A few days ago my sister posted this photo of my mom, at 18, having caught a big fish like a true Oregonian. I have seen this photo dozens of times throughout my life, but I can’t seem to recall the details. Did she catch the fish herself? Was she fishing with my dad (an avid outdoorsman)? I think they had met by the time she was 18, but I can’t recall specifically. Was she holding his catch? Was she flirting with him in her nonchalance?
Inspired to dig into my small archive of scanned photos from the past, I came up with these great photos: my Dad in his hometown Chicago, my parents on a road trip across the US, my parents by a lake, and a photo of me hanging out in a backpack while on a hike with my Dad. I love these glimpses from the past, but they’re not enough for me. I want to know the stories of each photo, the details, emotions, and a description of what happened before and after. Maybe it’s time for my dad to start writing the biography that my siblings and I have been trying to convince him of for years.
Hi Carly,
Here are more details for those photos, just fyi. 🙂
The fishing photo was before I knew your dad. It was May 1974, and I wouldn’t meet Mario for a couple more months.
High school graduation was only a few weeks away. I went with a
friend up the Coos River near the Oregon coast. The steelhead (freshwater salmon) were heading upstream to spawn so the fishing was very easy. I remember it was a very relaxed time in my life. I had my whole life in front of me.
The road trip photo is in the Colorado mountains, September 1972. We were newly engaged, and on the road heading for Chicago for me to meet Mario’s family. First stop, sister Sylvia in Colorado.
The photo by the lake is actually in Yellowstone National Park on the same road trip as the previous photo. But we were on our way home and trying to get a good photo to use on our wedding invitation. (This one didn’t make the cut… not sure why. We are pretty cute!)
And talk about cute… with the new snowfall just outside our first home in Oakridge Oregon (surrounded by the Willamette National Forest), we had to go for a short walk, and Carly had the prime seat in the backpack.
Great family memories. Thanks for sharing them.
Mom (Andrea)