mama don't take my kodachrome

*

growing up, i would occasionally be allowed to go through my father's camera collection. he kept them in a box, high in his closet. i loved seeing them, hearing their stories, & fiddling with their bits. i imagine he kept them out of sight to avoid too much fiddling. i also imagine that this began my love of old cameras.

one stop on our road-trip was to visit my brother, his family, & our father. words cannot explain how much i loved being with all of them. living so far away has always been hard on me, doubly so since my mother's passing.

as i was filling a bin with some of my mother's books, my father asked if i wanted his cameras. i had planned on asking if he would bring them out, but only because i longed to see them. to get to take them home with me was something beyond my wildest imaginings.

the cameras were the first thing unpacked upon returning home. i fiddled with each & every bit i could find.

then set about making a place for them; high enough to keep the most little of us from fiddling.

the two not-so-little were threatened with bodily harm asked to refrain from fiddling.

this guy is my favorite.

~peace.

ps :: i do know what each camera is, so if you are curious, feel free to ask. (the two large cases hold movie cameras.)

pps :: you can thank my father for getting that song stuck in your head. mama don't take my kodachrome away-ay-ay...