her four kids (my dad's the oldest boy) as their family made their way to Brazil, where they lived for a year. Grandpa was a soil scientist at UC Davis and was hired by various governments to come solve agricultural problems. Brazil was one lucky recipient of his genius! What strikes me about this picture is their presentation. Even on a long trip they're clean and pressed.

My dad's graduation. Though Dad is renowned for his happy disposition he looks like a typical 18-yr-old here, annoyed with the punky little bro. My mom says she married dad because he looks like Paul Newman (and because she loved him!).