The Flickr Vintagenewenglandphotos Image Generatr

A lone woman in a dress stands at the Anchor Beach and takes in the amazing sight of the massive cumulus clouds hovering over Long Island Sound that day. Woodmont Connecticut. Circa 1915. by WAVZ 13

The rock in the center-right was an "erratic", a glacier-transported rock fragment. It no longer exists. I'm assuming that it was carved up by people and used for construction purposes. The Anchor Beach still contains a much larger erratic named The "Potato Rock" on the other side of the beach.

Exploring the abandoned ruins of the once grand 1914 Poli Mansion Villa Rosa on a gray and foggy day. At one time, the residence of Sylverster Poli and his family, by the 1970s, the place was crumbling from age and salt water. Milford CT. Aug 1971 by WAVZ 13

One of my friends used my Kodak Instamatic 104 loaded up with a cartridge of 126 Verichrome Pan to take this shot of a significantly younger me standing in the collapsing back patio.

Built in 1913 for Sylvester Poli, an early 20th century movie distributor and theater owner, the Villa Rosa Mansion has quite a history. Being on the Long Island Sound shore, the mansion was in its glory until his wife, Rosa, died in 1960.

Mom points and says "Look, George, it's Andy up there and he's taking our picture!". Dad appears somewhat perplexed. Late afternoon on one of the beaches in the Woodmont neighborhood of Milford Connecticut. July 1992. by WAVZ 13

After being away for two weeks, I took a drive along the shoreline on Beach Avenue. Spotted my parents packing up to go home after a swim. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and yelled "Hi guys!".

Rock Street from Seabreeze Avenue by late afternoon light. I was biking and had just turned into my street. Something about the warm mellow evening orange colors caught my eye. Milford Connecticut. Aug 1972 by WAVZ 13

Unfortunately, it's pretty difficult to capture those late afternoon summer colors on 126 Verichrome Pan film. That's where using your imagination comes into play when visualizing the original look of actually being there in this particular moment in time.

Ahh! Summer memories somehow always bring me back to the "Stinky Swamp Canal" behind the Pumping Station near the Surf Club parking lot. Yours truly examining some choice tidbit dredged from the muck. Milford Connecticut. Aug 1973 by WAVZ 13

The choice of goodies to find in this smelly treasure trove was nearly endless. Every couple of days somebody would dump additional wonders ranging from old dolls with missing limbs, heads or eyeballs, hubcaps, broken bicycle rims, soda cans, wooden crates, mangled car tires and lots of smashed glass bottles. Every now and then you'd get REALLY lucky and find a pack of sealed cigarettes.

Dad and Mom out on the porch in the evening with cookies and coffee. On hot summer days, the cool marine breeze from Long Island Sound made hanging out on the screened porch very pleasant. Milford Connecticut. Aug 1988 by WAVZ 13

Speaking of the old Sauter Hotel at the corner of Merwin Avenue and Sperry Street on the shoreline of Long Island Sound, this is the ONLY photo I could find on the internet. It wasn't haunted yet....maybe? Milford Connecticut. 1913 by WAVZ 13

My childhood girlfriend petting her dog "Buddy" while chatting with another girl. I took this slide at her 8th birthday party. Looking to the corner of Rock Street and Merwin Ave. The Surf Club across the street and old cars parked. Milford, CT. Aug 1967 by WAVZ 13

We were just children then, but felt so grown up. It was a gray day across the street from Long Island Sound. The kind of day where rain drops could start at any moment. Some of the cars parked on Merwin Avenue were quite old, even for the era when this fleeting moment in time was captured. Film is a form of magic which allows you to actually relive moments from much earlier in your life.

Left to Right: Me, a girlfriend, Mom in her straw hat and Sis in an inflatable turtle. I'm demonstrating how to make water bubbles by cupping your hand. 19th century cottages line the shoreline, not McMansions as today. Milford Connecticut. Aug 1966 by WAVZ 13

Mom and one her friends in our back yard by the fence to Rock Street. The Surf Club handball court in the background and a few cottages on Merwin Ave on the right. Milford Connecticut. August 1974 by WAVZ 13

Mom is still alive and at 88 years old is doing relatively well. Her friend in the photo passed away several years ago.

The Surf Club handball court and parking lot is long gone and was replaced by a large condo complex called "Surf Village".

The field seen partially thought the fence now holds three houses, as does the property which used to be our large back yard. A lot of things have changed here over the decades.

