As elders age and pass, precious family history is lost forever. Both of my grandparents suffer from severe dementia. They can't tell those stories anymore. When I stumbled upon this long-ago-forgotten piece of family history in the dust of my grandparents' garage, I realized the storytelling was up to me. I wanted to share both the mandolin’s story and bring to life how it became part of my story. I hiked 9 miles through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness carrying the mandolin in order to serenade Colchuk Lake. I also can't resist a seemingly hopeless fix-it project.