August Scanfest Report

Yesterday saw some new Scanfesters for a terrific three-hour session of scanning and chatting using Windows Live Messenger. Colleen of The Oracle of OMcHodoy and Craig of GeneaBlogie were our newbies, and it was so nice to "meet" them online and get a chance to know them a little better. Craig also has the added distinction of being our first male Scanfester--I think he deserves a door prize or booby prize or something! Jasia of Creative Gene and Amy of Untangled Family Roots rounded out our party.

Colleen was working on her aunt's scrapbook that contained photos which were 50 to 100 years old, she estimates. Unfortunately, some had adhered to the paper in the scrapbook over time and she was afraid of damaging them. We discussed possible solutions and recommended she consult a pro. Craig was scanning ancestral death certificates from Missouri and Texas and court documents from Georgia. He informed me that death certificates in Texas are fairly easy to obtain, and are not too expensive, at $20 each; good to know, as I'm considering purchasing my grandfather's. Jasia was scanning her aunts' and uncles' wedding albums from the 1940s and her mother's 8th grade graduating class photo from parochial school. She said that none of the classmates' names were labeled, and we talked about how fast these things are lost to the past! And I continued to scan my black and white wedding photos taken by a freelance photographer friend of ours, in anticipation of creating a Wedding Memory Book for my kids through MemoryPress. I'm also ensuring they'll last longer by removing them from a "magnetic page" photo album.

(My last few minutes as a Robbins)

All in all, it was a very pleasant time spent, and I hope to see everyone back, plus more new "faces" next time! Our September Scanfest will be held Sunday, September 30th from 11 AM - 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.