Home Movies
I watched some old home movies a few weekends ago. You kept these 40+ VHS tapes and obviously you still had a VCR to watch them on. Note that 40 is a rough reference number of videos you taped and does not include the VHS movies you recorded from TV or bought at the store. Sometimes looking at your old stuff is like stepping right into 1991.
I can imagine that it was so much work taking out that big camcorder at our plays, on family vacations, and to record school projects. But you loved that camcorder so much, and you wanted to capture as many moments as you could. Maybe you loved it because it cost $1100, which I found out recently since you left it in your document of important family notes and accounts: Camcorder GE 9-9806 purchased 07/16/87 from 47 St. Photo for $1,143.12. You left that note for us in case you died. I am not sure what we are supposed to do with this information upon your death, but I found it hilarious and enlightening.
These VHS tapes have all of our Cape Cod vacations, my dance recitals, Patrick’s hockey games, the school projects, birthday parties, and so much other random stuff. Some of them are really so boring Dad. I found one where you taped the 30 minute sea lion show in Cape Cod. I am not keeping that one. You once taped 30 minutes of Patrick’s ice hockey practice. It wasn’t even a game. Sorry Pat, but that video was not interesting to watch.
There’s this one video that I just love though. Since we were not artistic children, we always did our school projects as videos. Remember that time we had to make an Iroquois longhouse? You and Mom made the whole thing yourselves because apparently I was getting in the way of my own school project. Oh and do you remember when Patrick had to make a traditional Native American lacrosse stick or something ridiculous? We asked our neighbor John to do it, and he definitely got an A+. That lacrosse stick was legit.
One of my summer reading assignments was Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In the video, I am a young boy who finds Shiloh and wants to save him from his abusive owner. Shiloh is played by my stuffed animal Scamp. And you play my Dad, who is skeptical about a household pet. When we filmed it, I brought Scamp to the door to ask if I could keep the dog. Your line was “No. Give the dog back to Judd Travers.” For the first take, you delivered the line perfectly, but then I forgot my line and kind of stomped away. So we did a second take. I walk up to the door of our house and asked if I could keep the dog. And you respond with “NOOOOO. GIVE THE DOG BACK TO JUDD TRAVERS” in the loudest voice I’ve ever heard. You yelled. And it was hilarious. I laughed so hard with my usual full body laugh. I remember watching that scene over and over again growing up. Also note how I called it a scene. It was that professional.
We did a final take, which was perfect. John makes an appearance as a doctor and uses a German accent for some reason. I can’t believe we lost John, just one day before we lost you. And if you are together somewhere, I really hope you aren’t doing school projects anymore. Or maybe you are, and maybe it’s fun. You two made the video a great success. If the Hallmark channel could see it, we would all be hired.
Although I am glad you kept the VHS Dad, know that the memory was strong enough in my mind. The video has been playing it in my head for years. I don’t need the video to remember how much fun that day was, how hard you made me laugh, and how devoted you were to making these videos A+s for me and Patrick.
Thanks Dad, for using your $1100 camcorder to film my life as a kid. My life felt like a million bucks, thanks to you and Mom. Trips to Disney and Hawaii, filming funny school projects, living in great houses, going to several Backstreet Boys & NSYNC concerts, seeing over 150 Broadway shows, and attending great schools, were all amazing parts of my childhood. I am fully aware of everything you both did to make my childhood great, and I want you to know that it really was great. Watching all of these videos again is fun, but living those moments was way better, and they were highly memorable, even without the $1100 camcorder.
