July 9, 2014
During the decade before my Dad died he was in the process of handing over boxes, bags, albums and handful of photos to me. I think my Dad was a photo-hoarder. I couldn’t place many of the pictures. I had to believe perhaps he found them at thrift stores and over time forgot he hadn’t taken them.
Some of the pictures were complete gold.
My dad didn’t talk much about his participation my earliest memories. I had to rely on his vast photo collection to know what my youth was all about.
Oddly, he NEVER talked about his youth. He never talked about the Korean War. He never told me much about his first wife. Beyond having to walk barefoot in the snow, both ways, to school every day I knew very little about my father prior to my own birth.
And now he’s gone… and I have no one to ask.
A few weeks ago I was looking for some childhood photos and I ran across these.
I knew little about slide technology. I could remember sitting through some slide shows as a child. I don’t remember their content or when they were taken. I just remember the “Click-click” sound and some bright lights. (No… I wasn’t high).
I looked a little closer.
Oh, that’s cool. I don’t remember visiting this… so perhaps it’s pre-me. Further inspection.
Great googly-moogly. That’s my Dad. My Dad during the Korean War. Right when it ended and he was stationed in Japan. It’s a Dad information Time Capsule.
I did my best to look at these one by one via my kitchen light but it was a strain and struggle. I knew I had to find an actual slide projector to make these happen. Is there a slide projector store nearby?
Well, apparently there was. An art-gallery downtown likes to find retro-type items and resell them. Emilee and I journeyed inside to find this.
My first attempt to see if it was working left the hot bulb shattering in my hand. Is there a slide projector bulb store? Emilee and I went to breakfast to scour the internet. She went on the eBay and clicked… it was then a “sit and eat and wait” game.
Days went by and the bulb arrived. I’ve decided I’m going to wait until my kids and Emilee are around and I’m going to do a “showing” where I can have my kids listen to “Click-click” and be blinded by the lights. But I did a sneak peak.
Bulb works… wall is a bit hindering…
But that handsome guy on the left… that’s my Dad.
I will be digitizing these slides this month and I will post the best. (who are we fooling, they will ALL be the best.)
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