Past and Present

It's been more than a week since I last blipped, probably my longest period away from this community since I joined Blipfoto on October 5, 2011.

I've been busier than usual with friends and family, vacation planning, and volunteer commitments, but most of all with sharing family history with my new-found first cousin, R. He's as interested in details as I am and is a fine writer, so it's been a pleasure to exchange information with him.

I've popped in here with comments now and then, and for the immediate future, that's about all that I'll manage. Today's image captures that dichotomy between my life in the here and now, and the pull of learning more about my ancestors -- in this case, my great x 4 -grandfather, Colonel Joseph Martin (1785-1857) and this letter he wrote in 1829, about which I blipped in June 2012.

This view of both the letter, which hangs in a hallway, and a reflection of our kitchen on the left side of the image, caught my eye, and seemed to epitomize the pull I feel toward both my present life and those of my ancestors.

That document comes from my mother's side of my family, about which I have copious information and artifacts. Cousin R is providing new-to-me photos and information about my father's side, for which I'm immensely grateful. And we're hoping to meet in person later this year... stay tuned!.

Belated thanks for all the stars and hearts for Artist Annie's birthday photo with her son! I was glad to be able to "capture" that lovely moment in the life of one of Blipfoto's stars.

Blip 1906