PREFACE
Originally, I wrote these memoirs only for family and friends, and did not envision their publication, especially in the United States. I wanted to bring to life details of "my time" which seemed memorable or amusing to me. For some of the people involved, my writings will awaken their own memories, while for others the settings and events will seem remote. I have added colorful stories gleaned throughout my life.
For clarity, I have chosen a thematic narration; so, you will look in vain for chronological order, and the chapters can be read independently of one another. This is not an intimate work; there are no "family" stories. It is not an autobiography, a more precise undertaking, which I leave to others.
At the outset, I wanted only to tell entertaining stories, but then I felt compelled to add the chapters on the Occupation and the Landing, snapshots of the unforgettable, seen through the eyes of a new, fifteen-year-old "del Dongo," as in La Chartreuse de Parme, where the young hero finds himself in the Battle of Waterloo by accidentally riding into it. This unbelievable time, by tacit agreement, transformed me into the new head of the family, whose judgment was respected by my newly widowed Mother and my eleven-year-old sister.
The names of some characters have been changed, but the stories are real.
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