.we wonder why.

.the one question i get asked most of all, isn't -why do you care? or -what are you going to do with all these? .the question i get asked most of all is -why didn't some who knows these people keep them? .it's kind of sad really. .imagine all your grandparent's photos ending up in the hands of strangers. .what happened to those family members that forced their photos into a discount bill at the local good will? .no grand kids, brothers or sisters to hold onto them. .or maybe there were, and they just didn't care. .and then they end up with me. .i become oddly attached to these strangers, their lives, what they wore, the outings they ventured on and the friends that they made along the way. .i hope someone will have an interest in all my photos when i'm gone one day. .hopefully someone close to me, and that will pass them down for generations. .and hopefully my awkward family photos will be hidden in shoe boxes for many many years.

.in one sleeve of slides, i've found everything from historical train trips, historic airplanes and graduations to family portraits and celebrations. .below is a selection (including a family photo that maybe they would have wished would have stayed in a family shoebox) of one random box that has no connection to anything else i have. .i find it amazing that after only a few photos, i can start to imagine how these people's lives unfolded. .in this case, a young man shares his life with us. 

 .yup, maybe this one should have stayed in the vault!

.a view from the 6218 train.

 .the 6218 at an unknown rail station.

.the story of rudolf blaut. .2.

.so, i'm almost done scanning this family's slides. .just a few envelopes of negatives to go. .here are a few more shots of the boat trip. .still haven't quite figured out where they were headed. .vacation or a big move. .i think the slides are actually from the early 60s,  a little earlier than i originally thought.

.the camera that the grandfather (?) is holding was actually in the box. .i'm hoping to get back to some of the places they went when they got to ontario, and reshoot the places with his old camera.

.don't forget to check in every once in a while. .next up are their photos from toronto, c.n.e., high park and niagara falls. .it's funny how much has changed in the last 50 years yet it still remains the same.

.thanks to everyone who has visited so far. .way more than i ever expected. .once some more familiar stuff starts popping up, hopefully you will all be able to help me fill in some of the details.



.the story of rudolf blaut.

.the dig through the box has begun....again. .this isn't the first time i've looked at them, and now i'm wishing i had attempted to put them in some sort of order before starting this. .things you will see in the next few days:

-ships, more specifically, on named SPICA from hamburg

-a camping trip in algonquin park

-a road trip to niagara falls

-family shots from around the house, and the introduction of a new puppy

-trains on hamilton mountain

.and this was all just in the first box. .there are over 1000 slides, so it's likley the boxes i show will come in no particular order. .most of the slides are dated between 1967 and 1979, but these are just mailing and printing dates, i'm still searching for hints as to when they were actually taken. .from what i can gather, it looks as if the family had moved to ontario, from hamburg, and these are their stories.

.the caption on this slide is "30 Vat + Mutti".

.mom and dad?.

.i'll have to work on my german to find out some information on this ship.