Pictures and History

Yesterday, Aubrey and I spent the afternoon going through old family photographs. I'm going to scan the photographs for family archiving purposes, but I also think a lot of the images will work nicely here on the blog as I spin tales and sketches of my childhood. I'm looking forward to seeing how the images and the sketches blend.

Additionally, we spent some time driving around Oakford taking pictures of the landmarks. We have some pictures from 5 or 6 years ago, but I thought it would be a good idea to get some pictures with the specific goals of this blog and the book in mind. Aside from having some images to post on the blog from time to time, I like having the images when I write. For me, I think, writing is similar to painting. I like to have an image in front of me to develop a piece, layer upon layer. I've always been interested in the role of memory in the writing process, and I find that the more I look at places, people, and things and the more I think about them, the more I can channel memories and stories of those places. It's impressionism in writing.

I've also been working to research the history of Oakford. I'd like my book to be as authoritative as possible. It's one thing to grow up in a place and hear the stories of it, but it's an entirely different thing to go back to day one and read the fascinating stories of settlement and the advances that were made. It gives you a richness of experience that simply living in a place cannot give.