Getting Digital

As my family and I decide to stay put or flee in front of Hurricane Irene, I’m reminded of all of the family photos that are at risk. We have about 30 photo albums and stacks and boxes of photos that date back over one hundred years. Many have had the people identified thanks to a long sit down with my Mom while she reminisced with family stories as each person was identified. (Thanks, Mom)

Now there is a Category 4 Hurricane with the Carolinas in its sights. There is no way to evacuate all the photos along with people, important papers and a few “must haves.” We keep saying it’s just “stuff” but some of the photos are more than “stuff” they are the only tangible evidence of our family’s past.

When we moved to the beach six years ago, we knew this day would come. The day we look around the house and realize that the carefully prepared evacuation list suddenly looks clinical: wills, deeds, computers, jewelry, savings bonds, medicine and cameras. What about that box of my grandparents’ lives? What about our wedding album?

Well, a few years ago I started scanning photos into my computer. I have our whole wedding album, I have our honeymoon, I have Bob’s parents’ 50^th anniversary but I don’t have everything. Why? Well – scanning in photos is boring!

I do have a flatbed scanner but it makes scanning photos a tedious job; especially with over 4,000 photos to go. So, I purchased a dedicated photo scanner from pandigital for the 2x3 to 4x6 photos. It has a straight feed-thru paper path so the photos don’t get damaged. I also purchased a wand scanner from Pandigital for easy sheet scanning of intact photo book pages.

So – assuming we don’t get blown away or float away – I’ll be scanning again next week. Today, though, I’m praying Irene goes out to sea and preparing for her if she decides to come here.

Happy Hunting!