Saturday

Slideshow

My mom grew up with a career Navy Dad who then became a career IBM man. I think it's needless to say that they traveled a lot.

One of the thrills for me, growing up, was when people came to visit & my Granddaddy set up the slide projector. I've seen the slides thousands of times and never tire of them.

It would never fail. In the middle of a "tour" of France or Italy, suddenly, a slide of me would pop up. When I'd see it, I'd start to cringe knowing what was coming. That slide was one of three.

Three slides of me at age one or so. Coming out of the bath. With only a towel wrapped around me. That first slide was innocent enough. Oh, how cute! The next slide shows the towel starting to move away from my body. Um, what am I doing??? And that third slide is nothing but me! Me, an exhibitionist. And that's the slide that my Granddaddy's slide projector would always get stuck on. My family would giggle and proclaim how cute it was. I, being a young girl & then a teenager, would want to die of embarrassment. This was before something like that would be called child pornography.

But, heaven forbid if that series of slides weren't in queue for viewing!

By the time I met Big D, the slide watching days were over. Everyone had seen them umpteen times. It was a hassle getting it all together. Slides were outdated and slide projectors hard to fix.

Big D sure heard about them. Every visit, my Granddaddy has something to say about them. Big D was beginning to think they were imaginary.

One visit, however, we walked in and the slide projector was set up. I knew what was coming. Big D knew what was coming. It started out as usual. Regular slides of the kids growing up, slides of the places they've lived & visited. Then, out of the blue, there was me. Big D's face lit up & he rubbed his hands. Once my Granddaddy fixed the projector so it wasn't "stuck" on me, Big D looked at me as it to say: "What? That's what all the hoopla was about?" I'm not sure what exactly he was expecting...

I haven't thought about those slides in many years. My grandparents are at the age where they are downsizing. They are giving away all their things. Even when that started, I didn't think about the slides. We went to a cousin's wedding in October and that's when the slides hit me. I asked about them but my Granddaddy has no idea where they are. He gave some here & there.

My mission in 2009 is to find those three slides of me.

14 comments:

Reader Wil said...

This is a very nice post and well written! Thanks for sharing.

Jillie Bean (AKA Bubba's Sis) said...

I think I saw them on the Internet last week....

marky said...

It is hard to say where they may be LOL..kind of like Chevy chase in european vacation.. the home video.. oh my! You have your work cut out for you this year!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, sounds like a prime item for a family member to bribe you. Watch out for those crazy cousins - they can be sneaky... ;)

Forgetfulone said...

That's a funny story! I sure hope you get your hands on those slides.

Stacey said...

LOL you're so modest! I'm thinking it's probably an adorable slide (all three, actually) because that's all it can be! The slides are precious, I hope you find them all--my father loaned them to Jamee before he died and then she died and now Andy has all of them. I hope he returns them!

PS-thanks for your lovin tonight. xo

jennyonthespot said...

Drats. My original reply maybe didn't go threu. Crats.

Bubba's Sis! Shame on you! This is SERIOUS!

I know exactly how you feel, D... I was a victim of the same kiddie-naked embarrassment as well... (group hug)

We will find those slides...

kris said...

same here as everyone... there are things that blind me when I see them 30 years later!! Hope you can find them, that would be fun! Wonder where all of ours are, not that I wanna see them, O MY EYES!
kris ;)

4funboys said...

ahhh... looking back is sometimes fun.

last week someone posted a bunch of pictures on facebook, and then tagged all of us. ha it was a crack up.

coastie bro said...

bawahaaa. the pics are is a REAL safe place.

littletoesandcheerios said...

Now that there's youtube girl you better find them! Best of luck!

Misty DawnS said...

I would love to comment, but I'm still gasping for air and rolling around laughing at the comment B/S made. hehehe Only a Best Friend can get away with teasing like that. hehehe

Patois42 said...

And post them here for all of us to know what the hoopla is about. Right?

Jenny86753oh9 said...

When I was 4, by family thought it would be funny to take pictures of me (while hiding behind the couch) of me fresh out of the bathtub with nothing by those stupid sponge curlers in my hair.

Still hate those pictures. Gotta find them.