Description
I grew up in Bensonhurst, a working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn in the 50s and 60s.
It was mainly Italian and Jewish. We lived in a three family brick home, grandparents upstairs in the front, us in the back and my uncle, aunt and cousins on the bottom floor. The compound we called it.
So why am I writing about a Scotch Irish family? Well mainly because I married a woman, Kathryn, in this Carnes clan whose family motto is, "Nothing looks as good to a Carnes as another Carnes." That motto caught my attention. I looked at my own family. The Cardinales. Could I say: "Nothing looks as good to a Cardinale as another Cardinale?" No, I can't.. Kathryn and I laugh about how her family is heavy into law enforcement whereas mine had a few law breakers, one or two winding up behind bars. Yin and yang at work.
But why me? They say write what you know. I'm not a Carnes, I'm an outsider. But maybe as an outsider looking in I can capture what makes them so special. Because they are an incredible bunch, these Carneses.
And why now? Well, I turn 81 years old on September 3, 2024. I don't know how many more years I have left. Although both my parents lived to 94 so that bodes well for my longevity. However my mother had Alzheimer's at 84 so that's not good. But my Dad was sharp as a tack until the end, so that's good. On the other hand my Uncle Frankie stepped between two parked cars and was stuck down so there's always that. Then there's the pandemics, illnesses, crime. You get the picture.
Anyway, Judy Collins, the singer said find your passion and make it your priority.
So that's what I'm doing. Writing is my passion, plus there's no heavy lifting, lots of people to interview, documents and letters to pour over, and old photos, zillions of old photos, so damnit I'm going to do this book. Even if it kills me..
As the great Chinese philosopher, Lao Tse, said: "Every 1000 mile journey starts with a single step." I'm going to write about the Carneses starting with Kathryn's grandfather, Alfred Burton Carnes aka Pappy, and working my way down the family tree to include 3 generations of Carneses. I may deviate when necessary to keep things interesting so don't hold me to any rigid plan. And if you are an actual Carnes and reading this and you are not mentioned or mentioned sparingly please forgive me. This is not meant to be a scholarly work. Just one's man attempt at featuring a family that he has met or heard about. So here goes my first step. Fingers crossed.