This could take awhile...

I'm not the only one that has them;

of this I'm sure.

 shelf after shelf

of photo albums.

Even if it feels like I'm the only one that has them for MY family!

Besides my own volumes, I inherited my mothers -

and a few of my grandmothers.

A pictorial history of my 'tribe';

all the ancestors who have gone before,

as well as the accumulated records of those we love 

and are blessed to have in our lives now.

I don't take the responsibility lightly -

but neither do I want the very limited closet shelf space I have 

to be consumed by their mass, 

loaded down by their weight.

Retirement seemed to offer a chance to address this issue;

to bring the 'archives' up into the 21st century

and rid me of some of the physical detritus that gets passed down 

to each successive generation.

(BTW Art Boy and GI Joe, you're welcome.)

I am determined to scan them and save them on an external hard drive.

I started this morning...

and with each passing hour,

memories and ghosts filled the room ...

 (yes, I rocked an afro back in the day!)

Four hours = 1/2 of 1 album downloaded...

Good Lord, this might take the rest of my life!

At least there'll be a stunning digital slideshow to play at my wake!