In 1954, my brother David and I were invited to Suzy Armentrout's 7th birthday party.  We lived on La Vereda then and Suzy hung out with me, my brother David, and Larry Lloyd.  We did everything together, from playing army in the arroyos to putting on our Davy Crockett hats and stalking game to building roads for our Matchbox cars and trucks.  The one time I remember playing girl stuff with her was when David and I were having a tug of war with Suzy's favorite doll and the doll came apart, spilling stuffing all over the room.  After that, it was strictly boy activities.  The only times I remember her in a dress was on school days and at her birthday party.  We all went to the brand new Acequia Madre elementary school.  Suzy told me recently that two of her birthday gifts were Davy Crockett outfits for her Ginny doll.

Pictured in the photo are:  Standing, Larry Lloyd, Mike Lord, Suzy Armentrout, and Patsy Burtrum.  Seated are Rosina (?) and her sisters, David Lord, and Linda Lloyd.  My mom thought it would be cute to dress David and me in matching outfits, which was the beginning of my initiation into the Peefee world (for more about the word Peefee, go here.)  And the hats!  They came from Los Niños.  They don't make 'em like that any more.

What I love most about this photo is the mix of cultures.  We were white kids living in a Hispano neighborhood and we were all able to get along just fine.  Our parents taught us that we were no different than anyone else and, at this age, it never occured to us that we were. This is probably the most important thing I learned as a child growing up in Santa Fe and a lesson that I've passed on to my children.