A glimpse of the past

Kökar, the island I visited a week ago. It was not the first time, in fact, I’ve been there almost every summer since I saw the sun for the first time. When I was a kid, I usually spent the entire summer out there. Nowadays, I like to make pictures of things that reminds me of those days. Like the following two:

This old tractor tire did serve its purpose long time ago, I would say more than thirty. Its current use seems somewhat degraded, no new flowers have been planted in for over twenty years. My cousins lived in the house you see in the picture. The tractor the tire originates from was an old Valmet, which is a Finnish tractor. I have lots of memories around this tractor, which belonged to my grand father. We used to ride on the sidewings right over the big wheels, that would be an impossible thing to do today, with over-protective parents of today…

This little boat has been around since I was ten, some 35 years, that is. Now my son is rowing around in it. I don’t think it will last another generation, it’s time to retire the old boat. But those memories! I remember that we mounted a 30 hp engine on it which almost made it capsize. You had to stay in the steer to balance the engine, and beware of lending yourself to the side… Totally crazy, but what a rush it was to go on full speed. Life west? We had never heard of them. Another impossible thing seen with today’s eyes. My son has to row for a while more…

It’s good to have access to your childhood in this way, especially if you’re a bit sentimental as I am.