How TROVA Keeps Memories Safe and Sound
Safes might conjure up images of bank robbers, hotel rooms, or even cartoon characters trying to bust their combination. But TROVA is on a mission to change that. They’re working to make safes more accessible in the day-to-day lives of everyone, from protecting precious goods to important documents. To celebrate The Slow Issue of Whalebone Magazine, we asked marine science journalist and all-around amazing human Avery Schuyler Nunn to try out TROVA and see how her precious memories of loved ones can be protected while she rides the waves.
If you could put a song or a memory in the safe, what would it be?
“Let It Be” by The Beatles carries a lot of memories for me. The earliest being that when I was 7, my parents took me to see Paul McCartney for my first concert, and I remember being over the moon standing between my parents, crossing my fingers the entire concert hoping he’d play Let It Be (of course, he did). My parents tell me that when I was 2, I would sing Let It Be in my highchair at the breakfast table. I don’t really have that memory, but I love imagining my parents watching and singing it with me, as we continue to do with my younger brother anytime it comes on today. One Christmas Eve when I was living in New York City, I ran 10 miles from my downtown apartment to deliver fanmail to Paul’s penthouse on the Upper East Side, after his album McCartney III came out. I wrapped the fat letters in white ribbon, and in them drew a sketch of a sheepdog, included a photo of my family walking across Abbey Road (I was barefoot in it as Paul obviously), and wrote that there were still 20-somethings in the village who loved to lay on the floor and listen to his records. Unsurprisingly, the doorman was reluctant to let me drop off the letters (probably because I seemed like a stalker and was heaving from the long run). But just as he was saying no, the mailman arrived. He looked at the doorman, looked at me, looked back at the doorman and said, “Oh, come on. Look at her. It’s Christmas!” When I handed him the letters, the doorman grunted but the mailman smiled and promised he’d drop them in Paul’s mailbox. I don’t know if they actually made it, but I hope that they did!
How did Trova add to your everyday life?
I bop around the coast a lot for work, and always have my surfboard and diving gear with me in case the waves or viz are good anywhere along the way. I’m often a bit nervous about any of my belongings that are left in the car while I’m out in the water, because there’s not normally a way for me to keep an eye on the car from the ocean. Trova really added some peace of mind in that sense. The things that are truly important to me are that much safer, and the convenient size of the safe allows me to keep it in my glove compartment, where it can be tucked away. It’s super quick and easy to use, so thankfully I don’t miss any waves while getting my things in it, either!
Walk us through what you chose to keep in your safe and why?
In March of this year, I lost my Granny, who was (and is) my best friend. When she was earthside, she wore these two beautiful rings every single day, and whatever watch matched with her outfit. The woman had style. After her passing, I started wearing her two rings, and this blue and brown watch of hers everyday — they’re like an extension of my body now. I’d be very afraid of losing or tarnishing them in the ocean, so that’s really the only time that I take them off. In a way, keeping these items that mean the world to me safe in my Trova is like keeping my connectedness and memories with her safe.
