Memories of my Great Uncle Louis-In-Law

On a lighter note, here is a short memory from my childhood:

Louis Lausten was married to my grandmother’s sister, Mary. (Grandmother Eunice Caltoft Nielsen) Thus “Great Uncle Louis-In-Law”.

Louis was a slight man, about five feet tall. When I knew him he had white hair, brilliant blue eyes, and a grey Vandyke beard.

Louis arrived in San Francisco from Denmark in the 1880’s. For a time after his arrival he slept in the hayloft in the barn of a wealthy family.

For some years Louis owned and operated a sporting goods/cigar store in San Francisco. Among Louis’ loves in life were horse racing and fly-fishing.

When I was a child living on the chicken ranch in Petaluma in the 1940’s, Louis would visit for a month or two every summer. During the day he would busy himself with a hoe and rake, attacking weeds around the house. Unfortunately he could not distinguish between weeds and flowers. Every afternoon Louis would take a nap in the sun on a chair leaning against the south side of the house. During one of these naps, my cousin, Stanley Willis Mikkelsen, painted Louis’ beard with green paint.

Evenings during Louis’ visits were frequently spent playing pinochle.

One of Louis’ favorite expressions was “The whole world has gone crazy!”