A Treasure Trove of Photos - Part 1

-


I have always had a passion for photographs. When I arrived in our family, my mother purchased a box camera. I still have quite a few photos of myself, starting as a babe in arms, and my growing up years on the farm. I don't have any siblings so I was the 'star'! When we moved to the city, and I was attending school, Mother used a Brownie camera, with the glass view finder, which I still have in my collection. The definition of a trove, according to Webster, is a collection or store of valuable or delightful things, and I certainly have a trove of photos.

My first job, when I attended High School, was at a photo studio where I learned to hand-color photos, both studio wedding photos and portraits. It was a fascinating art and desired by customers because there was no such thing of colored film for cameras.

My parents gave me a camera when I entered Nursing School so that I could create memories of three years of training, with new friends and of new experiences. During those years, in the late 1950s, colored slides came into being. I have several large photo albums, with black and white photos mounted with 'corner stickers', that were always available at every class reunion, which were held every five years. I also had carousals of slides and a projector, that we could enjoy together with friends and classmates. When we were preparing for our 50th Year Reunion, I discovered that the colored slides were beginning to deteriorate, so I scanned about 800 slides and burned them on CDs, as a commemorative gift for classmates. They created a flood of memories for all of us... with lots of laughs, happy and sad stories, and some forgotten details.

The photos taken of our family, from our wedding, the birth of our children and their growing up years have been preserved in many albums. It is the closest to being a journal, not in written words, but in photos. My dear husband was so generous in supporting my passion of photography with a variety of cameras, from 35 mm with additional lens, to compact pocket cameras, to digital. Our travel experiences have been recorded and shared with family and friends; an experience that my father called "armchair travels".

I still take photos frequently with the camera in my phone, which is always within reach. It's the best camera that I've had, and I can sort out the mediocre ones from the treasured ones, at no extra cost, and enjoy them whenever I want.

They are my treasure trove!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Tale of Toasted Buns

-
Image
My mother's family were of German decent, with several major moves in their history. There are few details of her grandparent's move from Germany to southern Russia, during the reign of Catherine The Great, but we were told of the importance of the toasted buns which were, and still are, a special treat. In preparation for their long journey, they believed that to stay healthy, it was importance to bring a supply of drinking water with them as well as an abundance of homemade buns, toasted so that they wouldn't spoil. Mother frequently made toasted buns but I was never much for helping in the kitchen during my school years. All I had to say was that I needed to practice my piano lesson, and I would be excused from kitchen duty because Mother loved to hear me play the piano. My interest in cooking began to increase when I started my first job after graduating from nursing school. I rented a small basement suite and I had my own kitchen, and a recipe book from my mother. ...
Read more

Blogs On The Hill

-
Many of my cyber-friends know that I’m not much for watching TV. I love music, and I love to learn new stuff, so I am a fan of YouTube. Politics is something that I won’t discuss if at all possible. So much of what is on TV is focused, either directly or indirectly, to current trends and politics, peppered with antagonistic, hurtful, and unsubstantiated accusations. I’m a Canadian, living in an area that apparently produces ‘dirty oil’. Maybe they meant to say that oil makes your clothes dirty!!!! We have our share of domestic and government problems, as do many other countries. We are inundated with American News and politics, as well as our own, but in a democracy, it is our votes that count.  Voting to me is still a privilege, and I have never missed an opportunity to cast my ballot. Some will applaud the outcome of the vote, others will disagree, but we have to live with it. Why is it so hard to find a positive result instigated by a government decision? In my opinion, the ...
Read more

Cyber Friendships

-
My weekend was wonderful … the weather was ‘ify’ and I was happy to stay home. The housework was done, I don’t have a garden, and I’m feeling quite well. I’ve missed so much of what has been happening with my friends here on The Hill, so I spent much of the day, sending private messages to those who are on my list of friends. I discovered that a number of my long-term friends have not been on The Hill for almost a year. I do know that one of them had been very ill, and I’m wondering how she is or if she survived her physical challenges. All of this activity has got me thinking about the cyber friendships that we make here, even though we probably will never meet them in person. How do we decide who we would enjoy meeting and getting to know, and do we accept every invitation to join someone else’s group of friends? I registered on NOTH only weeks after it was launched, and have enjoyed many wonderful friendships. I’ve also made some errors along the way. Having been a staff helper for...
Read more