Yellowed and fragile newspaper clippings, a letter dated 1945 from my dad to his parents explaining why he wanted to quit West Point, silly poems and stories from my youth, travel brochures from my mother's 1950 European trip, and lots of forgotten photographs are some of the items I have been digging through piece-by-piece. Whew.
I was very intrigued by the following photo. It is a picture I have never seen, probably snapped around 1956. Several things about the photo interest me. For one, it is an early color picture. Secondly, it is my grandfather and some of his brothers, along with a cousin. My grandfather collapsed of a heart attack shortly after this picture was taken (not necessarily that day or even that year, just some time around this period of time... and at this very hunt camp). Could it be one of the last taken of him?
My grandfather is the first one on the left.
The final thing which caught my attention was this:
Check out the sign which reads: Clayton's Hunting Club. Clayton was my grandfather's last name and also my son's given name.
I WANT THAT SIGN!
Tomorrow we are going on a mission to find it. I am taking my brother and my 82- year- old mother with me. It is a two hour drive down to the old home country of SE Arkansas. My mom has never seen the place where her father died... over 54 years ago.
Stayed tuned for what we might find tomorrow!
Wow! That is an adventure! I hope you find the sign, because that's definitely a treasure worth keeping.
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome! I would be driving down looking for the sign, too. Growing up, my grandparents had a house on Lake Hamilton ... the sign at the end of the partially paved road read "Fiddlestix" ... yes, I HAVE that sign. I will post a picture for you to see it soon!
ReplyDeleteSmile!
MaryJane
Nothing like a good treasure hunt. Happy hunting.
ReplyDeletefondly,
Glenda
So did you find the sign?
ReplyDeleteSo did you find the sign, Bev?
ReplyDeleteLeslie
I can't wait any longer --- you simply have to post a follow-up ASAP! What a wonderful adventure for the extended Hillcrest Cottage family! Wish I could've joined you!
ReplyDeleteLove & kisses,
The granddaughter of the man on the far right
My goodness, I thought I'd posted a comment but it must have been that wicked night Blogger was giving me grief!
ReplyDeleteWhat a *wonderful* treasure that photo is Bev! And I can see why it would set you out on a treasure hunt! I'm going to your newest post now, to see how your adventure went!
xoxo