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Building the house on Napa Valley Avenue
Milestones
Loved by the family
Dad and Mom bought the lot with everything they had. He framed the house on weekends with two friends from work, paying them in sauce and beer. The bay window in the living room was a "mistake" — the supplier sent the wrong size — but he decided he liked it and built the whole front of the house around it. It's still the best room in the house.
What others remember
- Maria Smith·Sep 16, 2026
That's Uncle Frank's truck in the driveway of the first photo — he lent it to your father for the whole summer and never asked for it back.
- Dave Kowalski·Sep 16, 2026
I'm nearly sure this is '77, not '76. Mom was pregnant with me here.
- Anna Smith·Sep 16, 2026
Sal still tells the roof story at every wedding.
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More memories of Nonno
Thirty years, same church
May 2002 · St. Francis Parish, Toronto · Love
Mom wanted a quiet dinner. Dad booked the parish hall, the same one, and invited everyone who was there the first time — plus everyone who wasn't. He danced with her to the same song and told the car story again, and she laughed like she'd never heard it. Ninety dollars and a borrowed car, thirty years later.
Added by Anna Smith
Married, 1972
May 1972 · Love
We had ninety dollars between us and a borrowed car. He wore his brother's suit. I would not change one thing.
Added by Maria Smith
