Captured on film

My father enjoyed photography. He took lots of photos and we have hundreds upon hundreds of slides that are a result of his efforts. These were a gift for us at the time of our mother's funeral as we spent hours going through old slides and finding photos of our Mom from over the decades. To have found these and shared these was a balm to our grief.

One of the frequent occurrences of my childhood was the evening slide show. We would set up the screen, slide viewer, and slide projector, gather in the living room, dim the lights and watch the slide show. Included in this photographic potpourri were images of the great outdoors and photos of the family. As a kid, I found the many photos of trees, flowers, snow, water, mountains, and rocks to be rather boring.

What caught my attention were the photos of my family, the folks I knew and, truth be told, what really held my focus were the photos of me!

I thought back to the Snyder Family Slide show last evening when I went to the Carnegie Museum to see the "Teenie Harris Photography Exhibit." First, I highly recommend it. Second, leave yourself hours to take it all in. Third, on Thursdays from 3:30 pm - 8:00 pm the Carnegie Museum is FREE.

At the expansive Teenie Harris exhibit, my favorite display area was the large room that, with jazz music playing in the background, projected photo after photo of childhood birthday parties, neighborhood gatherings, famous athletes and entertainers, and images of the city of Pittsburgh throughout the years. I was mesmerized. Yes, it was very cool to see photos of a young Martin Luther King, Jr. at a church in the Hill District, or roberto Clemente in a parade and Louie Armstrong at a diner. Yet, just as fascinating were the photos of families at a birthday party, having a picnic, posing for a family portrait at a wedding.

The point is we are all so similar and a photo has a way to connect us to one another as it also journeys us to our past in the tracks of our memories.

What photos adorn the walls and surfaces of your home and office? What photo do you wish you had a copy? What photos are most dear to you and why?

The photo at the top of this post is a classic to the Snyder clan. We call it the "Snyder Family Portrait."

Let it snow....

Yowzers!

It is good to finally post again....My apologies readers of the blog; it was a combination of having family in town and a bit of both-end candle burning. I think it appropriate that after a brief hiatus, I return to post when we finally get a bit of snow.

Yes, this lite dusting was enough to raise excitement and hope that maybe winter is finally coming. Then, I checked the weather and found out we are back in the 30's tomorrow and no more snow in sight for a few days....sigh.

C'mon!

Whether or not you are one "wow-ed" by winter and enjoy the quiet, the soft beauty, the clear crispness of a hearty snow, can we each admit that this most unusual weather pattern is somewhat unsettling.

I am completely bothered by the fact that the cherry blossoms are in bloom in Washington, D.C.! Folks, the normal "peak time" for the cherry blossoms is late March. Mix this with this, the winter of our "miss-the-snow-content," and the harsh winter being experienced in Germany and Japan and one has to be troubled over what we are doing to the planet.

It seems as if our greed-fueled (word choice very intentional) attack on the planet, has gotten to the point that we seem to actually be changing the rhythm of the seasons. And, that, my friends is a tune to which I do not wish to dance.

I long to bundle-up and take a long walk in boot-deep snow with see-my-breath cold. Yes, because I like the season of winter. Even more, because I've grown attached to this planet and worry what we are doing to her.

sj;