Julie Barrett is a freelance writer and photographer based in Plano, TX.

The more things change ...

Fresh when it gets here from Julie Barrett
Thursday, November 15, 2007


I'm going to tackle the Weekend Assignment early: Show us, or tell us a story about, change.

This is my grandmother:

Grandmother and camera

And this is the camera in the picture:

Kodak Autographic Jr.

A Kodak Autographic Jr. The I've narrowed the dates of the first picture to somewhere between 1916 and 1920. This was part of a cache of negatives we found after she died. My grandmother loved photography and she loved taking pictures. Of course, most women didn't muss their hands with photographic chemicals in those days. Fortunately for her, Kodak made it easy to mail the film off to Rochester, N.Y. or take it to a local drugstore that had a darkroom on the premises.

This is me and my camera, shot today:

In the Mirror

That's an Olympus E-300 digital SLR, and yes, I shot the picture in my bathroom mirror. The dangling lens cap helps hide the wrinkles. ;-)

And because I know you're curious, this is what's on the shelf:

Good for what ails ya!

Left to right: A receptacle for hair. My grandmother painted that piece of china. Women used to save the hairs from their brushes and use them to stuff pincushions and the like. Next, a glass from the aforementioned Eastman Kodak company. This was in her china hutch. And finally, a patent medicine bottle I mocked up. Not a very good job, I admit, but if you get the joke feel free to click through for a larger version so you can read the text. Of course, the spoon is antique.

Extra Credit: Do you feel that you are changing in some way right now?

Besides the expanding waistline, you mean? Oh, my life is in a constant flux. I freelance, so I'm always doing new and interesting things. This year also marked several milestones: First, our son turned 18 and graduated from high school in the same month. He also got his first car. We won't discuss the insurance bills. I just became eligible to join the AARP. They say 50 is the new 30, right? "They" are probably the same folks who coined the expression "power surge" to describe hot flashes. I will say that the clerk at the grocery store thought seriously about carding me today. As long as she wasn't trying to determine whether or not I was eligible for a senior citizen discount, that's fine.

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Filed under: Weekend Assignment   Pictures         

  6  Comments
 

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Karen Funk Blocher said:
Interesting trio of shots. Your grandmother looks pensive, and there are flowers in her hair, both of which help to make the shot intriguing. I can't imagine having a bathroom so well organized that there's room for a little antique tableau like that. Congrats to you for being able to do something like that. And are yopu going to join AARP? I've been vaguely thinking about it!
Date: 11/15/2007 10:13:14 PM Date: 11/15/2007 10:13:14 PM

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julie said:
Organized? There's a reason I cropped that picture, you know!
Date: 11/16/2007 9:51:35 AM Date: 11/16/2007 9:51:35 AM

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Nancy said:
This is a really well thought out entry! Interesting one too. Thanks for sharing all this.
Date: 11/16/2007 11:12:29 PM Date: 11/16/2007 11:12:29 PM

Gravatar
Karen Funk Blocher said:
Interesting trio of shots. Your grandmother looks pensive, and there are flowers in her hair, both of which help to make the shot intriguing. I can't imagine having a bathroom so well organized that there's room for a little antique tableau like that. Congrats to you for being able to do something like that. And are yopu going to join AARP? I've been vaguely thinking about it!
Date: 11/15/2007 10:13:14 PM Date: 11/15/2007 10:13:14 PM

Gravatar
julie said:
Organized? There's a reason I cropped that picture, you know!
Date: 11/16/2007 9:51:35 AM Date: 11/16/2007 9:51:35 AM

Gravatar
Nancy said:
This is a really well thought out entry! Interesting one too. Thanks for sharing all this.
Date: 11/16/2007 11:12:29 PM Date: 11/16/2007 11:12:29 PM





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