Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts

18 October 2010

Things we hold dear....

My grandmother died several years ago.
Even though we did not live in the same part of the country,
we corresponded through letters.

I practiced my writing skills on her.
Poor grandma....
I do not claim any ability to write interesting letters,
I only know that I can make them "newsy".

Bless her heart,
she probably spent hours trying to decipher my handwriting,
my train of thought,
or what all those little hearts and drawings
 along the side of the paper meant....

Well,
recently my Aunt, in charge of settling the estate,
let me know that she would like for me to have 
a desk that had belonged to grandma's family.

Whoa!
I really didn't expect that at all.
I was flattered and more than a little nervous
about what it would look like,
where it would go....

All apprehension vanished when I saw it.




 I loved it.

And then I started to explore the inside...
and found that the shelves hidden behind the curved glass door 
rested on pegs.....most of which were missing.
Yeah!! a trip to the hardware store
(a secret pleasure of mine)

Found the appropriate sized pegs,
and some wonderful polishing oils 
and then home for more exploring...

and once I was sure the shelves were 
conveniently spaced,
and the exterior wood was shiny,
I opened 
a drawer......
and found this...


old brasses..
very old scissors,
a sweet little Swingline "Tot 50",
a newspaper clipping with
 a photo of a very similar desk,
screws, bolts,
and two pieces of wood that appear 
to have been broken off of a piece of furniture.

I looked this desk over from top to bottom,
and do not see any missing pieces...
so, I am pleased to know that 
this desk was used regularly,
held onto bits that needed to be kept.

The best part of 
my exploring happened when I realized that
when I open the front 
in order to retrieve a letter,
or write one,
that it still retains a whiff or two of my 
grandmother's house.
Smiles...


27 March 2010

Shadows....


This is how memories work for me....
they look like shadows...
they are never detailed and clear.

Sometimes my memories can be triggered by
smell, 
or a song,
or a child's squeal,
or a breeze....

But mostly my memories
 are like a vague shadow that has 
highlights all over it....
that is how
I remember this wedding.

The lights were a photographer's 
nightmare.
DARK!
It was great for ambiance,
but absolutely 
horrendous for 
capturing images.
Especially as this was a time
 when I was still using film.
Even high-speed film
struggles with low light situations.

Well,
I captured many moments
 that were much better than this one, 
but I like this one,
because of the way the 
overhead light bounces off her dress...
and veil...
and his close cropped hair...
splendid memories.


What do your memories look like?
Are they mostly shadows like mine?
Or, are they refined bits of crystal clarity?
Tell me, please.....smiles.

03 March 2010

Film Love...



I just love film....
I know it is not instant gratification....
that is part of what I love,
 the anticipation.

I also love the somewhat predictable nature of 
certain films...
A high speed B/W film will be grainy...
 this can be used to reflect a mood.

The photo above for example,
if it was shot in color,
you might be inclined
 to concentrate on the dress,
her hair,
the veil,
her gloves,
you get the picture
(no pun intended)

But in B/W, or sepia,
one tends to look at her face,
what is she thinking?
Is she scared,
nervous,
intense,
of simply
quiet by nature?

The good news is
that she was 
simply quiet,
from a family of three girls,
she was the youngest,
and accustomed  to allowing everyone around her 
to be the "whirling dervish".
She was calm as a cucumber,
 very much in love with the groom.
It was a splendid wedding,
easy to cover,
easy clients to please,
and 
the second daughter
 I had the privilege to 
photograph on her wedding day.

I know that I probably 
could have gotten the same look with digital,
I guess I am a bit 
nostalgic,
even though,
digital is admittedly easier.

What do you remember the most about your wedding?
smiles.

22 November 2009

Tastes from the past....


enjoyed today....

This morning brought a breakfast flooded with memories..

It all started with a visit.
Several days ago,
a sweet lady named Anne
came to see me...
she had a photographic need..
that I am in the process of filling.
But what she brought for me
is pertinent here.
She brought eggs.
Eggs from her farm,
her chickens,
her effort,
her loving care.

These eggs were purposely saved for Sunday morning.
As they are special.
And
when I took my first bite....

I remembered....

being a child,
waking up to the smell of bacon...
toast,
grits,
fried green tomatoes,
biscuits,
honey,
oh my!

These were REAL eggs.

I had forgotten what a real egg
tastes like.

How sad....
I didn't even know,
really...

that I had fallen into the same trap
 that we all have fallen into,
at one time or another.

The trap of convenience.
The neighborhood chain store,
that brings us everything we need.....


or does it?

Maybe not.
As these eggs reminded me,
Eggs have a taste.
They are not bland.
Not real eggs.

I think I will ask for the photographic bill
to be paid in eggs...
smiles.

12 August 2009

I can't remember....


What you may ask?

Well, just about anything...
My mind flits about like a hummingbird...

They tell me it is normal for

Menopausal women to be forgetful..

but this is bordering on just sick...

I make plans...

I forget plans...

I make a date...

I forget the date....

I forget what I am doing

in the middle of doing it...

They also tell me it will get better when I am

fully "menopausaled"....

What does that mean?

That I will have a memory and be completely

hormone deficient?

Whatever...

I also seem to have misplaced my reading glasses....

02 August 2009

Cape Cod memories....

We walked down to the beach...
family, that I hadn't had the chance to see in years...
talking, laughing, remembering....
shoes shed, rocks and shells gathered...
capturing images here and there..
fun...

My feet, swollen from 2 days sitting in a car,
the water felt so good,
cool, startlingly crisp...
rocks felt like God's massaging thumbs...



The smell brought back summers with my grandparents
at a home only a matter of a few miles away...
Too sad to visit...
not ready to see the house transformed into
someone else's home.
Why do memories mean more as we age....
are they really more important?
Or do we begin to sense that there may
be only a few more coming...
Is this morbid?
I don't think so...
I think I am only beginning
to realize how blessed
I am.

02 April 2009

Many thanks to Annie...


Thanks for the memories....
No, not a YouTube featuring me....
Just that, I am reminded how old I am...






If you are a bit over, well....the hill...so to speak...

You will enjoy!

I did.