Happy Birthday, Littlest One!

Birthday cards have sure changed.  When I was growing up, my parents would give me a card, without failure, every year on my birthday.  I rarely really wanted a hallmark card, they all said the same thing, a good message, but the same.  A few of them survived my youth to make it into a keepsake box that I will always treasure, mostly because my mom and sometimes my dad picked them out signed them and gave them to me. Today, cards are becoming a thing of the past, often replaced with a quick post on Facebook or other even more passing wish.

My Mother

I started this piece very shortly after Mom passed away.  It was hard too write and even harder to revisit to actually finish it up.  I can't say I have reread the whole piece, but I think it's ok, and I want to share it with some people who have been important to me and my mother.  I have also posted a brief slide show, which you are welcome to view on BarrettPhoto.us.  Following is what I wrote late last year...

Barbara Ann Barrett — Born April 13, 1933, quietly passed away in her sleep from cancer on August 19, 2016, at about 7:05am.  That is how I began her obituary posted on Adams-Green website. Quietly passed away in her sleep sounds like an euphemism, a wishful memory of what might have been, but in my mother’s case, it is remarkably accurate, though brief description of the event. I want to expand on that, provide a few more details from my memory for my memory, so that I can clearly, accurately, recall the related events that preceded it.

Mom’s battle with rectal cancer began in the fall of 2013 at the same time I had a life threatening health crisis. My intrepid wife had us both in the hospital, different hospitals, shuttling between to oversee our care.  Mom’s doctors, unsurprisingly suggested a witches brew of chemo, radiology and surgical treatments, steps that might stop the disease but with a high cost in side effects and life altering changes. 

J&S Travel Memory Books

A few years back I discovered photo books as a way to make my images from travels a powerful tool for bolstering my memory and enjoyment of vacations and other trips.  Before that, I had taken pictures, often printed some of them, looked at them and put them in a box or drawer.  When I looked at them years later I really couldn't appreciate what I was looking at.  The images just didn't work as a way to really remember the event.  Putting those images into book format forced me to really think about what I saw, adding some organization and narration, allows my to save the memories much more accurately and gives me something that I can look at long after the fact and once again enjoy the experience. These books, for many people have become the ultimate souvenir.

Creating a Flickr Account

I use Flickr to display my favorite pictures and occasionally in support of group projects.  Those group projects sometimes require new accounts to be setup by people who may be a bit confused by the process.  This post is intended as a walk though of the account creation process that may help them out.