Does your family have old slides?
On Easter, Joanie decided to pull out the old projector and share a few slides with us youngin's.
You remember Joanie? The other half of Dan's parents?
It was yet another piece of irrefutable proof that Cole is Dan's son, minus the skin tone, and Cole was set on making sure we were all aware of it.
Right down to the bangs in the face.
You give that boy a tan, and he really could be a dead ringer.
I remember my parents bringing out the old projector when I was a kid. Oh, how I loved seeing pictures of their lives before me and my brother came along. They lived in France in the 1950s and I was mesmerized by the stories they would tell as they clicked from slide to slide.
Watching Joanie's slide show, I couldn't help but notice the number of photos of nature versus the Zielske kids was about 9 to 1. Most of these slides were from a family road trip to the Rocky Mountains, and most of the slides were of said mountains.
I found myself wishing for more pictures of that rag-tag Zielske brood.
It just reminded me of last summer when we took our road trip to Northern Minnesota and I asked a cute young family if they would like me to take their picture by a giant fish in front of Lake Mille Lacs. Right before I took the shot I asked the Dad, "Do you want to see the fish? or just the family?" And he replied: "The family is more important than the fish."
I think that's such a shift in how we record our lives today, don't you?
Here's a quick page I made yesterday to record our Easter Sunday. And guess what? It's pretty much all people. And just one snake.
SUPPLIES: Layered Template No. 43 (Cathy Zielske) • Just Linens No. 1 (Michelle Martin) • Natural Beauty Cardstock (Katie Pertiet)
Sarah says
I agree… the FAMILY is more important than the fish. Great blog post… from the heart.
Lana @ Mz-Cellaneous says
You know, that’s a good reminder that I need to take more pics of the mountains with the family in it. I’m one that I could take 90 photos of a leaf.
Rhona says
I always like to have people in my photos, to me that makes them far more interesting. I love that you too ask other families if they’d like to you take a photo of them together, I do that when I’m out and about because there are times when I’d like someone to ask me that too.
I love this post, reminds us of why it’s important to take those family snap shots – and I always thought that Cole was a mini Dan ;o)
Teal Myre says
In case no one has told you today – you are amazing.
Jen K. says
I just drove by that giant fish–a walleye, I think–on Monday after a wonderful family weekend at Breezy Point. Our next road trip will hopefully be Duluth in the fall–we better make our hotel reservations now! Thanks for sharing, Cathy!
Kelli says
Wow, does Cole ever look like Dan!
Barb says
I love that, even when I’m having a really bad day, your blog can make me smile by reminding me of what’s really important.
Nicky Hurt says
The slideshows are something I hadn’t thought of in years.
And about the people vs nature- my grandma has been telling me for years that she wants people in her pictures. She lived in Idaho when I started taking pics, and all the mountains look the same. I still managed to get a whole roll of cows, though.
And I’m very lucky in the fact that my Dad, who used to shoot in slides, went through his boxes and boxes and had them scanned at Costco, so I have 8 disks full of digital pics of my childhood. I love making layouts of my memories, and I love telling my kids stories and showing them the pics (my oldest freaked out when I showed him the boy I had a crush on- who’s not his dad!)
Wendy says
I remember my dad telling me once, after getting my film developed from a trip to Europe, that the pictures of the buildings were nice, but it was the people in the photos that made the picture more interesting and more memorable. That was almost 30 years ago. And I’ve tried to always remember to include the people in the pictures. Dad, you were right!
cathy says
Thanks. No one has told me that today. YOU are the first! and quite possibly, the only. Thank you!
sarah says
We have about 65 carrousel of slides for my husbands grandparents. Most from the their world travels in the 50s and 60s. Stunning cathedrals, beautiful landscapes, even photos of the airplanes they took and hotels they in which they stayed.
What we really like, though, are the few and far between slides where Grandma is standing in front of a cafe or a zebra or a Buddha. How I wish we had watched the slides with them to get their stories.
Get the stories.
cathy says
: )
I’m glad to hear that, Barb. Chin up!
cathy says
You should write this on a scrapbook page with a pic of your dad and you.
I love this.
cathy says
Amen. Get the stories.
