Credit Card Bills, Photography, and Memory

On NPR yesterday there was an interview with an author who used her credit card bills as the catalyst for telling stories of her life. A pretty exciting idea actually. I was curious and dug through some of my old bills and was surprised by what I remembered. On my first trip to Thailand I kept a small journal of events and impressions, when I read the journal my memories return. I have many photographs of my youth, cute kid with a stuffed elephant, kid with lawn mower, etc.. When I think of my youth I remember the photographs! I do not think I recover my actual memories, but that could be because I was too young. I wonder though, I would tentatively say that photographs can become memories in a way that is different from written notes, or even credit card statements. I know our national memory is one of photography. As I was writing I was remembering having breakfast at my grandmothers house, there was no picture, but the photograph stimulated the memory of her house, it was a visual memory. I think this whole area deserves much more exploration.