- History in the making-

A short essay written for Darrell Gene Anarde my Father

Crystal Smith Ainardi

“You’re really getting into this?”

Is a response I’ve heard from many family members lately on my hunt of history, including my father. As most of my life I have displayed lukewarm tendencies to everything. It wasn’t until the past few years the passion, or shall we call it obsession I had seen in my family pop out of my mind and into the world.

I had grown an obsession with art, everyone one on my dad’s side of the family was quite artistic or musical. My uncle the guitar player for years, my brother’s new found obsession with guitars and my father the classically trained accordion and piano player, I turned to drawing. Even before that was my grandfather Louie the wood craftsmen. There is something deeper here though, another common thought.

My uncle has a passion for trains old trains and things of that nature; he often says he was born in the wrong century. My brother loves classical books, old languages and histories of the world. My father collects radios old ones, the kind families gathered around for family time before TVs were even brought into the homes.

As a Kid my dad liked to drive me to old cemeteries and landmarks, it scared the crap out of me. Once we went to this old over grown one in Ravensdale WA and I swore I was stepping on dead people I threw those shoes away! The museums and the photos he would point out to me explaining that those people were family.

Then they wonder why I’m really into this?

My father installed in me to never forget the stories, the past, and the history of which made us.

©COPYRIGHT Crystal Ainardi