Sarah T says
My uncles showed us some old home movies a few years ago from when they and my mom went to Peru in the early 60s. They took SO MUCH footage of the scenery and all we really wanted to see was our hipster mom before dad and definitely before kids. It was so disappointing, but it taught me a huge lesson on what I want to document. I rarely scrap pictures of scenery (except as filler pics). It’s all about the people.
Sue O says
I can remember as a child looking through all the old photos in my maternal Grandmother’s album (also known as a dresser drawer). Of course those photos weren’t all so old then. Anyway, my mother got custody of them and then when she died I got them. My sister’s kids loved to look at all those photos too. And at some point my mother did go through most of them and wrote on the back who the people in the pictures were. The few scenery pictures there are hard to identify. It’s the people who indeed are important.
christine says
Thanks for the inspiration. Just finished my layout of a recent trip with my husband using – Layered Template No. 43!!! I am happy!!!!!
Erin says
http://thereitis-thisisit.blogspot.com/2010/04/idol-judgesyou-are-so-lucky.html
I love the Easter layout. I find people pictures 110% more interesting to look through. Having said that I always enjoy nature and flower shots as well.
I am anxiously awaiting being able to use my templates recently purchased. I am waiting because hubby is messing with my programs again….ah husbands.
Jane Toft says
Aren’t the Zielske kids so skinny compared to today’s kids? I was positively skeletal in the slide shows of my childhood! Go Jamie!
Jana says
“The family is more important than the fish” sounds like a book title… I think you’ve got your next book! Great piece of wisdom for sure… (p.s. we grew up with slides & the fun slide shows – we shot slides for the first few years of our marriage – I’m slowly weeding out the best shots to make digital. What a project!)
Verbena says
Last year, I found boxes of 35mm slides from the 1950’s in my 96-year-old Mother’s attic. I found an old projector, and we had a slide show. It was great hearing her tell the stories of my childhood. We laughed at how my Dad “allowed” us to be in his pictures of autumn trees, mountains, and his garden! I had all of the slides converted to photos on a CD which I have since printed and completed scrapbook pages. Such a treasure!
Victoria says
Have you ever heard of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players? Mom, Dad and Daughter write songs based on slides they find at garage sales, flea markets, etc. Dad plays guitar, the daughter plays the drums and mom runs the slide projector and makes pancakes for the audience. So fun!
Here is their website: http://www.slideshowplayers.com/index.html
And my personal favorite song of theirs . . . Eggs! Here’s the video:
Margy Eastman says
I’d forgotten about the slide projector and the beloved carousels! I remember back in the day when my parents would haul out the big screen for some family photo action. It was way better than movie night – and well in advance of the VCR!
Sharon F, CA says
love those photos and yes, he is a ringer for sure…the tan could be easily achieved with a bottle neutrogena sunless tanner…now for finding the anchor tank- that would be interesting… thanks for sharing…I have some just like it of my family (I am the eldest of 5) my youngest brother was tragically killed in an auto accident last month and I poured over old photos to find the ones of us together and him as a tyke for his kids to see. Lots of plaid and striped pants for boys in those days.
I bet those old france photos would make some great background pieces to underlay with words and photos of your folks today. Or even scanned and turned into textures… or a trip to those places to take some now with family in them might be in order to compare and contrast…just sayin’
Charlene in AZ says
Hey! I recognize the location in the photo of Dan and his siblings. That’s Four Corners up on the Navajo reservation where AZ, CO, UT and NM meet. I sure hope your inlaws took the obligatory “Twister” poses; hands and feet all in separate states.
Nathalie says
Oh, how I long to see the zillion slides my parents (avid photographers) have accumulated and …put away!!! I don’t even think they own a projector anymore 🙁 I am going back for a visit this summer and I really want to dig those out! I love the old movies too!
Shannon Davey says
I missed this post earlier, it was sitting here waiting for me to read. Funny you should say that, my kids 5 and 3 really love watching video of themselves,and yes the people in there is what they want to see, what they were like and what they were doing. I love that they like watching themselves, I hope they will when they are older. They love looking at their scrap books too, we just pulled them out to compare Easters.
Joan Abraham says
Hey, I recognize Four Corners. We have a family picture there too. Probably about the same year too. What fashion plates we all were!
Yvonne says
Wow! the resemblance is amazing!!