Another way to remember a vacation is to return with some trinket or object specific to the location. It might be as simple as a t-shirt or a pin, or it might be some locally-produced handicraft or specialty. Weeks or months after a trip, just looking at the object will generate a flood of memories.

   Lee & I have collected pins from the places we have visited since 1993, our first cross-country trip. We now have hundreds of interesting and distinctive pins on our jean vests, so many that we can’t wear them anymore. I have mounted Lee’s vest in a large shadow-box on a wall in our hallway. It makes a great conversation piece..