my aunt linn was a ballet dancer. she owns a successful dance studio now, in pennsylvania, and she has all of those qualities that ballerinas seem to possess en masse: long, thin limbs; impeccable posture; a beautiful plie; and the ability to do a perfect french braid. aunt linn is my father's only sister, and she and my uncle never had any children of their own, so in a way, i was the daughter she never had. we were very close. in fact, we still are.
one of my favorite childhood memories is sitting cross-legged on the wood-planked floor of my grandparents' whitewashed porch in the summer, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face and the sweet smell of summer flowers in the air as my aunt crossed strands of my hair over and over each other. i have always been a sucker for people who play with my hair, and i'm fairly certain it stems from my aunt and her french braids. it's been years since she's braided my hair, and i am pretty inept at doing it myself, but little memories like those are the ones i cherish most.
needless to say, when i saw this amazing photo by sandra frej on the ban.do blog, it took me right back to those summer afternoons. love it, completely. you too, yes?
xoxo
I love them too - but just wish i could do plaits like this on my daughter! Its such a skill! Lovely picture though...so delicate.
ReplyDeleteMy mom can French braid her own hair and I'm so jealous. I should have her teach me...because I think a nice braid is a great hair-do.
ReplyDeleteI like that you are close to your aunt like that. My aunt and I are close, too.
thanks, lou!
ReplyDeleteand stephanie--isn't it nice to have family members who are also real-and-true friends? :)
I love this photo too! It definitely brings me back to the days when my friends and I would sit in a line and do the same thing during recess. I was never very good at doing french braids though, so whoever was in front of me got a bum deal.
ReplyDelete