Summer Ragamuffins, 1956

Summer Ragamuffins, 1956, originally uploaded by confections.

Here is a portrait of my cousin Sandy, me, and my brothers Gary and John, taken during the summer of 1956 at my Aunt Margaret and Uncle Pete's farm in Muncie, Indiana.

Sadly, my beautiful cousin died of a brain tumor at age twenty, nine years after this picture was taken. She was like the big sister I never had in my life and she was taken much too early.

My Brother at the Muncie, Indiana, Municipal Pool, Mid-1960's

My Brother at the Muncie, Indiana, Municipal Pool, Mid-1960's, originally uploaded by confections.

Last night I discovered that I can scan slides with my funky scanner--not at very high resolution (300 dpi for now), but they will be in digital format if I decide to undertake this massive project. I'm researching the additional hardware that I will need to scan them at 4,000 dpi.

This motion shot of my brother jumping off the diving board in the mid-1960's is a bit blurry, but I like it nonetheless. It captures the essence of the sweltering midwest summer and the relief of jumping into that swimming pool.

Who knows what I'll find as I unearth the carousels of time....

Vintage Pony Ride

Vintage Pony Ride, originally uploaded by confections.

As summer in the northern hemisphere dwindles down, I begin savoring its last little bits nostalgically. The Harvest Moon in Pisces yesterday signaled autumn's imminent return.

I took this snapshot of my little brother (riding the pony) and two of my cousins when I was a teenager in the 1960's. We were visiting my aunt and cousins on their farm in Indiana.

The corn was high, the tomatoes ripe, and the aromatic farmhouse kitchen bustled with activity. This image evokes the playfulness of childhood and the languor of August for me.

I hope you have a good harvest this year.