Happy Fourth of July!

I can't imagine that Daddy was happy with the composition of this picture. After all, in 1950, this just wasn't how most people holding a twin reflex camera tried to capture a scene.  

However, I am captivated by it. 

These soldiers were very young. My dad was only 22. He had never traveled more than 6 hours away from his home in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. I can only imagine how he felt being on a ship headed for Germany.

Hearts, Home, and Hope

One of the first slides I scanned is this image of our grandparent's home.  Built in about 1948, this is the home that served to connect our family members to one another.

Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents all gathered here. Together, vivid memories were created of a family who loved, laughed, worked and played together. For those of us old enough to remember, this was a time and a place that we recall with great fondness.

Illustrated Stories

This is my current project.  Hundreds of family negatives and slides - and only about 15 of them identified.  They were taken in a period between 1930 - 1976 and are in surprisingly good condition. They had been hidden away for over 30 years in a cardboard box on a shelf in my mother's garage. Despite the heat and humidity, they are relatively undamaged.