Growing Up in the OP photo gallery
The first three children of Barbara & Al Paradise, newly arrived in the OP, 1959
9154 Somerset Drive, our first house in the OP, on move-in day in 1959.
All five Paradise siblings, shortly after moving into our second home on Briar Drive.
All five Paradise siblings, shortly after moving into our second home on Briar Drive.
9943 Briar Drive, our second home in the OP. Just a whisker to the north was the residence of Gregory Grave!
Briar Drive house from which Richard fell in 1962. from the high spot between the dormers where he summited — and soon plummeted.
Our final OP family dwelling, it with the large, farmable corner lot and high, southern end roof peak, home to the almost-flaming wasp nest.
Al & Barbara Paradise, taken on their 25th Wedding Anniversary in May of 1974.
My brother Roberts 1st Birthday, March 25th, 1962, with the three older Paradise siblings, and a couple of Muehlebach cousins thrown in for good measure.
AJP’s homemade luggage carrier, which he painted to help stand out in the parking lots from all of the other homemade luggage carriers!
This is a picture of the actual radio controlled model Stearman PT-17 Kaydet built by AJP in 1980, which he never flew, nor crashed. It now hangs gloriously from the rafters of a beautiful party barn in Minnesota, a fitting tribute to the man who could build much better than he could fly.
A 1959 picture of the V-Shaped intersection of 91st Street & Somerset. The house still stands today, but the overturned cement truck, the object of my father’s fascination, was quickly removed. Going through AJP’s slides, I found no pictures of my First Holy Communion, or my Baptism, or my first day of school, however, I did find twenty or so pictures of this overturned truck, from every angle imaginable. Once an engineer, always an engineer.
A gang of local OP toughs, working the mean streets of Somerset Drive, Summer, 1960.
My 5th Birthday party, Summer, 1961. View is looking north from Somerset, towards 91st Street.
The main fountain at Metcalf South, circa 1973. The Thom McAn Shoes store can be seen in the background, on the left. Dig those groovy threads!
The Glenwood Theater, in its heyday, amongst the finest of movie houses not only in the OP, but in the known universe. This fact isn’t arguable.