Thanks for the Memories

Slide boxes in basement

My dad was a photographer in his younger days. He took some sweet photos of us when we were little kids. As the family business grew, he documented everything with his camera. Not only that, he documented all our family gatherings and every long distance trip that was taken. When video cameras came on the market in the 1970’s and 1980’s, dad was one of the first to hoist a camcorder on his shoulder. This is why there are 30-something boxes of slide carousels in mom’s basement and several dozen videotapes in the back bedroom.

I can remember what’s in lots of those boxes of slides because we watched those slide presentations more than once. Dad would always love narrating things. Sometimes we had to remind him, “ok, go on, go on to the next!”

Recently, I purchased a digital converter (Wolverine F2D Titan) to ensure that all those slides can be seen and appreciated again. I started with just a few of the many boxes, and discovered a treasure trove of old memories. Here are a few that stood out for me:

Aunt Katie and Uncle Don

I can’t even find the right words to talk about this photo. Aunt Katie has been sorely missed these many years since she succumbed to cancer far too young. Uncle Don bravely carried on, but I think it was a very long time before the smile you see in this photo came back to light up his face.

Family Dinner

Here’s a family dinner of some kind with several adults and one young sour faced pre-teen! Although the slide, and subsequently the digital image, shows an incredibly scruffed up photo, it still captures the moment! Notice the photo album in front of dad and the cakes, the cookies, the wine! Aunt Alice and Uncle Henry were such favorites of ours. They were always happy and kind when we visited with them.

And last but not least, take a look at this photo of our favorite campsite in the quarry, where we spent many a summer weekend with friends and family!

Camping in the quarry