My dad was an avid hiker. I have so may memories of the prep for the “BIG HIKE” and so many more of the Joy (and stink) of when he returned home. One of my favorite stories was when he was breaking in his hiking boots by doing his standard two mile run wearing his new boots. I also loved that his normally well groomed face would come home all scruffy. He would hug me real tight and rub my face with his scruffy face.
Along with hiking my dad also loved to take photos. Shortly after returning home we would have a family slide night. I loved those nights. I have to admit that the hiking slides got a little boring, so I am pretty sure he would sneak family photos in here and there just to keep me looking for the slides of me. “Ahh look how cute I was! ” Now I appreciate the beauty he shared with us through his photos.
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss
My sisters and I are so grateful for all of these documented memories. But what do we do with the boxes and boxes (and boxes) of slides? Many of the slides have notes about each picture, how do we capture all of this? The age of slide night has passed, but how do we pay homage to that time that was captured so purposefully?
My first priority was getting digital files of these gems. I have begun the task of converting all of the slides to a format that we can all easily share. This is not an endorsement, nor do I get anything from this, but this is the scanner I am using right now. Since there are notes on some I have tried to create a system to document these notes, making sure that they correspond with the correct slide and carousel. This is the part that is taking my time and right now is a system in progress. So right now I am scanning the photos onto a memory card and then documenting the image number (the image number is assigned when I read the memory card on my computer) and making the notes. The other fun part of this is that my dad had notoriously bad handwriting so sometimes it is my best guess.
“It is not memories but the person we have become because of those past experiences that we should treasure.” — Marie Kondo
What I have found is that getting them out of the carousels and stored in archival sheets or boxes is the best practice. I want to make sure that all of this family history is documented and stored as well as it can be. That is a lot of pressure. One thing you will learn about me as we go along this journey is that I am not a sentimental person. I am happy to hold on to a memory but not the things. But in this situation I am not the only one attached to these memories so I want to make sure I am respecting everyone involved. I have a couple different storage options. It comes down to the best storage solution for your space. There are the file sheets or file boxes. We are going with the boxes and I will report our findings. We did decide to go with one step higher on the file boxes, but from what I was finding both options work just fine.
There are also some basic storage guidelines for the storage of slides. Store the slides in a cool, dry environment with little exposure to light. Keep them away from exterior walls in your home, which will fluctuate more in temperature and humidity.
I know I am not alone in the “Slide Night” memories, so maybe it should see a comeback…probably in the digital version.