Voices from 2010

Back in Sept 2010, Larry and I did our first major road trip in which we visited New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and then home. Most of the time we were just being tourist but visited my family in Missouri and some distant relatives of Larry's in Kingman, Kansas that I found on the internet. I spent several hours one afternoon interviewing my brother on audio tape getting some history on my family and his own history - childhood, where he was when, etc. I finally got around to transcribing the tape this week - 4 years after it was made. There were 3 channels on my little audio recorder and his was on channel 2.  However, before I discovered that Bill was on channel 2, I started to play it back and the recorder was on channel 3, last one used,  which was an interview I did with a relative of Larry's. Imagine my shock when I heard Larry's voice on the recorder chatting with Wilma Hovan, whose mother was Larry's grandmother's sister.

Needless to say, I was stunned! It is one thing to see pictures of a loved one who has died but it is quite another to hear their voice 4 years later. I didn't listen to it but quickly turned it off and found the channel where the interview with Bill was. About 1 hour into the interview, I hear Larry asking Bill a question and that happened several times during the interview. I got through the transcription of Bill's interview but have not tackled the one with Larry's relative when he talked a lot and asked her questions and she wanted to know about him. I would like to get it transcribed so I can add the info to his Family History book but I think it is going to have to wait a few months until I am ready to deal with the voice. Emotional. Sad. But yet it also brings back good memories of the wonderful trip we had that summer which was the first time Larry had ever been to the Midwest and then couldn't wait to get back to Arkansas.