Granpapa's Gift

Granpapa was a tinkerer. He loved gizmoes and gadgets, the latest technology. I remember as a child watching him fiddle with cameras and sewing machines, wires and switches.  So it's no surprise to me that he owned a "moving picture camera" and film projector. I am sure he thought later generations would enjoy watching these silent films of days gone by. Of people long gone. Of my mom and her cousins as young kids --kids my kids' age.

 My mom was cleaning out this week and came across the
ancient box of film canisters and its accompanying treasure box shaped suitcase containing the film projector.

Inspired by Brian's video making she thought that maybe he could get it working.  Thursday night Brian pulled out the bohemoth. Brian is a tinkerer.
 



 The whir of the projector and the sound of the film slapping through the wheels soon filled the room. Suddenly there was my mom--7 years old making her first communion, a party after with aunts and uncle,s cousins and friends. People I have not seen since they left this world now moved across our whiteboard. It was really emotional for me. As I narrated for my kids, my voice cracked as I introduced my Granmama...walking down the stairs at St Peter's Church holding my mom's hand. Next, my mom in front of the Christmas tree wearing a red cowgirl outfit and red cowgirl boots...unwrapping silver toy pistols...doing a little happy dance. Then they are on a train. A sleeper car. (do those even exist anymore?) And suddenly there he was. The film maker. The man who captured the stories and made them immortal...Granpapa, sitting opposite my mom and Granmama on the train car. My kids were entranced with these days gone by, the people they have heard so many stories about now alive on film. They were tickled with it. Later they called my mom and told her all about it. She was tickled that they were so tickled.
As they chatted on the phone I looked through the case and came across a table of contents for the entire box of film.

Granpapa had grouped the events and numbered the film canisters. I showed my mom when she came over for a visit. She freaked out. The paper he used--the back of it was the menu for Therriault's Cafe-the cafe run by my Granmama's sister- tante Aurore and her husband Joe--the cafe the Gagnon sisters waitressed at, Armand their brother cooked at....a family business it was. And so now we have started to open Granpapa's gift. A slow unfolding it is so as not to burn out old machine parts. A slow walk through time and generations for our family.        

                                                                 Thank you Granpapa.

** I know it says we watched the movies Thursday night and the pictures are quite obviously taken in the morning. I really wanted to use morning sun for a photo shoot so the pictures are posed.