  As the preface to the special issue for the conference ``Quantum Information
and Probability: from Foundations to Engineering'' (QIP23), I wrote these notes
with recollection about V\"axj\"o conferences. These conferences covered 25
years of my life (2000-24) and played the crucial role in evolution of my own
views on the basic problems of quantum foundations. I hope to continue this
conference series as long as possible. Up to my understanding, this is the
longest conference series on quantum foundation in the history of quantum
physics. These notes contain my recollections of conversations with the world's
leading experts on quantum foundations. I think that such notes may have the
historical value. My own views on quantum foundations are specific and they
evolved essentially during 25 years. Finally, I discovered the practically
forgotten pathway in physical foundations developed by von Helmholtz, Hertz,
Boltzmann, and Schr\"odinger and known as the Bild conception. A scientific
theory is a combination of two models, observational and causal. Coupling
between these models can be tricky. A causal model can operate with hidden
quantities which can't be identified with observables. From this viewpoint,
Bell's coupling of subquantum and quantum models is very special and the
violation of the Bell inequalities doesn't close (local) ways beyond quantum
mechanics.
