My grandparents standing on a bridge somewhere

There's nothing written on the back of this photo, but here are the few things I can guess about it. I can guess that they are in the South - my grandmother never ventured far from the South (if she ever did, I never heard about it). I would guess that my grandmother made the dress she's wearing. This was probably around 1961. I'm guessing that because other photos that look the same (the photo paper has wavy edges) have "61" stamped on the border. And my grandfather is holding one of the cigarettes that would eventually give him emphysema. But that's not a guess; that's a fact.

This photo is in a book that I have (and need to return - yes I know, Mom! :) that my mom made for my grandfather when he was in the retirement home. It's a great little album. But I have noticed that in most of the pictures from the 60s that have my grandfather in it, he is holding a cigarette. Eventually he gave them up - not sure if that was before or after he got the emphysema, but I do know that emphysema is a rotten disease that you really don't want if you can avoid it. He didn't like me watching him having an attack - he'd go out on the back porch, away from everyone - but I saw my fair share of what it does to you and it's horrible.

I love this photo because they are young and stylish. Because they are traveling, which they loved. And because it is taken at an angle, which is how I take a lot of my out-the-car-window shots. So looking at it makes me feel like maybe I could've taken it, even though I was almost a decade away from being born. I also love it because so many pictures I have are either of Grandmama or Granddaddy, often with kids/grandkids or dogs they had or a car they had or standing next to a flowering bush in the yard. There aren't that many of the two of them together. I guess this is natural because someone has to hold the camera. And when I look at my own photos, it's the same with me and R.

So I'm aiming to start taking more pictures of the two of us together even though I'm as camera shy as they come. Because years and years from now, I might have a granddaughter who would love to see more pictures of her grandparents together when they were young.

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Comments

[Teresa]

I love old pictures - and you're definitely right - I need to have more pictures pictures taken of me and the man - we have one a year a Christmas (not hardly enough)...

[Elisa]

Trust me, even your daughter would love pictures of you and your husband. :)
I had to take a really good picture of my mother with my father to stop her complaining about me taking pictures of her :)

[Kim]

Oh I love this. I'm right there with you, I don't get nearly enough pictures of me and hubby together.

[Gayle]

maya, you are so right. I'm sure when V is older, she would love to have photos of her mom and dad together, too. And also, photos of her and you together.

[spread your wings]

i like the way you wrote about this photo - isn't it funny how certain little things give you clues about an image.
i do think it's an excellent idea for you to try to make a point of getting photos of you and your husband. V will want them I feel sure.

[Amy]

Love this. Thank you for sharing it.

[Toni]

Excellent post, Maya. I tend to be very camera shy, too, but at some point I'll have grandchildren who are going to want to know what grandma looked like before she got all old and wrinkly and fat and gray. Okay, so all they'd have to do is look at me now, but I'll be more of those things when I'm even older. =) (I'm only slightly gray and I'm not as fat as I was - 25 lbs lost!!)

Recent blog post: Sweet Peas & Sunday Spotlight

[Gayle]

Thank you for adding this to Monday Memories! I switched to Mr. Linky's new server. Maybe it will work consistently now!

[PamperingBeki]

That is beautiful!

Photos like this make me fall in love with photography all over again. A moment captured is such a beautiful thing.

But yeah, I have a hard time getting in front of the camera too.

[HLiza]

Oh I love studying black and white photos..they tell so much stories. I hardly have photos of me and hubby too..he's too camera-shy for that. He won't let me snap his photo..and posing with me is another no-no for him..Guess I need to try harder!

[Genny]

I'll be posting this in Vintage Vignettes. Please feel free to mention it if you continue with these wonderful Monday Memories!
-genny