Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXXII

Dad made a mistake. I'm not being critical...I'm here to defend him. As a matter of fact, he's the one who told me he had messed up. For a little better perspective, let me give you some background details. Dad was born in 1917, which means if he was still living he would be ninety-five years old. Just like you and me, he witnessed a lot of changes in this world during his lifetime. As a young man, Dad purchased a 16mm movie camera which took high quality pictures, even by today's standards. As a result, he left a treasure trove of memories for my siblings and me, including videos of me being pushed in a stroller by my mother and my sister's first steps. He was employed by the railroad, so naturally trains held a special interest for him, but the trains he was accustomed to seeing were totally different from the type of locomotives that you and I have seen all our lives. In his day, steam engines were the norm. Then a new phenomenon hit the industry....big diesel engines....the kind you and I are accustomed to seeing today. When the first big diesel-powered train pulled in to the depot where he worked, he grabbed his movie camera, which in those days was never far from his side, and recorded it. What a moment that must have been!  I can remember so well as a child watching those old home movies as he described seeing that first big diesel engine, so we naturally asked, "Do you have any pictures of the old steam engines?" No, he didn't. It never occurred to him that some movies of the old things that were common to him may someday hold more value than the new inventions that so intrigued him at that time.  By the time he realized his error, it was too late. Even if I felt like being critical of his lack of foresight, I don't think I have any grounds to criticize him. Can you put put yourself in his shoes and think that you would've acted differently?  What kinds of pictures and videos are you recording today that capture images of old technology that will soon disappear...things your kids and grandkids will someday want to learn about?  How many pictures have you taken of records playing on the record player? Did you record any of the old forty-fives with the wider hole in the center that had to be played with the use of an adapter?  Do you still have any pictures of your old 8-track tape player? What about regular light bulbs, land line telephones, dollar bills, gasoline powered automobiles, lap top computers, wire-rimmed notebooks, riding mowers with steering wheels, etc.?  All those things, as well as countless other items that we now take for granted are likely to soon disappear. Who would have ever thought that typewriters would become a thing of the past? As much as I would love to see some old home movies of my dad working around an old steam engine, I can't be mad at him for never filming it. I have a camera. Why am I not capturing images of my family using products that will be gone tomorrow? To be honest, Dad did a better job of that than I've done. Preston