Some old photos and personal history

Something a bit different today.

I always keep myself busy. Pandemic or no pandemic. I've not been working since the schools closed in the early spring. When they opened again in September, I chose not to return; I'm in a couple of high-risk categories.

And after a couple of falls on slippery seaweed, I've been slowing down. Walking can be painful and I tire early. The years are catching up to me.

But I've still kept busy. Up to now, I've been systematically emptying and cleaning every cupboard, every container, every storage bin, every file or photo album or bookshelf, downsizing as I go. That's done now, except for routine upkeep. So I've turned to the digital stash; everything I've been putting off sorting and curating. Document files are done. Now the photos; a complete hard drive full of photos.

A year ago, my brother sent me a few files of photos he had scanned from Dad's old slides, photos taken in the 1950s. I looked them over and stored them for later; they were messy and faded. No wonder: Dad's photo box had gone through one house fire, several earthquakes and a tornado, besides dozens of moves. The  slides were scratched and dusty, discoloured with age. They needed careful recovery work.

I've started on that now. And I think these may be of interest.

I've mentioned before now that I grew up in the woods. Here's where I spent my childhood and my early teens.

Esperanza General Hospital. Mom was nurse, Dad bookkeeper. Pop; about 25.

A couple of years later. Then they built a one-room school and a house up on the hill. We lived in the house for a while.

Loading the raft for summer camp. About this time we moved across the channel to the settlement at the upper left. The main body is an abandoned fish cannery; there were two habitable houses. Ours was the one on the far left. Population, with a temporary floating logging camp, 14.

The view from my bedroom window. Although it was raining more often than not.

Photo from my old box camera. All transportation was by water or air. This was the Lizzie, our school boat.

The weekly mail.

Random shot on the wharf. One of the nurses with discharged patient, and the plane that will take them home.

I think this settlement is what's left of Ceepeecee after the cannery burnt down.

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Mi hermano me mandó unas transparencias que había tomado mi papá por los años 1950 a '60. Estaban muy mal, llenas de polvo y rasguños, con los colores todos cambiados. Con razón; esa fotos habían sido transportados de un lado a otro por 50 años, habíaan sufrido un incendio de casa, un tornado, y varios terremotos. Necesitaban mucho labor antes de poderlas ver claro.

Eso he estado haciendo, ahora que estoy más o menos encerrada. Pensé que estas podrían ser de interés.

He mencionado antes que crecí entre los bosques. Aquí es el lugar, en la costa oriente de la isla de Vancouver. El primer pueblo, un hospital con casas para los trabajadores tenía una población de 25 personas. Luego, nos mudamos al otro lado del agua, y nuestro "pueblo" contaba con 14 personas. La cuarta foto es la vista desde mi recámara.

Toda nuestro transporte era por agua o aire. La foto en blanco y negro de un barco viene de mi antigua cámara. Es el barco que nos llevaba a la escuela atrás del hospital. (Una escuela con una sola maestra y un solo salón de clases.)

El avión es el que nos traía el correo una vez a la semana.

Y la foto en el muelle muestra el avión que va a llevar unos pacientes del hospital a su casa.