The planning phase

The planning phase was done over nearly 4 years. Sol was not in the picture till a number of months before the trip actually took place. My wife Mary had found a photograph of what appeared to be a random inmate in Auschwitz II (Birkenau) on some obscure web site. She has always been an avid genealogist researching both her family and mine. Both families were survivors and on Mary's side there was significant volumes of photos and information. On my side there were zero photos and almost no information other than what my parents had told me.
With this single photo Mary had stumbled upon, a series of events were set in motion which would change my life going forward. The photo in fact was the only reason I made this trip at all.