My Grandma Mollie, the epitome of ageless beauty.

My grandma Mollie taught me by example - never talked about being old, or in pain with her bursitis, which never stopped her from cooking for the whole family for high holy days, or taking me shopping for clothes or making me and my grandpa lunch every day when I worked for him in the Bronx at Hunts Point.

I think I saw her in pants twice... and she looked so elegant with her tapered, light colored, slacks and foo-foo mule shoes...I can still hear them yippy yapping against her feet as she pranced across the Miami hotel's shiny waxed floor. We were on vacation there.

In this picture, in 1972, you can see... this outfit is a product of going shopping with my grandmother who was always more up on fashion than I was. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, I was the quintessential poster child for all things 70's - hot pink velvet hot pant, leather fringe belt, white go go boots and pink puckered shirt... I must have been trying to get the whole fashion thing together in just that one day.  My grandmother is the one standing next to me in the red checkered dress... not sure how me and dad wound up being colored coordinated... but there it is.

In this picture of my grandparents, taken in 1993 in my apartment in Manhattan, more than 20 years later, you can see that she is still vibrant and stylish... and the last time I saw my grandmother, at age 92, she was wearing a red  suit, silk scarf, Italian made shoes and bag to match, not to mention her coordinating jewelry.

The only thing grandma Mollie ever mentioned to me about aging was when she said, "Robbie dahling, you always need to use a very emollient face cream."  She told me this... when I was 20.

What's a story you remember about your grandmother?

I used to love getting my photograph taken.

"I used to love getting my photograph taken" is what Barbara lamented when I asked her to take her photograph. She was reluctant, but in the end, she gave me permission and I'm so happy she did.  She was an opera singer in her day... and you can tell because she is so graceful and elegant and her 88 year old voice is soothing to listen to.  Barbara told me how she felt about women feeling pressured to stay young looking in the work place - she said it made her sad.  Then as we talked some more, she said that we were kindred spirits and that was music to my ears and my heart... I felt like I could sit and talk with her for hours.  I just know that she has amazing stories to tell.  Wouldn't it be great to have a round-robin kind of panel and have these women trade stories, one after the other?  Like a songwriters in the round, it would be story tellers in the round and we would be gifted with their presence and when it was over, there would be a connection made for a long long time.

These Hands

Mary Ellen owns a beauty salon in Santa Monica, California and she calls it "Mary Ellen's."  She has been in business for almost 45 years and today I had the privilege of photographing a few of her clients. She attended Santa Monica City College and so did Irene, her daughter, who has been a hairstylist and working with Mary Ellen for 36 years.  Today I met a 79 year old woman who came to the states from Egypt and an 88 year old woman who was a well-known opera singer in her day.  I am so lucky that I get to interview and photograph these women and share their stories with you. Oh, and by the way,  these are Mary Ellen's hands and she is 76 years young.

Minerva Rewards

Minerva Rewards: It's about time somebody came up with something like this! Brilliant idea. Totally awesome.