There she is!

As I mentioned yesterday, I found an old roll of film we'd never developed. We'd come across it several times, and each time we'd wondered what was on it and said we ought to have it processed. But we never had. Today, I dropped it off at a 60 Minute Photo shop in the neighborhood.

I anticipated good things, because I felt pushed to find this film and to have it developed. A few days ago, in the neighborhood blog, I read about plans to build on 14th between Pike and Pine, a few blocks from our house. In the comments, people were lamenting the loss of 60 Minute Photo, currently in the area that is soon to be under construction. They talked about what a great place it was, what wonderful people worked there, and how hard it is to find good film service in the age of digital photography. I've passed the place hundreds, maybe even thousands, of times, and hadn't ever thought about it.

When I came across the film yesterday, then, I knew exactly where to go to have it developed. And I found the film only because Sandy has apparently hidden the state quarters, which we stored in a film canister, and which I was looking for. So it seemed very important to find out what was on this roll.

I was nervous when I dropped it off. I wasn't sure how well the film would have held up through the years, and I knew that the chances were good that they were mainly garden photos. I tried to tell myself it didn't matter, that photos from that era would bring back memories even if Sandy wasn't in them.

I hit the jackpot. Out of 27 photos, seven include Sandy. And they're all of a time that I don't have any other photographic record of, just as the trees were taken down next door and the construction on the condos began. Our house and yard were so different. We were so young and enthusiastic. It's a gift to have these, especially now, when I've felt the limitations of our photo collection and was desperate for new images of Sandy.

I checked the camera when I got back from dropping off the film earlier, and I discovered that its roll is full, too. So I'll take it in next week and hope for more treasures from the past.

This was the first photo on the roll. I find it incredibly cheery. I'd forgotten how much it felt like we lived in the woods before the condos went up next door. Sandy had just started container gardening, and I believe I took this photo to show
off her new pot of flowers. This was probably early summer of 1998, about six months after she moved in.