View of aspen trees with fall colors of gold, orange and red, with sagebrush covered hills behind them

My family and I have just returned from a much needed vacation. We took a road trip and drove a loop to visit members of my extended family. The last few days has been spent recovering from our drive and enjoying a refreshed feeling. I’m slowly getting back into a routine, still need a few more days to get back into the swing of things.

Close up of a red rose bud

It was a good trip for re-connection with people that I haven’t seen in many years. As part of the re-connection we brought home old family photos and videos. I now have quite a collection of old family photos, notes, and other mementos that have been collected through the years. While looking over the boxes that I have, I decided I need to start a project to organize all of these items. I plan to set up a filing area for all of the physical items and gradually scan them on the computer.

My son is helping out with the scanning process, he is also converting old VHS tapes into DVD format right now. After watching the capture of old video film from the 50’s, it was interesting to see the change in places and activities. Back then you could see people feeding bears from their cars in Yellowstone, now not so much. Another shot showed people close to the Old Faithful geyser and no fences in place for protection. Safety has certainly become a more important issue in the last 50-60 years.

A close up of the heads of two pigeons grooming each other

Some things don’t change very much. My uncle, who was in his early teens, decided to get up close to a deer to try and pet it. The deer objected and started attacking while my grandfather continued filming. Reminded me of the viral videos of people filming things happening instead of stepping in to help with the situation. My grandfather did stop filming pretty quickly, I assume so he could help his son out. My grandfather also took a selfie of himself that reminded me of some of the silly selfies taken today. Some things don’t change.

Close up picture of a adult man, smiling, with eyes closed as he takes a picture of himself.

The important part of the trip was reconnecting with the heart of family, reminding ourselves of our community and our shared memories. I suspect I will have more to write about as I continue to review old photos and videos In the meantime, stay safe, and I hope everyone is finding opportunities to reconnect with their connections and communities.

Pictures taken by J.T. Harpster. Selected photos can be purchased in print at our Redbubble shop, https://www.redbubble.com/people/shellcreek/

Help support Shell Creek Publishing by subscribing at our Patreon site,  https://www.patreon.com/shellcreekbooks