Grandpa always had a gallon jug of red wine at his side on the floor during dinner. Of course, he smoked, so there was always that grime about. I used to enjoy exploring in his shed. There was the obligatory vise on the workbench, tools, and as I recall, lots of little vials of various seeds. He crafted a bow and arrow from peach wood to entertain me https://dighera.com/caloia/Caloia-Family-Photographs/larry%26pasquale.jpeg , and once built me a lovely birdhouse of one-inch redwood, carefully crafted with corners planed to a smooth radius.

Grandma Pauline was a hard worker. She would go out to the chicken house, and select and butcher one for a pasta dinner with thin red sauce that night. https://dighera.com/caloia/Leo-s-Movies/Movie-Clips/PaulinePoultry.mp4 There was a simple green salad with vinegar and oil, tomatoes, and perhaps an olive.... The radio was often on in the background with Amos and Andy, Duffy's Tavern, or some other comedic drama playing. Occasionally, I would be served a very small glass of bitter beer, which I didn't care for.

I recall one sunny afternoon in the dining room. She came up to me coyly and presented me with a shiny airplane pin, and repeated, "iplon, iplon," and then hugged me to her bosom. They were warm and friendly https://dighera.com/caloia/Leo-s-Movies/Movie-Clips/PasqualePauline.mp4 , but the language barrier was unfortunate. https://dighera.com/caloia/Leo-s-Movies/Movie-Clips/grand_parents.mp4

I vividly recall a "mountain" of day-old French rolls in the backyard, drying to become chicken feed. She would put a large galvanized tub out in the sun in the morning, and in the afternoon, when the water was ‘hot,’ she would bring out the washboard and a brick of Fels-Naptha soap, then attach a hand-cranked wringer to the tub. Imagine doing the laundry for a family of nine, week after week, for decades...

I would wait eagerly for Uncle Joe to return from work in the late afternoon; he often had a trinket for me. Of course, I was impressed with his black uniform and sidearm. https://dighera.com/caloia/Leo-s-Movies/Movie-Clips/JoeCop.mp4 His nickname for me was "Bunko," after the Bunko Squad at the station.

One day, Grandpa took me into his extensive vegetable garden that stretched out behind the rear paved courtyard. https://dighera.com/caloia/Leo-s-Movies/Movie-Clips/PasqualeGarden.mp4 He showed me how to exterminate the "babbaluci" (snails), then pinched off a sprig of basil, rubbed it vigorously between his palms, and thrust it into my face, exclaiming, "Basilico." Another adventure was a walk outside the rear gate into a huge green field that trailed off down a hill to Lincoln Park, as I recall.

I recall a Christmas at the San Pablo home with a large contingent of the family crowded into the dimly lit Front Room with its sparkling, scraggly Douglas Fir draped with colorful lights burgeoning with presents beneath, and the air hazy with cigarette smoke. The closeness of the family, both viscerally and literally, is especially memorable.