My grandmother passed away a few months ago and we had to clear out her home. In the process there were a bunch of boxes in a closet that said, "Old Photos". I finally got to looking through them last night, there are hundreds of them, and talk about bringing back memories!
Sat with Mrs. Bubba most of the evening identifying all the people and places the photos were taken and trying to put some notes on the backs for later use. I plan on scanning them and putting them on CD for other family members.
The thing that struck me the hardest was to difference between my memory and the photos. I remember our home as a young child as being MUCH bigger. The photos depict a family that was less then financially successful but I don't remember being that poor. All the kids, cousins, siblings, neighbors are bare foot in the summer photos and I barely even remembered that. (Maybe that?s why to this day I like to pull my shoes off and walk through the grass while Mrs. Bubba worries I'll step on something.)
There are pictures of my grandparents when they were first married and my grandmother was a STONE FOX. Funny but I never remembered her that way. In my mind?s eye she was always just grandma. Guess I figured that was what she had always been. My grandfather looked dashing in his naval uniform and was a lot thinner than I ever remembered him.
There were several photo's of my grandparents with their first real car, they had pickup trucks a plenty but this was their first car, a Studebaker Firehawk and they were obviously very proud of it. I have faint memories of riding in it as a kid and if memory serves I didn't like it because if I was too dirty I couldn't get in.
Another thing that struck me was how many photos were taken while fishing and on the water. Seems that has always been apart of our lives. LOTS of photo's with a dozen or more family members on the river bank fishing and just hanging out. Beers in hand... I'd forgotten my grandfather liked Papst Blue Ribbon and usually had one open during down time on the water.
One photo of me was like stepping back in time, my 6th. birthday when I got my first bicycle. I don't know what the world record for miles on a bike is but I think I had to be a contender. I rode it for years and I rode it everywhere. But that was back when a kid could go out and parents didn't have to worry about the weirdness. I can remember being told, "Go out and ride your bike, it's too nice for you to be in the house and under foot".
Another memorable shot was when I turned 12 and got my first tool box with a set of tools of MY OWN. (The box is long gone but I do still have a few of the tools from it.) Truth be told, my father and grandfather were tired of me "borrowing" their tools. It's sort of funny in today's world but back then it was just assumed every guy needed a tool box and tools. If we took a vehicle / tractor to the shop, there was something drastically wrong with it.
Know what? I think I need to fire up our camera and add to the collection for my kids to look through someday.
Sat with Mrs. Bubba most of the evening identifying all the people and places the photos were taken and trying to put some notes on the backs for later use. I plan on scanning them and putting them on CD for other family members.
The thing that struck me the hardest was to difference between my memory and the photos. I remember our home as a young child as being MUCH bigger. The photos depict a family that was less then financially successful but I don't remember being that poor. All the kids, cousins, siblings, neighbors are bare foot in the summer photos and I barely even remembered that. (Maybe that?s why to this day I like to pull my shoes off and walk through the grass while Mrs. Bubba worries I'll step on something.)
There are pictures of my grandparents when they were first married and my grandmother was a STONE FOX. Funny but I never remembered her that way. In my mind?s eye she was always just grandma. Guess I figured that was what she had always been. My grandfather looked dashing in his naval uniform and was a lot thinner than I ever remembered him.
There were several photo's of my grandparents with their first real car, they had pickup trucks a plenty but this was their first car, a Studebaker Firehawk and they were obviously very proud of it. I have faint memories of riding in it as a kid and if memory serves I didn't like it because if I was too dirty I couldn't get in.
Another thing that struck me was how many photos were taken while fishing and on the water. Seems that has always been apart of our lives. LOTS of photo's with a dozen or more family members on the river bank fishing and just hanging out. Beers in hand... I'd forgotten my grandfather liked Papst Blue Ribbon and usually had one open during down time on the water.
One photo of me was like stepping back in time, my 6th. birthday when I got my first bicycle. I don't know what the world record for miles on a bike is but I think I had to be a contender. I rode it for years and I rode it everywhere. But that was back when a kid could go out and parents didn't have to worry about the weirdness. I can remember being told, "Go out and ride your bike, it's too nice for you to be in the house and under foot".
Another memorable shot was when I turned 12 and got my first tool box with a set of tools of MY OWN. (The box is long gone but I do still have a few of the tools from it.) Truth be told, my father and grandfather were tired of me "borrowing" their tools. It's sort of funny in today's world but back then it was just assumed every guy needed a tool box and tools. If we took a vehicle / tractor to the shop, there was something drastically wrong with it.
Know what? I think I need to fire up our camera and add to the collection for my kids to look through someday.
