Yesterday I went to a flea market that consisted mostly of Spanish DVD's and Spanish rap tapes and assorted junk. There was a furry Chewbacca mask that I tried to blackmail a friend into buying because he wanted us to go to his place afterwards so I said I would only on the condition that he bought it. He didn't buy it. We went directly to his place after the market. At one point we stood and stared at a little table of trinkets and miscellaneous...crap (for lack of a better word). We stood there for about a full minute all staring quietly and I finally broke out of and shouted "what the hell are we all looking at?" If I saw us I would have thought for sure we must have looked like we were on acid. Anyway after we snapped out of it I went to a huge part of the pavement that had thousands of papers flying around haphazardly.It was there that I spotted two old suitcases laying open with letters, documents, and photos in them. I found a bunch of new photos to add to my collection. There were many photos documenting the life of the girl pictured above with her dog. She didn't look much different as an adult. There were personal letters, cards, the deed to a cemetery plot, class pictures. I was tempted to look at some of the letters but it didn't feel right, I already felt invasive rummaging through the suitcases.
A little old man came up and saw me looking though the pictures and started telling me how his wife had found a box of old love letters there last week that documented a mans entire life starting when he served in WWII. He said she sat there for a few hours reading though them and then only bought a small selection because there were hundreds and they charged $1 per letter. He kept shaking his head, he thought they were amazing and he was glad his wife bought them. I was glad he started talking to me, he just stood in the piles of paper with me and watched over my shoulder as I made a little pile of my selected photos, talking all the while. Every once in a while I would look up and squint at him and smile and ask questions, I didn't want him to leave. He was momentarily distracting me from the slight melancholy that usually arises when I get glimpses like this of someones entire life belongings turned instantly into junk. Anyway like I tell all the new photos I add to my collection "You matter to me now! I'll take real good care of you".
12 comments:
that sounds like a fascinating insight. its like looking at these snapshots and thinking about the stories and lives behind them.
also i agree that its sad that someone may have treasured these items and now they are junk. its almost as if you rescued them.
or did i misunderstand that?
personally when im going round bootfairs i love buying really dogeared books coz its like they have been read and loved many times and as i read them i find myslef wondering if the previous owner got what i did form it.
no you didn't misunderstand me at all, you are precisely on the mark. I DO feel like I'm rescuing them, and I cherish them all. the hard part is editing them down because I know I can't buy them all.
did you see my little mini site of my photo collection BTW?
that's nice what you say about the books too. sometimes I underline sections of my books and wonder if the next owner of them will take note my selections.
wheres that collection of fotos then? id love to see them!
go to my "Old Photo Collection" entry and click on the link...I haven't updated it yet with my newest images. I had to be up at 6am today to assist on a photo shoot, and now I have 10 minutes before my friends pick me up to go to a housewarming/skateboarding party/potluck barbeque...i'm so f-ing tired. anyway, babble babble..check out the oldies...
i will do. have fun and blog soon!
ps, bring me back summat nice from the BBQ!
i'm back, and i'm empty handed!
dammit, ill have to cook for myself again!
Yeah old photos don't talk but they DO open up your imagination and leave a whole hell of alot more behind than we realize. I'm sorry that you've no one to tell you about the poeple in the photos, it's really frustrating I know.
So you have that bible in your possession now?? That's wonderful. (I have a draft of a story about my grandparents half-written that I need to finish and post. I think you've inspired me to finish it, thanks.)
BTW - I'm so curious to see the pictures you're talking about! My mom has one of my great grandfather sitting on someone's front porch steps with CIVIL WAR VETERAN! I saw it and brought it down and placed it on her kitchen table. She asked me what I was doing with it and I told her I was leaving it out for her to appreciate it for a few days because I planned on stealing it and taking it back to SF with me when I left. "Oh no you're not" she said.
I left it on her kitchen table until my last day when I regretfully brought it back to the place I found it and left it there with 3 kisses upon both of their faces.
for some strange reason, i find it intresting to read the little dedication tpye things in books like "happy birthday tony 1989" or similar.
yeah CM I'm with you on that, I also love reading their names, especially the names from the late 1800's/ early 1900's which have all but become extinct in our generation. Betty Sue, Eleanor, Maria, Lilly, those are a few of the poeple on my walls.
yeah, the London cemeteries would be a great theme, I'd love to see them when you get around to doing it! Let me know when you do ok?
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