The Flickr Vintagefamilyphotography Image Generatr

After decades of storms, salt air damage and occasional flooding from Long Island Sound, some of these old beach cottages from the early 20th century looked a bit shabby!😁

That's a significantly younger 14 year old me hanging out at a friend's summer cottage near Merwin Avenue.

Taken by the friend whose family owned this place using a 1950s Kodak brownie camera found at a Goodwill thrift store loaded up with a roll of 120 size Kodak Verichrome film.

From left to right: the youngest LA cousin, one of my friends, another LA cousin in a yellow bathing suit, me in the back holding in my pudge, an LA cousin dunking in the water of Long Island Sound, my sister with her two pigtails, and the kid brother of my friend in the center of the shot. This was taken by my dad on Kodachrome slide film.

Like most families in the 1950s and early '60s, my parents owned only one car - a green 1953 Pontiac Chieftan with a cream-colored roof. Mom was petrified to drive it, even though it had a Hydromantic automatic transmission.

So, my father decided to start her out the easy way in this old four wheeled wagon. It wasn't until 1972 that mom finally learned to drive my dad's 1965 Pontiac Bonneville. (This photo was taken with a camera loaded up with Kodak's Kodachrome slide film).

On nicer days, however, my friends and I used to enjoy the freedom of biking and walking wherever our young minds decided to explore during that particular day.

We also swam at the beaches of Long Island Sound across Merwin Avenue from our house in addition to other nearby beaches. Each one was different - some very sandy, others rocky and others a mix of both.

This is an extremely abbreviated list of all the activities we used to do! I could write an entire book on that subject.

As long as my sister and I returned home for lunch and then a few hours later for dinner, everything was just fine with my parents.

Unfortunately, our cherished freedoms of summer suddenly came to a complete halt in early September with the start of the first day of school. (Oh Bummer!)

A moment caught in time with my Dad's 35 mm camera shooting 35mm Kodachrome film. Milford, Connecticut. Aug 1963.

Another one of my Dad's Kodachrome slides captures the family in the back yard of our house. Kodachrome was an amazing film which brings the past into the present. This photo looks like it could have been taken a few days ago. 😃

This is one of the Kodachrome slides I scanned from my Dad's collection. I wasn't born for another 4 years, so it's interesting to see how young my parents and relatives appear in this view. Although the parked cars look like classics to our eyes, these were regular daily drivers when this view was taken.

The kit came with the requisite yellow Kodak box, one 126 size cartridge of Kodacolor film, a flashcube, two AA batteries for the flash, a shoulder strap and an instruction booklet. Just enough to get you started on your photographic journey.

Sometime around 1970, the three 19th century ornate beachfront houses were torn down to be replaced with a tall "modern" condominium. This view from 1963 provides a nice time portal into when the neighborhood still contained homes and cottages from the postcard era of the early 20th century. Looking at all the trees in the background, the area was significantly more semi-rural compared to today.

This was the beach across the street from our house when we lived on Rock Street. The Poli Mansion (or "Villa Rosa") is in the distance.

Although technically this is "Merwin's Beach", we always called it Sandy Beach for the amazing amount of flat sand at full low tide.

Taken on Kodachrome film using my Dad's 35mm camera. As memory serves me, I'm the one who captured this scene. (one of the very few times he allowed me to use his camera!)

One of my Dad's Kodachrome slides showing summer fun at a beach along the Milford and Woodmont shoreline. Most of these slides portray daily life from decades ago.

I remember how the adults always hung around in this corner of the beach while kids ran all over and swam in the refreshingly chilly water of Long Island Sound.

Without giving away too many details, this is something our military did numerous times in the 1950s. Personally, I find this image strangely creepy considering its purpose.

This 110 film view was taken near the intersection of Edgefield Avenue and Benjamin Street. I used to carry my Kodak Pocket Instamatic 40 camera just about everywhere... always ready for a shot.

A number of my parent's friends surround the table, which contains boxes with presents. There's just something about Kodachrome that brings moments from the past to life again like no other film.

Before the gentrification of this neighborhood in the mid 1980s, there were lots of empty fields like this one with abandoned cars. This view was taken behind the "Variety Shop" at the intersection of Seabreeze and Merwin Avenues. Today, a row of houses occupies this same site.

Life in the 1990s was pretty good!

I shot this with one of my favorite 110 film cameras - the Pentax Auto 110. It was the world's smallest SLR and with its series of interchangeable glass lenses could take photos almost a clear as 35mm film.

My Dad, sister and I were waiting for the next Staten Island Ferry to return to the Battery. In the meantime, my father took this shot with my Kodak Pocket Instamatic using 110 Kodacolor film. I remember it as being a dreary afternoon in mid March.

At this age, I looked quite nerdy!

Unlike the rest of Manhattan, Battery Park hasn't changed much over the past 50 years.

My Dad took this on Kodachrome film at the Anchor Beach in Woodmont, Connecticut. It was just one image from his massive collection of slides from the 1950s through the early 2000s. Kodachrome colors were incredibly realistic and look brand new decades later.

YES! I won tons of money after playing Monopoly. Finally, after years of hard work and low paying lawn mowing jobs, I can actually afford to buy a luxury 1972 Ford Pinto. It has a vinyl roof, an automatic transmission, factory air conditioning , and a top notch infotainment center consisting of AM/FM radio as well a cassette deck fully equipped with Dolby B and C noise reduction.

Now, that's living on the high hog!