2000 slides and a broken projector

 My dad loved his slides. He had over 2000 of them all organized in circular slide cartridges. Inside each cartridge box, he had a detailed list of the subjects of the slides in that reel. I remember my dad setting up the screen and his projector and going through the slides with whoever was willing to watch with him. I always enjoyed watching them and hearing the stories that he and my mom would tell about all the adventures they had while taking the pictures. I especially liked hearing the stories from before I was born and then in my early years. I have filed all those stories away. 

After my dad died, I would pull out my dad's projector and the slides, (we no longer had the screen, so we would just show them on a light-colored wall,) and show them on holidays. I could look at the slides all day and repeat the stories that my dad and mom had told me, but my audience would dwindle as the slide show wore on. My daughters would only tolerate so much, my brother also couldn't last past two reels, my husband would usually ride it out and my mom thoroughly enjoyed the entire show just as much as I did. To this day, I can hear her and my dad telling the stories.

Fast forward to our move to Oshkosh. We just did not have room in our little apartment for all the slides plus the projector, so I put it in the care of my brother. I knew he would not look at them, but at least they were safe. 

My mom died in August, and we moved into a bigger apartment in November. I had room for the slides and the projector and if they were with me, I could pull them out and watch them whenever the urge hit. We picked them up from my brother's and I immediately set up the projector and began going through the slides. I hadn't even made it through reel 3 when the projector stopped working. We thought it was the bulb, so we checked out ordering a new bulb from Amazon but at $125.00 that wasn't happening. Upon further inspection we realized the bulb was fine but the On. Off switch was broken. Well, there was no way we could fix that ourselves and who would we find that could fix a 60-year-old projector for a decent price. 

Now I realize, there are companies that will put slides onto flash drives or DVD's but that is not a cheap endeavor and with over 2000 slides, it seemed way too expensive. So I made my way over to Ebay and found a slide projector, same make as my dad's, only not quite as fancy as his, but it appeared that the reels would fit. I ordered it to the tune of $100.00. It arrived and we were back in business. John and I looked through all 2000 slides and he listened patiently as I told the stories.

I am hoping that someday my kids and grandkids will sit with me, watch the slides and listen to the stories. I worry that those precious stories won't continue if someone doesn't take time to listen to them and pass them down to future generations. And one never knows when my memory will fade, and I just don't want those memories to fade with it. 

One other thing, every time I see all the work, my dad did writing all those descriptions I think of him and how proud he was of his slides. They are very precious to me.

I am going to share a few of my favorite slides here. I want to have a record of a few of the stories just in case no one will watch them with me and listen to the memories.

This is my mom and me. Not sure of the date but I was born in January of 1953, so I would saay I was one or two months old here. One thing I love about looking at these old slides is seeing clothes, furniture, and decor of the times. Look at that wallpaper. My grandma and grandpa got this apartment ready for my mom and dad after they married. My grandpa built even thing to turn their upstairs into the apartment.

This is my mom, my dad and I in front of our house. Which was my grandma and grandpa's house. We lived in an upstairs apartment. The reddish car visible in the front is our car and the one in the driveway belongs to my grandpa. I am pretty sure this is Easter.

This is me in my crib in the upstairs apartment above my grandma and grandpa's house, 212 Green St. Watertown. Date was spring 1953.  I had the cutest wallpaper in my room. We lived in this apartment until I waa 2 when we moved to 906 Highland Ave where I lived for the rest of my childhood and then again after my daughters moved out.

This is my mom and dad all dressed for a formal dance. It was during Watertown's centennial celebration. My dad had grown the facial hair for the celebration. 

This is my dad and I in our backyard. He still has his facial hair so this must have been around the centennial celebration. That was a stone fireplace in the background. 

This is my mom and I dressed for the centennial in our Sisters of the Swish dresses. My daughters used these dresses for dress up when they were little. They played a lot of Little House on the Prairie, and the dresses were great for that.

One of my all-time favorites, me and my dad doing tricks. I love how I always was dressed so cute. This was at our house on Highland Ave. 

This is me in my backyard which was also my grandma and grandpa's backyard. It was a big, beautiful backyard with lots of flowers, vegetable gardens and hot beds with plants. There were horsehoe pits and sheds full of treasures.

This is me and my very good friend, Karrie Kucckan Aleshire. We are in the apartment above my grandma and grandpa's house. Looks like we are having some type of tea party. I was born in January and Karrie was born in May. We are still good friends today!

My second birthday celebrated in our apartment. Look at the wallpaper and all the Funk and Wagnall encyclopedias on the shelf! I always had the prettiest dresses thanks to my grandma who always bought them for me at Tot and Teen, a children's shop here in Watertown.

Same picture just a little closer.That cake looks yummy. I also remember the footstool it is sitting on. I used to like to lay on the side of it on my tummy and roll around. 

Another favorite of me and my dad hammering at our kitchen table in our apartment. I still have those little girls salt and pepper shakers that you see on the tavle in front of us.

Me with two of my dolls. I am sitting in a rocking chair that I wish I had not gotten rid of when we moved. We are still in the apartment, so I am around 2 here.Notice how that one doll has such big elf ears!

Easter Sunday with my grandma, Leona Kohlhoff and my grandpa, Erwin Kohlhoff. We are in front of our their house, our apartment. I love the hats!

This is my other grandma who we called Ohma. She is my mom's mom, Helen Block Uttech. This is the house she rented on 215 N. Washington St. Watertown. She lived their with her sister, Laura. They never had much money and both worked very hard. I am with Ohma and my only cousin Bob Uttech on this photo. Yep, only one cousin. My dad was an only child and my mom had one brother, Herb who had one son, Bob.  Bob was 14 years older than me.

This is me outside of the new house on Highland Ave. I remember this cute muff with little doll head on it. Again, my grandma used to buy my winter coats, too. 

First Easter in our new house on Highland Ave. It was pink when we bought it. I love my little outfit and my corsage. 

Well, this is a little out of the timeline. This is me Kev and me at a motel in Minoqua. We took a lot of family vacations. My dad loved to travel, and he planned our trips very carefully. I have so many happy memories of those trips.

This is me and my neighborhood friends, Tom and Mark Checkai me and Bruce Veldhuizen. We were dressed up for hobo day down at Riverside Park. We went to "park school" where we had special dress up days, all types of games, contests, and activities. It was such a fun place to hang out all summer. There were always two teachers, high school or college kids, one boy and one girl. I don't think being a hobo would be politically correct in this day and age!

This was Easter 1967. I was in 8th grade and Kev was probably 8 year old. I remember this suit. It had an orange blouse underneath. Our house is not pink anymore, it is now green.

My confirmation. May 1967. The picture was taken in our living room.

This picture brings back a lot of memories. It was taken at a cottage we rented on Pickeral Lake. We went up there with Paul, Helen, Karla and Layne Kohlhoff. I was their babysitter and our families were good friends. Helen worked with my dad. Helen did my hair for me ond day and took this picture. I really liked that orange ruffled shirt I had. This was the summer before eighth grade.

This was my 15th birthday and I am wearing my absolute favorite dress. I was in ninth grade, having the time of my life! I wore yellow fish nets with this dress.

I am going to end this post and add more slide pictures in the next post before it gets too long.

See you at the next post!