South Frontage Road (today's Long Wharf Drive) was kind of a no-man's land back then. Nice view of the UI Power Plant and its two large gas storage tanks. CT Turnpike at left, harbor on right. New Haven Connecticut. Aug 1972 by WAVZ 13

This is a crop of a 126 film photo I shot out the back window of a friend's parents car. It's not the clearest image, but it does show how forlorn parts of New Haven's waterfront used to be. Those two large tanks used to be visible for miles along the shoreline.

Here's a link to exactly the same place as it appears today....
www.google.com/maps/@41.2943998,-72.9177163,3a,75y,36.53h...

After decades of trial and error, I finally figured out how to bring my digital camera with me into the past. A shot of the Connecticut Post Mall parking lot. It's blurry, but this is version 1 of the technology. Milford Connecticut. July 1973 by WAVZ 13

I thought this beater Ford Mustang parked in front of the Stop & Shop might be an interesting subject. In 1973, the car was only a few years old, but what a mess! Note the old dark blue plates with thick white letters.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, vast swaths of New Haven, Connecticut were demolished and replaced with sterile Brutalism architecture. The 1st National Bank, Temple Street Garage, Edward Malley's department store and Knights of Columbus HQ. July 1974 by WAVZ 13

A couple of 1970s cars drive along Route 34 (The Oak Street Connector). At the time, the highway was only about 10 years old. The lack of cars is amazing by today's bumper-to-bumper standards.

Late summer afternoon in our back yard with Sis looking pouty, a car tire inner tube beach floatie, dad's 1953 Pontiac Chieftain parked on Rock Street. A moment in time caught on 126 film with my Kodak Instamatic 104. Milford Connecticut. July 1968 by WAVZ 13

... and how many millennials know what a car inner tube is?

Where the Surf Village development now exists on Merwin Avenue used to be what my friends and I called Tobacco Road. These were beach rental cottages from the early 1900s, but by the 1970s had spiraled into a state of decay. Milford Connecticut. July 1974 by WAVZ 13

A creepy haunted house? Well, no. Just an example of using color 127 roll film in my cheap Bazooka Bubble Gum "Babette" camera. Every image this camera took in color looked wonderfully psychedelic! Light leaks galore. March 1972. by WAVZ 13

Hey, nothing was quite as astounding as the precision optics of a plastic "Babette" camera! The package even proclaimed it contained an "Optical Lens!" The camera cost 50 cents plus 20 Bazooka Gum wrappers and used (abused?) rolls of 127 film.

The photo was taken in Orange, Connecticut at a family friend's house. I remember bringing both the "Babette" and my usual Kodak 104 Instamatic that day.

Yours truly in the checkered shirt trying to figure something out. It's totally lost to time. Butane cigarette lighters for 79 cents and hot turkey sandwiches for $1.25 at Rexall Ligget Drugs at the open-air Post Mall. Milford Connecticut. July 1973 by WAVZ 13

I genuinely wish I could recall what I was doing when this 1/30th of a second in time was captured and saved by a friend and his 126 film camera, but after all these decades, I'm totally drawing a blank. At least one thing that hasn't changed over time is the design of shopping carts.

You've read references in my photos to the "Variety Shop". Well, here's your RARE opportunity to actually peek inside this very unique place that sold just about everything. Iced Tea in a Can and the Bargain News for starters. Milford CT. July 1972 by WAVZ 13

View the picture in large size and see what interesting and obscure items you can find. I'm sure you can identify a few things which might have escaped my attention.

Taken with a cartridge of Kodak 126 Verichrome Pan film in my Instamatic 104 camera,

Transitional view of New Haven during its 1950s and 60s urban renewal period. Cars parked by the New Haven Railroad tracks and the unfinished skeleton of the Knights of Columbus building in the center. New Haven Connecticut. Feb 1965 by WAVZ 13

My neighborhood on a dreary and rainy winter day with a boarded up abandoned house, an old 1957 Cadillac, a weedy and littered lot with banged-up metal garbage cans. Taken from the Variety Store parking lot. Milford Connecticut. December 26 1973. by WAVZ 13

The day after Christmas was a rainy and dreary one. I was bored hanging around the house and popped a cartridge of black and white 110 film into my Kodak Pocket 40 Instamatic. I took a long walk around the neighborhood and captured 12 frames of the look and feel of my neighborhood during that foggy and drizzly day. This is one of those 12 frames of 110 film.