Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Family Photographs
Family Photographs
A number of years back we had a house fire. It destroyed everything. Later I came to learn that those items most missed were the photographs of Mary
Ann and the boys and me across a lifetime together. A few days after the fire, settling into temporary quarters where we would live for 4 years while
our new house was being built, I started writing. I later realized that I was replacing my destroyed photographs with words, the only way I could
imagine reconstructing the images of our lives together. Several years later a small portion of my original manuscript found its way into a book that
has now been published. My purpose with this (current) writing is not to promote the book, which is only so-so to me when I look back over all the
stuff I have written. But it?s something I did and it was somewhat creative and I drew great pleasure throwing a few words on paper each day that
carried me back over the years.
As part of the process of pulling my stories, our small history that I was writing, the publisher asked me about photographs. My answer was obvious:
there were none. But I got to thinking about the issue of pictures and mentioned it to a number of friends that had shared Baja California with us
over the decades we?ve been going there, Bahia de Los Angeles more than most other places. Pictures began to surface; family and friends had copies
of prints made that went from the present back into the early ?60?s when we first started exploring Baja?s central and southern arid deserts and raw
torturous mountains. It was touching that our friends had so many memories that we shared. It?s something you don?t stop to think about on a normal
basis but we did with the sudden destruction and need had arisen from the fire.
I began collecting and organizing the assemblage of photographs we were receiving. I needed one or two for the book and then only for the cover and
back panels. I now had hundreds. But I had an idea.
I called a professional photographer and we sat down to discuss the presentation of the images. My concept was to create a large collage and frame
it. But that did no justice to the pictures that were most important to me. So I decided to enlarge a number of the prints to 8x10 and frame them as
well. By the time I was done and had received the new photographs, bought frames and mattes for each of them not only did I have a substantial
investment in my memories but I also needed a wall that was large enough to hang what turned out to be at least a hundred square feet of photographs.
After I had finished the last frame I laid the pictures on our king bed and the surrounding nightstands, etc just to see what the assemblage was going
to do with itself. It had become an independent entity without my knowing it.
I wrapped them all in newspaper today, this afternoon, and placed them in large plastic boxes to protect them on the drive down Mexico 1 to the bay.
Mary Ann and I have been trying to decide where they will fit in our Mexican house ? most of the wallspace is already covered with tapestries, Mexican
plates each painted with their own story, and other pictures. The location there is not of particular importance to me as long as they are in what is
a meaningful location. I?m thinking the bedroom.
The bedroom might seem like a strange place to put a wall full of family pictures.
But when I think of it what better place? With sunup comes a slight breeze that puffs the curtains through open doors into the house. A new day
stirs. In the often gentle, occasionally fierce light that penetrates the early mornings in the bay I can lay gently waking in our bed and listen to
the movements and rhythms of air and sea, the seabirds - gulls, pelicans, boobies and terns - the whales and dolphins blowing just off shore. With
our new photographs mounted on our bedroom walls, I can lay and reflect, just before the tranquil voices of neighbors on an early morning walk along
the shore and before the heat of the day has struck, about the times of my family.
All of our hearts are in Baja.
|
|
|
Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
|
|
Once again you have told a beautiful story about your life that most of us can relate to.
thanks Mike
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
 |
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Glad you found the way back to Nomad, Mike!
|
|
|
Eli
Super Nomad
Posts: 1471
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: L.B. Baja Sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: Some times Observing, sometimes Oblivious.
|
|
Mike,
Thanks, that was well worth a second read. I think the bedroom wall is the most perfect place for a foto gallery of your family.
You gave fruit to reflection of my own fotos stuck away in bins waiting, waiting, waiting for me to open them up and embrace the memories they carry.
One of these days I am going to get them organized.............
|
|
|
Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8805
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
|
|
eli..today is a GOOD day...
|
|
|
Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Thanks to all for kind words.
Eli - Where have you been; for that matter, where are you living now, mainland or Baja?? While I haven't been following quite as closely as I often
do, I haven't seen any of your stories lately on nomads. Regardless, I hope all is well with you. Mary Ann and I have bought a place in Bahia de Los
Angeles and are really enjoying it. It'd be fun to compare stories re small Mexican communities.
|
|
|
Eli
Super Nomad
Posts: 1471
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: L.B. Baja Sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: Some times Observing, sometimes Oblivious.
|
|
Mike,
I am home in Los Barrlies, lurking on Nomads but not much of anything worth saying. I plan to return to Oaxaca City mid July until mid Nov. Bet it is
a lot cooler up in Bahia de Los Angeles than it is down here.
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
