McBlog

Be sure to click on the picture.

On June 6, I posted a scrapbook page of the day Mike returned home from Viet Nam. Since then, I've recorded our old Super 8 movies onto digital tape, and while the dust bunnies and spider webs are busy procreating new and mutant life forms under the beds and in the closets, I've been glued to the computer reliving precious moments. Here is the same scrapbook page in action! It's less than two minutes from the entire movie, but it captures the happiness at the reunion of a young couple separated much too long by war.

I have always been the official picture taker in the family, so I don't often appear in the family photos. But here is one with Dan and me together....and another also with Dan and me. But today it dawned on me, that in the earlier photo, I am about the same age that Dan is now. How did that happen? Where did the time go?....on second thought, Dan is OLDER now than I was in that photo!

or Revealing Hidden Assets!

I don’t remember the exact date other than it had been many, many years since I had last shopped the size five rack in the junior department.

However, the location and event are imprinted in my mind not unlike the memory of some tragic and/or traumatic event that I can recall with precise details as to exactly where I was and what I was doing when the shocking news was announced.

I was attending one of Dan’s many musical performances at the elegant, antique, hoity-toity Saenger Theater. I liked to sit in the front row of the balcony so I might be able to catch of glimpse of Dan performing if he were not completely hidden by the tympani or electronic equipment. This night I wasn’t able to nab a seat in the front row balcony, so I settled for third row. The performance was, as usual, outstanding. At the intermission, I made a quick trip to ladies room and then hurried back to the balcony so I would have time to get up close to the balcony railing to stand and drink in the beauty of the art deco and rococo designs that graced the grand old Saenger. I was also hoping see Dan in the pit.

I’m not sure how long I stood there, taking it all in, when I heard a lady's voice whisper quietly in my ear. “excuse me, but”……..(and I’m not totally certain exactly what I heard next, but I got the message loud and clear that the back my flowing tea-length skirt was tucked firmly in the waistband of my panty hose. I had chosen not to wear a slip because my skirt was not sheer and I hated the static cling that a nylon slip can create. So here I stood, exposing my hidden assets to the entire balcony audience.

I felt my face flush and for a few seconds I debated the best course of action. Should I quickly un-tuck my skirt as if nothing had happened and try to regain my dignity, or should I just reach down and pull the front of my skirt over my head and secure my anonymity? Or perhaps this would be an opportune time to simply jump over the balcony ala John Wilkes Booth and make a swift departure out an emergency exit. With as much grace as I could muster, I rearranged my skirt and tried to casually inch my way backward three rows to my seat so I would not have to turn around and face the folks whom I’m sure were enjoying a great snicker on my behalf.

The performance was, as usual, outstanding and I remained in my seat until I was fairly certain that the audience behind me had left the theater. Then I exited as quickly as I could trying to not make eye contact with anyone just in case they had witnessed the moonrise over the balcony.

Needless to say, I am forever vigilant about my exit from the ladies room no matter if I’m at Burger King, or an elegant music performance.

OK, he's been DAN for over twenty years, but as a little boy, he was DANNY, and still is to his cousins. This is his first bicycle that Santa brought in 1976. It's difficult to tell who is having more fun....Mike or Dan?

At Bek's wedding in April, she danced like there was no tomorrow. I had never seen a bride boogey like she did. Apparently, she started practicing early. This was filmed in the spring of '79

I have about three hours of video from Bek's wedding, but less than two minutes from my own. Here is a clip that should tickle your funny bone. Your speakers aren't broken, there is no sound. I deleted the whirring sound of the movie projector. Maybe one day after I make friends with iMovie, I'll add a sound track like they used in the old days of movie making before talkies. Hey, I suppose I could type in some text dialog too! That might be fun! BTW...who are those skinny, dark-haired people, and where did they go?!?

.... actually the lyrics of a tune from the 60s are 'Sad Movies Always Make Me Cry', but yesterday when Mike and I transferred our old super 8 movies to digital video tape, I shed a tear or two. I saw babies that I'd not seen in over 30 years, and a young couple's joyful embrace after a 13 month long separation. I saw a slender, raven-haired girl and a handsome young Marine pilot cut the first piece of their wedding cake. I relived a little boy’s excitement after winning a foot race and learning to ride his first bike. And a toddler's swivel hips boogey was just a faint memory in my mind until I got to once again see her in action. Granted, there was no sound, and the images are discolored and grainy, and shaky, but that was high tech of the day, and I am so thankful for those precious images. I will be posting some video clips after I get them imported into iMovie, so stay tuned!

This will probably get tweaked before I'm happy with the final copy.

This is for the 8x8 digital album. Some scrappers use a lot of "embellishments" on their pages, but I'm more of a "less-is-more" scrapper. Whatcha think? Does it need something? EDIT! I've added a little something.

I really do try to keep my desktop clean, but before I know it, all good intentions have been left by the wayside, and this is how my desktop looks. Fortunately, the rest of my house isn't quite this bad, (OK...maybe the utility room!....and maybe my desk!) but I fight a never-ending battle of clutter. Does this reflect a jumbled mind? Or creative ideas just waiting for expression? Regardless, it makes Mike crazy when he sees it. His desktop is spotless!

I made my first scrapbook pages from the wedding photos. Here they are. The backgrounds were made from the bouquet.