Memories tied to things

[Scott Shepherd]

I guess it's different for everyone. I lost one Grandfather when I was 12. I was closest to him. He was a dirt poor farmer and didn't own a thing. He lived in a house for free in return for farming a man's land. He didn't running water or a bathroom until I was about 9 or 10. I can still remember having to go out into the pasture to the outhouse. He always wore a hat, not a baseball hat, but a hat with a brim all the way around. When he passed away, I didn't want anything from his home, but then again, there wasn't anything to get. It wasn't until I was about 40 that I wanted his hat. I asked my parents about it and they said they had thrown that old hat away because it was so filthy. Right now, I'd give you about anything you wanted if you could provide me with his hat.

For most of my adult life so far, I didn't have much interest in my family tree. Several years ago, something sparked it in my and I started looking into it (I think I posted some stuff about it on here), and now I care a great deal about all those things I never cared about before. My advice to anyone that has family that says they don't want things, is to box the stuff up, label it the best you can (what it is, where it came from, who's it was), and ask them to pass it along even if they don't want it. At some point in someone's life, someone will be greatly interested in it and that box or those boxes will be more valuable to them then you can ever imagine.

[Rich Enders]

A friends father-in-law was a model maker for Mattel for most of his career. When he passed no one in his extended family wanted his lifetime accumulation of hand tools used for measuring, marking and working wood, plaster, metal and whatever else a model could be made from. Sad. There are hundreds and hundreds of tools, and each one is inscribed with his name (presumably so they would not become "mis-placed" at the Mattel model shop). The tools were given to me, but hopefully it is just a stewardship and one of his grandkids, or great grandkids will see the light some day. I knew old George and got to see some of his very skilled work. Even though he is not family I do feel a connection when I use his tools.

[Erik Loza]

I got interested in photography in the 90's and bought (what was then) a relatively "hi-tech" new Nikon auto-focus film camera. It went all over the West with me and took tons of great images. Looking at a bunch of them on my office wall, now, as a matter of fact. I later moved onto digital and gave the camera to my brother, who still still lives in CA. That was many years ago and as I would look at these prints, reminisced about all the travels and adventures the camera accompanied me on. I missed the camera.

Visiting my brother last year, UPS delivers some new DSLR he ordered. I asked him what ever became of my old Nikon. "I still have have it. Nobody wants it.", he replied. "I'll take it!", I responded. So, it now sits in case with some other old lenses. I will probably never shoot it again and might be able to get $50 for it if I tried but each time I look at it, it brings back so many good memories.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA