holidaysburg

Family, Flashdance and Horseshoe Curve

Each Summer for the last few years I have had the privilege of taking my parents to my Dad's family reunion in Pennsylvania. Every year it is held in the small town of Altoona, nestled at the bottom of the beautiful Allegheny Mountains. It is also the next door neighbor to Holidaysburg, the home of the Slinky http://americanprofile.com/articles/home-of-the-slinky/ Both of my parents are from Altoona, which got a mention in the movie "Flashdance" and is home to the World Famous Horseshoe Curve. http://www.railroadcity.com/visit/world-famous-horseshoe-curve/. This year it was really sweet to have my mom with me in the car as we drove through old neighborhoods and heard stories of her childhood.

My dad, started his career with the Pennsylvania railroad in Altoona, after returning from serving in the Navy, on a submarine. It has been such a great experience for me to travel with them for so many reasons but the best reason is I have such fond memories of my visits to Altoona as a child. Both sets of grandparents lived and died here and it has been a beautiful thing to experience with my parents the place they have always known as "Home". 

This year, it was important for me to capture the moments not just with photos but with stories of my parents and their lives. To know the different yet interconnected ways that they saw themselves and how their siblings saw them. My son mentioned to me an app called https://storycorps.org which allows you the ability to interview people and take photos of the interview participants with your smartphone or tablet. The quality of the recording is great and you can send the interview content to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to keep forever. 

Another great thing about these journeys has been to reconnect with my cousins, aunts, uncle and to just be family.  My Aunt, who has always been the organizer of these reunions, is having a harder time getting around. She has done such a great job of organizing these reunions and I so appreciate her desire to have the family come together. Although it was a hard trip for my parents we had the best time. My father looks forward to this all year long and he needed this time of connection as he was given a terminal diagnosis just two weeks prior to us leaving. This time spent with his siblings. nieces and nephew was so important for him. We again made the journey....traveling along the Blue Ridge Mountain and over the Allegheny Mountains....continuing to make memories as we go.