If it were just for Art and me, we'd keep our album digital, save it to a DVD and that would be enough.
However, it's really for my mother and aunt. If there were no photos for Mom to see, she would forget most of it. No, she doesn't have Alzheimers, but she doesn't have a great memory either. Sigh... neither do I!
Therefore, we take a lot of photos of details from our trips. Tons of photos of flowers, food, plants, people, animals, landscape, and buildings are taken so that looking at them again can bring back that memory.
We've been talking to Mom about the trip and she says she can't remember what we're talking about. A lot has to do with language perhaps in that she doesn't quite understand what we're referring to.
Our Alaskan album that Art and I rushed to put together in a week was 94 pages (500-600 photos!). It's a step by step itinerary of everything we did, saw, heard, tasted and learned. We also added tons of information that we picked up from Internet to explain the history of each location...not to mention speech bubbles to enhance the humor of the moment.
When we showed it to mom today, she was thrilled and excited. Looking at the photos seemed to open a window to her memories of the trip. She recalled again the excitement of seeing Mt. McKinley unveiled, the salmon in the last throws of their lives, the incredible food, the kindness of everybody around us.
Our tour group was mainland based so there was only one other island couple that we spent time with. However, Mom loved the fact that "Auntie" Deb, our land tour leader was so wonderfully kind and accommodating. All the other non-island people also treated Mom and Auntie with kindness and warmth. This was truly such a happy thing for them to experience.
Seeing the photos of the people we enjoyed spending time with brought back those moments of happiness.
It cost us nearly $50.00 a piece to put the two albums together. (Actually my cousin pays for everything we spend on his mom. He's always told us to spare no expense. I love it!) It was worth every penny to see the smiles the album pages brought forth on Mom's face. We're looking forward to delivering Auntie Grace's to her on Sunday. Mom will now work on writing her memories in Japanese on the blank album pages I set aside for her for each day of the trip.
It was a tremendous amount of work this week to put this together. But, you know what? It was worth it!
Therefore, we take a lot of photos of details from our trips. Tons of photos of flowers, food, plants, people, animals, landscape, and buildings are taken so that looking at them again can bring back that memory.
We've been talking to Mom about the trip and she says she can't remember what we're talking about. A lot has to do with language perhaps in that she doesn't quite understand what we're referring to.
Our Alaskan album that Art and I rushed to put together in a week was 94 pages (500-600 photos!). It's a step by step itinerary of everything we did, saw, heard, tasted and learned. We also added tons of information that we picked up from Internet to explain the history of each location...not to mention speech bubbles to enhance the humor of the moment.
When we showed it to mom today, she was thrilled and excited. Looking at the photos seemed to open a window to her memories of the trip. She recalled again the excitement of seeing Mt. McKinley unveiled, the salmon in the last throws of their lives, the incredible food, the kindness of everybody around us.
Our tour group was mainland based so there was only one other island couple that we spent time with. However, Mom loved the fact that "Auntie" Deb, our land tour leader was so wonderfully kind and accommodating. All the other non-island people also treated Mom and Auntie with kindness and warmth. This was truly such a happy thing for them to experience.
Seeing the photos of the people we enjoyed spending time with brought back those moments of happiness.
It cost us nearly $50.00 a piece to put the two albums together. (Actually my cousin pays for everything we spend on his mom. He's always told us to spare no expense. I love it!) It was worth every penny to see the smiles the album pages brought forth on Mom's face. We're looking forward to delivering Auntie Grace's to her on Sunday. Mom will now work on writing her memories in Japanese on the blank album pages I set aside for her for each day of the trip.
It was a tremendous amount of work this week to put this together. But, you know what? It was worth it!
Beautiful creations.
ReplyDeleteOh Kay, everyone should have a daughter or niece like you. But I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
You really are a wonderfully thoughtful daughter, Kay. And very industrious, too. Many people, me included, would have it as something to do in the future and many months would go by before I'd finish it. Not you!
ReplyDeleteyou are preserving your family history. I still have over 1000 photos to sort and put in some kind of slide show of my Icelandic trip...
ReplyDeleteThe care you take of your elderly relatives is so heart waring Kay. Sadly, I don't have any elderly relatives left, apart from my father-in-law who has never been particularly family orientated.
ReplyDeleteYou really show the rest of us (me, anyway) a clean pair of heels. Photos are such wonderful memory joggers.
ReplyDeleteKay, you could have a side business of creating photo albums and family history albums!! They are truly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI have all sorts of albums from the days of film. My most recent photos are all on digital devices. I can go to a photo album and find something instantly, but have difficulty finding the photos on the digital devices.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you were amply rewarded by the smiles and love when you delivered the photo albums. You have such an artistic ability with these albums. You must have perfected your skills as a teacher.
Dianne
You are truly inspiring, Kay. I plan to make a photo album of my trips to Tokyo, Hong Kong, and the Big Island. I'll just publish my blog entries of each place, rather than buy a Canon like you did. But, I'll also use the kind of plastic sleeves you got from Costco. Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you are so stressed!! But as you said it was worth it. I am in awe that you always choose the "higher" road, never the easy way out. It would have been easier to not take the elderly on a trip, as I would (actually my father is not pleasant like your mother and aunt, we took him on many trips in the past but he never failed to complain about everything.) You're a model I hold in my mind, "what would Kay do?"
ReplyDeleteL.
incredible feat under the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThat is not even expensive. A friend I have over here, just came back from her trip to Switzerland and she made an album of her photos, which cost her $100!! I´m not sure how many pics there were, but it was not over 80. That´s why I keep all my pics on the lap top.
ReplyDeleteThe albums you made look fantastic and I´m sure your mom will enjoy them again and again!
You are right, pictures do help bring back the memories, even for the young. That's why I just finished photo books for the trips taken with my grandchildren (and Mom). I added up the cost of developing pictures, buying binders, finding good quality pages for holding the pictures, and decided to just print out photo books.
ReplyDeleteYou are a good daughter and son-in-law. I'm sure your mother and aunt will enjoy the pictures and appreciate the work you went to for them.
What a great way to remember the details of your trip. We try to do this, too, and right away -- as procrastination is never good when it comes to these things!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we were able to share some of those photos the past few weeks! Wonderful work!
ReplyDeleteWhat a thoughtful gift!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it is easy to want to do things for your mother and aunt because they are sweet and appreciative. Many parents aren't like that.
ReplyDeleteMy parents were super (not perfect, but we loved them), and I miss being able to share things with them. You will never regret the kind things you have done for your elderly relatives.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
The albums are wonderful! And your hard work is rewarded by the pleasure it has brought to your mother!
ReplyDeleteWhat program do you use to create these album pages?
Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a better gift. LOVELY!
ReplyDeleteI agree with a comment above, you are a model person Kay. What a wonderful gift you have given your mother and Auntie, keeping all the memories alive for them. They will have more time on their hands then you I imagine and those albums will be much loved and looked through again and again. They look so organised which no doubt you and Art both are. I bet your Auntie will be very happy when she gets hers too. A big job but absolutely well worth it.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you for making those albums. It is a lot of work, and well worth it.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job by creating these photo albums. It was such a wonderful trip and it is important to remember every detail, then you can relive the trip once more. You are such a nice family.
ReplyDelete