Some Old Pictures

I mentioned last week that I was scanning some of old slides into the computer. I thought I would share a couple of them with some comments.
Here is, I think, the oldest of the ones I scanned. I believe it is from the summer of 1952 or 1953. Yes, that's me, the captain of my fence at either age 4 or 5. In the early days, and some of the later ones as well, neither Kodak nor my parents put dates on the slides so I am guessing at the date. The earlier date is most likely.

This one is from November of 1953. My brother is just a little over 2 and I am 5. Notice the old Packard. Well, it wasn't old then. Already I was auditioning to be cool. Too bad I flunked the audition.

Big jump in time to August 1970. Yes that is the Brandenburg Gate in what was then East Berlin. And yes, that is part of the Berlin Wall. I am, in this picture, in West Berlin. The chariot on top of the Gate is facing east on the famous boulevard Unter den Linden. I believe it now faces west as originally designed.

Standing near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. It's 1973 and my wife and I spent a month in Israel. It is amazing how pictures truly do bring back feelings as well as memories. Oh yes, and memories of the heat, too.

In the Arizona desert in 1973. Two months in the desert that year, first in Israel and then Arizona. This trip was part of a Seminary cross-cultural experience on the Navajo reservation. Yes, that is the same person as the top picture.

I am now about 80% done with the scanning. So far I have added 1150 slides to my picture files. Yes, there were at least 11,000 originals. Probably more. I had gobs of "nature" and "people" slides that were so so. Why so many? Well, back in the old days I would put together slide shows with music and narration added. In reality, for those too young to remember, these were the pre-cursors to the Powerpoint presentations. (Only better?)

At least once a year- in the 70s and 80s, mind you- I would put together one of these mutli-media presentations for my church as my sermon for the day. No one complained. In fact some always wanted to know when I was going to do one so they could be sure to be in church that week.

Is it any wonder I call myself a post-modern Pilgrim. Been on this pilgrimage for years. Even before it wsa post-modern. (No that does not mean I am all that brilliant. Just a multi-media nut.

Another thought was looking at some of those pictures from 35 or more years ago and knowing that these pictures are truly but a mili-second in time. So much- SO MUCH- has happened since then. The slides from Berlin in '70 and Israel in both '73 and '80 show that. Time is moving. Always.