This is probably one of the best stories that I have ever read. I have just followed you as I can't miss any other stories from you. I love how real you are. You are sharing your REAL story. No exaggeration, just pure memories and feelings.
I can imagine how happy you were when you got to study what you loved. And it's so cool that you kept those notes. I'm sure they became your treasure.
And what a love story! It makes me think of a movie. I don't know what happened to Doro and I don't know if you're still together but I'm sure that you will treasure these memories forever. She was a stunning young girl. And you were a handsome young man ;)
Those old photos are beautiful. I wish I would have more photos made from my childhood. My parents didn't have much money so there are not that many photographs of us. It's a pity as there is something magical about old photos...
Thank you for sharing your story. It's beautiful..
Thank you for the best compliment I have received on anything I have written, Martina! It was so nice of you to take the time do do that...it made my day!
The color photos were scanned from old 35mm Ektachrome slide film. I really wish the colors had held up better; they obviously are of great value to me. I'm the same way about old photos. My family didn't have the money, either, and there are far too few photos of my childhood. I still have their old Kodak 120 box camera my Dad made the first photo of me with! Photos are wonderful tools for memory-jogging and helping with recall. Imagine having had a smart phone when we were kids!
Funny, too: the photos of me in uniform and the one with Doro are the only ones of me that I like.
I'm working on another story that has mention of Doro. The future shall reveal!
I added you to my Follow list. Being a vegetarian for the past 47 years, that's always interesting to me. Plus, you live in an exceedingly beautiful country!
It's good to meet you!
Will
Really? I'm so happy to hear that! BUT it is not difficult to write something nice about such a great quality post :)
Wow! It looks like you have a great family treasure! I wish there would be such things from my family but my dad liked so sell everything we had to clean his loans.. long story..
I wonder how we would use it. Would we use it wisely or like kids nowadays who play games, update their FB, IG or work on any other social media? I'm not that sure. I'm not into social media at all but I don't know how a child feels if she/he gets such a powerful tool to 'play with'.
Is it because you don't like to see yourself on photos or because those photos were just not good? :)
Thank you for the follow! I've been vegan for 2 years only and I can say that it was the best decision that I've ever made. Oh yes, I do - Switzerland is amazing. I would wish there would be more weekends so that I can see lot more of this country :)
It's nice to meet you too!
PS: I'm looking forward to reading your next story about Doro ;)
Have a nice day Will!
Martina
Ahh.. another warm missive from Martina! I love long replies.
Actually, the old camera looks terrible because they were the first mass-produced cameras and are very simple boxes with a lens and shutter mechanism. It has sentimental value to me, of course. i have it in a box with the 35mm Nikon I bought exactly when the first digital cameras came out. After shooting three rolls of film, I put it away and it has been there for about 12 years or so. Another forgotten antique.
I wonder about the billions of photos being made now. Perhaps some will survive until the children are older if they keep backups, but most are interested in the present minute and tomorrow is some future fantasy when it comes to planning. By the time they reach maturity they will have such a backlog of photos going through the will be an insurmountable task. (And deleting vast amounts of them because they no longer have any meaning or are just plain embarrassing will further reduce the number.)
From the way most youth are now, caring about the past is not a high priority. For some of us, the past is rich in memory and every shred of reminder becomes important to us.
When I look at photos of myself, I always feel like the image cannot be of me because it does not match my perception of myself. Another hint is that there have been very few taken of me, also telling me that I'm not quite up to par on the photogenic scale.
Writing for Steemit has increased my interest in writing about memories and I have far more I want to write than I have time available for creative writing. It seems that outdoor chores will remain increasingly visible until someone gets outdoors and does them. It's hard to be creative when feeling an increasing guilt for sitting and typing when I could be outdoors in the cold, raking up leaves and two dozen other things.
Thank you for connecting. That's the best part of writing for me!
Will