The House + Old Keepsakes

After I saw the lovely scene on the previous post. I went downstairs to try to get shots of all the things I had seen the evening before and didn't get a shot of.

The first thing I noticed upon entering their home. Beautiful natural light. What every photographer wishes for.

My Aunt Annie had told me they had been working very hard to redo their home. I have no idea what it looked like before, but I think her and my uncle have done a pretty good job so far.

Then I noticed this photo hanging on the wall next to the desk. It resembled my uncles so much that I wasn't sure who it was. I wasn't sure if it was a picture of them in their younger days or maybe it wasn't even a picture of anyone related to me. When my uncle noticed me examining it, he informed me that this was my grandpa Comer. I had only seen a couple of pictures of him (he passed away before I was born) so it surprised me and shed a little light on what

he truly looked like.

I looked over my shoulder and was suddenly mesmerized by this picture. I immediately knew who it was but made sure and asked my uncle for confirmation. I had known from my photography classes the time period when they used to hand color photos like this (i have a kit of my own and loved it in the darkroom course I took). I just knew this had to be my grandma Comer. I never got the pleasure of meeting her, but I had heard so many beautiful stories from my aunts and uncles that it immediately fascinated me and I had to get a picture. I had seen pictures of her before but only from her later years. I may be biased, but I think this photo is beautiful.

As my uncle got more into showing me the rest of the old photos in the house and telling me the background stories behind them (which were all fascinating), I continued to snap shots of the house.

My Uncle Merle in the dining room talking to me about the old photos and also answering my questions about what all they have done to the house.

That's when he led me to a framed chocolate cake recipe of my grandmothers, along with her rolling pin and her cookbook. Obviously it isn't difficult to realize what an important person my grandmother was to my aunts and uncles. I was amazed at the care and presentation in which these keepsakes were put on display. She must have been a very special person to them. I was later told this is the cookbook that my aunts learned how to cook out of.

It got me thinking about what items are special enough to me to put on careful display. There are so many things I have that are so special, but hidden away in a box of memories somewhere. It inspired me to want to get them out on display as as a sign of my affection for them.

-Angela