behold: the last photobooth strips taken in that late, great city of ours. on our last day, our very last hour in portland, oregon. when I saw that the booth at the ace was working that day, I almost fell to my knees with gratitude.
but here's the thing. I've lost them. somewhere along the way, they vanished. in the midst of all the traveling, the packing and unpacking, the getting in and out of the car (and in and out and then in and out again), and then in and out of motel room after motel room and then all the unpacking of the suitcases once we arrived here in atlanta, and the unpacking of all the boxes, and the shifting around of a hundred million things, is it really any wonder?
still, I'm heartbroken. I never lose things like this. I've turned the house upside down but, nothing. nothing but this measly little iphone image. I can't help but wonder, will someone eventually find them? somewhere down the road? and wonder who we are? wonder what our story is? will we turn up at the fleamarket fifty years from now? will we be someone's fleamarket find? one can only hope. you know, a girl can dream.
I hope they emerge one day when you need a reminder of a special memory...
ReplyDeletei've often thought about that of photo's of us - will they one day end up in a flea market fifty years from now? sad you lost these though...
ReplyDeleteAck, no! I recently found a stack of origami paper that was lost for over a year, in my studio, after checking (I would have bet money) EVERY bin, box, tin and hiding place in there. And throughout the house. Origami paper isn't as precious as your photobooth pics, but I have faith they'll show up. Glove compartment in car? Tucked into a journal, map, or the bag from the first roadside gift shop? That zipper pocket you always forget about in your purse, tote, luggage? Good luck, Andrea!
ReplyDeleteUh, what a gut wrenching feeling! I lost our favorite polaroid, a silly one of the monster from Sesame Street that we took at a museum in Detroit a few years ago. I tore our tiny studio apart looking for it and never found it. Luckily I have a scan but nothing will ever replace the real deal! Hoping someone comes across your Photo Booth strips and smiles!
ReplyDeleteOh man, can I ever relate to this! A long time internet-met friend of mine came into town last year to meet in person for the first time. It was an epic 5 days and while she was here we hit up two photobooths. One strip for her, one strip for me. I stuck each strip in my sketchbook so they wouldn't get scratched, bent or or or, you probably guessed it, LOST. When we got home only one strip tumbled out of my sketchbook. I leafed through my sketchbook pages dozens of times, I flipped pages over and over. It felt tragic. I searched my bag and the car countless times. I called the location where we got the strip, hoping it might have fallen out immediately, I even scoured the internet for "found photographs" hoping in some weird Amelie-like-world, that my picture strip might have been scooped up and then posted to find its rightful owner. I was sad and afraid to tell my friend that I had lost it. I was in disbelief that it was actually gone. I just HAD THIS FEELING that somehow it would turn up again. And well, it did, but not in some crazy twist of fate. Almost a year later I was nearing the end of filling my sketchbook, flipped the page, and there it was stuck in the crease, hidden the whole time. I just knew I'd find it and I really feel like you will find yours as well, it just may find you when you least expect it. I'm glad that you got a picture of them though! Better that than just the memory alone.
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