A Lone Tree ... but not alone

This weekend, I acquired a scanner that can transfer old slides to a memory card that can then be uploaded onto a computer.

My father took hundreds and hundreds of slides in the 1950's and 1960's. I suppose back then Kodachrome transparencies were cutting-edge technology. I have inherited boxes and boxes of the things, and until now had no effective way of viewing them. After two days of scanning, I now know there are far too many pictures of unidentified landscapes with no people in them, and no telling where they were taken. There are also quite a few shots of mystery folk -- unnamed friends, acquaintances, or obscure relations long lost to the distant past. Also, Dad wasn't a very careful photographer -- there are plenty of headless torsos and blurred features! Nonetheless, there are quite a few little gems hidden away in those crumbling yellow cardboard Kodak boxes.

These two pictures were taken around 1958 on a Spring day somewhere in England. I have no idea what the story is behind the felling of this magnificent tree. I am the small creature teetering on the enormous trunk, carefully using my father's shoulder for balance, and smiling at the camera as my mother soaks up some sun. I love Dad's fedora and Mom's stylish Saddle shoes!