I went to a Christmas Party with the residents of Mike’s group home one year. Everyone had a great time, and I had the chance to see my brother in different surroundings than usual. He seemed to have fun; it was nice seeing him with his fellow residents and residents from other homes. There was […]
This was one of the early photos I took of Mike in his group home.
This is me with my Brownie camera, looking at Dad, who was getting a shot of me with his 8mm movie camera. I think I had this look for my entire childhood.
Mom or Dad took this picture of Dave and me, by the steps leading up to Mike’s building at Willowbrook. This was during one of the frequent visits we made to see our brother. The picture below is my wishful thinking made visible.
I posted this photo years ago (see More Home Movies…), but brings back memories of home life while my brother Mike was around. This is a screen shot of a home movie that my father somehow double exposed. It wasn’t that hard to do in those days. The 8mm movie camera took 16mm film. You […]
Mike could be a handful. There was frustration all around. One can tell that Dave just wants to give up. When Mike couldn’t get what he wanted, he would sometimes bite his hand really hard. This is what he is doing here.
I’ll never forget the day I held up Mike’s half image to the mirror. I focused my brother’s attention on me. Something I could not do in real life.* * Mike was my older brother who was autistic, nonverbal and low functioning. He passed away last month.
It was very hard to get Mike’s attention. The portrait from yesterday attracted me for just that reason. I noticed his eye looking right at me. When I covered up the left side of the photo, I got a chill. My older brother was paying attention to me.
I studied this photography very carefully. It is the one that was the start of a 15-year photography project, which helped me to get to know my older autistic brother a little better. It was difficult to get Mike’s attention and, as his little brother, this is probably something that I craved. It is hard […]
